Mark Taylor

Mark Taylor's Outdoors column and notebook appears regularly in The Roanoke Times.

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Overview

Professional fishing guides are known to nearly kill themselves to give their clients their money's worth on fishing trips.

So what was Smith Mountain Lake guide Dewayne Lamb doing hauling his party back to the dock a little early on a recent morning?

The right thing, is what.

During the warm months of summer, release mortality for striped bass can be astoundingly high, a fact that prompted the recent elimination of the minimum size for stripers at Smith Mountain Lake during the summer.

It's an easy choice for average anglers. If they are fortunate enough to catch their limit of two stripers, they should head back to the dock or move on to another target species.

It's not as easy for guides, whose clients pay good money for trip of an established length.

Fortunately, most customers understand the situation and realize that quitting early can help ensure future limits for them and others.

Those who insist on fishing for stripers after a limit are easy to handle, too. Just as guides are experts at catching fish, they can be experts at not catching fish when necessary.

Lakes

Trollers are catching plenty of trout at Lake Moomaw, reports Larry Andrews at the Bait Place, but most don't meet the 16-inch size minimum.

Stripers have moved deep at Smith Mountain Lake, reports Dewayne Lamb of All for Fun Striper Fishing. Schools have been found in the Roanoke arm around the mouths of Beaverdam, Bettys and Beckys creeks, as well as around Gills Creek and the Cliffs on the Blackwater side. Lamb said the fish have been 40 to 50 feet deep and are hitting alewives on downlines. Trolled umbrella rigs are taking some shallower fish.

Crankbaits on main lake points and ledges are taking some largemouth bass.

Striper fishing is good at Claytor Lake, while spinnerbaits and chatterbaits are catching bass after dark.

Streams

Shawn Hash at Tangent Outfitters in Pembroke said smallmouth action has been excellent on the New River on soft plastics and topwater lures. The weed problems are improving.

Guide Rob England from Appalachian Bronzeback Adventures said he and his son caught about 50 smallmouths on the upper James River on Monday on soft plastics, such as Senkos and Gitzit tubes. The fish all appeared healthy, according to England, which is good news in the wake of this year's fish kill.

Saltwater

Dolphin action has been good off the North Carolina Outer Banks, with the offshore boats finding a few billfish, too.