Crews Says Strategy Will Play a Huge Role at Smith Mountain Lake BBT

By Pete Robbins 

 

Two-time Elite Series champion and Virginia native John Crews has no doubts that the anglers fishing this fall’s Big Bass Tour event on Smith Mountain Lake will have legitimate shots at trophy fish. Indeed, in consistently takes an 8-pound-plus bass to claim big fish honors in most tournaments, and not just in the springtime. The BBT is proof of that. In the last three Fall events on Smith Mountain, starting in 2021, it has taken 8.37 pounds, 8.62 pounds and 8.59 pounds to claim the top prize. In 2022, Randy Arthur weighed in an 8.21 and had to settle for second place. 

 

Big fish do indeed sometimes require strategy to maximize their worth, as was evident last Fall, when four fish over 7 pounds were weighed in. But where the most flexibility in earnings comes is with the hourly check winners. 

 

“There are just too many 4-pounders out there,” Crews said. “So it’ll take a 4- or 5-pounder to win each hour, but you may still be able to grab a check with some smaller fish.” The strategic element comes with timing and how long you’ll need to take your bait out of the water to get it done. “You can catch big fish all over the lake. There are tournaments going out of every section of the lake so the fish are constantly getting redistributed.” 

 

That equates to football’s “down and distance” equation: Do you spend the time to run a fish 5, 10 or 15 miles back to the weigh-in or do you save it for later? If the bite is off but you’ve got a good one in the livewell, do you run it back now and hope your prime water is still available, or do you wait it out? It’s part art, part science. 

 

Crews explained that there will also be some critical decision making in terms of what types of patterns to chase. 

 

“There are a several different things going on,” he said. “The first is a topwater bite. The schooling bite is starting to taper off, but you might still be able to catch a few that are chasing shad and bluebacks on points with a walking bait. The other place to look is in the backs of pockets, where little wolfpacks of bass are running the banks, herding bluegill. In that situation, I’d use a plopper or a buzzbait.” 

 

He might look for those bites early, or in the case of cloudy or windy conditions, but he’d also keep a flipping jig ready to go. “It catches big fish and it’s good around brush, docks, rocks, really everything.” Again, he’d employ it in two different scenarios. The first would be isolated rock, often out on points, in 8 to 25 feet of water. His second jig scenario, a Smith Mountain Lake staple, would be to fish docks. 

 

“Sometimes you can pattern which docks they’re on,” he said. “It could be secondary points, the backs of pockets, or the insides of points. Sometimes the biggest docks, not marinas but just big docks, can be better. And don’t be fooled into thinking they can be too shallow. Sometimes the big bass are so shallow that you’d think you’d be able to see them with your eyes.” No matter where he’s throwing the jig, he typically relies on natural patterns like green pumpkin.

 

Finally, he wouldn’t be afraid to downsize his lure. While the jig is his big fish staple, especially in heavy cover, he also has a shakey head on the deck of his boat all Autumn long. “It catches big fish, too,” he said. 

 

Just remember that timing and choices matter quite a bit in every BBT event, but especially when there are so many cookie cutter fish. A bass that commands an 8th place check one hour could be good for 2nd or even first the next hour. The smart angler gets paid more than the indiscriminate one. 

 
 Berkley Big Fish Baits – Fall on Smith Mountain Lake 

·      Shakey Head – Berkley Powerbait Maxscent Hit Worm 

·      Topwater for Schooling Fish – Berkley J-Walker 

·      Backup Bait for Schooling Fish – Berkley Powerbait Jerk Shad 

·      Topwater for Fish Chasing Bluegill – Berkley Choppo 

·      Jig for Docks and Offshore Rocks – Berkley Powerbait Finesse Jig