Captain Todd Keith:

I appreciate your interest in The Shad Taxi Guide Service and about me as a captain. I was born and raised in the Smith Mountain Lake vicinity and have seen the different stages that the lake has been through. I was raised using the "old-school" methods of striper fishing by fishing with my father and grandfather who were avid SML striper fishermen since the lake was built and stocked with stripers.

In the late 70's and throughout the 80's we primarily used artificials since the boat traffic was minimal and we could produce big fish and big numbers on a consistent basis. We did however, use big bait to target the big stripers.

I purchased a house on Smith Mountain Lake in 1999 and since then have spent roughly 300 days each year fishing for stripers. (Yes, I am insane when it comes to striper fishing)
Because of the enormous amount of recreational activity that has grown on the lake, we now primarily use live bait as our means of targeting stripers. We still utilize artificials when the situation is right and when artificials can produce higher numbers than live bait.

I hold a U.S. Coast Guard Captain's License and we are fully insured for chartering up to 6 clients in one outing.