September Forecast

[Cody Smith]

Hello folks! Greers Ferry is currently 5 feet below normal pool and

falling slightly due to daily generation and a lack of any significant

rainfall over the watershed area. Water Surface temperatures are

ranging in the upper 80's at the time of this forecast, however

temperatures will be falling into the mid 70's by the end of September

and the bite on all species will skyrocket once we see a good 10

degree swing. August brought heavy lake traffic with the school kids

getting in the few last trips to the lake before starting back full

time. Overall we had below normal rainfall and above normal average

temperatures for the month. I look for this trend to continue into the

fall with the current weather pattern we are experiencing. Another

factor to consider this month is tropical storms and hurricanes always

bring us some rain during a typical September. If we see these storms

occur this can bring the reservoir up multiple feet per day and

change things drastically. I look for this September to be a great

start to an awesome fall of fishing here on Greers Ferry.

August was absolutely fantastic in regards to the whites and hybrids

and I look for this bite to continue. Several 100 fish days reared

there head and above average fishing was experienced over the last

half of the month. Early mornings and late evenings have been and

will continue to be the best time to pursue the surfacing schools

until later into the fall when these fish typically put on a

predictable show throughout mid day hours. Fish Dinner Lure custom

1/2 oz. in-line spinners and half to one ounce spoons are tops when

pursuing these fish. Visit www.fishdinnerlures.com to place your

order today. Fishing for this species is incredible right now and I

look for this to continue on into the fall.

The Largemouth bass population will start to push into creeks and

pockets following the shad this month. Look along timber edges on

flats with small to medium size rock, old roadbeds and secondary

points in the 6 - 14 feet zone. We are starting to see some really

nice 2 - 4 lber's showing up in these location's already. These fish

are coming in fresh to these areas that have not been widely used

since mid to late spring. These locations are now harboring bait and a

bit more dissolved oxygen with the cooling water we will be seeing

over the next month. Top waters early and late then transition into

your swim baits and small profile crank baits as these largemouth are

taking advantage of our shad pushing shallow this month. Medium

profile swim baits, Large Pop-R's in natural colors, shaky head rigged

finesse worms and Tubes will all play there part this month when

pursuing these fish.

Our small mouth and spotted bass here on Greers will still be a tad

deeper than there cousin's the largemouth this month. Look for these

fish to be really relating to wind blown points and bluffs, both in

the creeks and on the main lake. Early morning and later in the

evenings the fish will school up pretty tight, baby flukes and Pop-R

type baits should be considered. Strike King’s Bitsy Bug, Tubes and

shaky head will be top producers this month while the fish are deeper

and holding tighter to structure during the peak of the day. Fish

thorough and slow to maximize your bites in one location. If there is

moderate to heavy wind blowing in on one of these key areas Jerkbaits

and small to medium size crank baits can and should be utilized to

mimic the shad there feeding on.

Now for our toothy friend the walleye; they will be on the move this

month. If we get cooler than normal water temperatures the bite will

pick up fast and stay pretty consistent through the rest of the fall

and into the winter. Look for here today, gone tomorrow type

scenarios with our eyes as they will be with and staying with the

forage.. Depths of 22 - 34 feet will be the major target zone.

Location's to note when pursuing this specie are bluffy points with

both rock and wood. Longer gravel points with chunk rock that leads

into a main channel location and sharp channel swings along bluff

lines in major creeks and on the main lake.

With average rain, temperatures and condition's September will be a

great time to be on the water. There will be a lot less recreational

traffic this month and the fishing is already promising to be

absolutely fantastic! If you have any question's about this report or

would like to book a day on the water please contact me via e-mail or

phone @ fishgreersferry@gmail.com or (501) 691-5701,

www.fishgreersferry.com , Cody S. Smith