Smith Mountain Lake March Fishing Report - Change is here!
This lake is insanity. I spent a a week in AZ fishing with a few friends since the home waters was fishing tough for most and man was that a mistake. Now, for the second weekend in a row Smith Mountain Lake has kicked out a 28lb bag of largemouth to win a tournament. This lake may see a 30lb bag this year! On top of that the stripers are everywhere right now and BIG. It’s one if not the best time of the year to get out for a chance at a true giant. The crappies are loaded on lots of deep docks too. It’s just an exciting time at the lake.
The lakes water temperature is actually still a little behind with the upper Black Water and Roanoke Rivers getting to about 53 on a warm day. The lower end is still 45 in the mornings. This is very different then last year.
The Largemouth and Smallmouth are on the move and you can find fish much fast in the 8-15 foot range. An A-rig is still catching monster bags up lake, but if that’s not your thing a jerkbait is a quick second. Working the bait in different cadences is the key to success. Try fast with little pauses but also short movements with longer pauses (4-10 seconds). Lastly, the crankbait bite is starting to heat back up. Focus on that depth range mentioned above and hold on.
The stripers are chasing whats left of the smaller bait fish and are being found on main lake points as well as all the way in the back of the pockets if the bait is present. Jerkbaits, A-rigs, bucktails and spoons are great baits to get the school activated and eating.
Crappie are LOADED on deeper docks right now. If you have front facing sonar like Garmin Livescope they are easy to find. Look for schools of fish that are stacked vertically under docks and don’t move very much. To catch crappie drop a very small jig down with a Gulp Alive shad or dropshot nose hook the same bait. No joke some docks have 50+ fish under them.
Things are changing and changing quick here. The lake is easily the best lake in all of Virginia, but I think we are close to being considered a national powerhouse for large bags of tournament fish with how consistent these giant bags are.
Smith Mountain Lake February Fishing Report - Tough bite
Sorry for the delay on this report everyone, I took a long needed vacation after the busy year of guiding. I didn’t get to spend a ton of time on the water but what I did was down right tough. I’ll shoot you straight on these reports with what I experience and it was one of the hardest months of fishing I have experienced.
The bass tend to be bunched up this time of year and it takes some moving around to find them. Covering water is your best friend, but can be tough to do when its below freezing at dawn. Remember to focus on main lake structure like rocks, docks and lay downs, but don’t spend to much time on dead banks. Good bait choices are a jerkbait, a rig and a swimbait. Keep a jig handy to drag if the fish seem to be sticking close to the bottom.
The crappie fishing reports have been great with lots of fish being caught up lake on the Roanoke side near docks and lay downs in 10-20 ft. A gulp minnow on a light jig head is all you need to bring home some slabs.
Stripers seemed to be stacked on main lake humps with standing timber and rock. Throwing an A rig through the school is almost a guarantee for a strike.
Smith Mountain Lake January Fishing Report - Please get colder
Well just like in 2020 the start to 2021 is not shaping up like it should be. Virginia is experiencing another super mild winter with nightly temperatures barely tapping on the freezing mark. This has kept the shad alive for much longer and it’s keeping some of the bigger fish from being caught as they have SO much food to eat at their fin tips. Most of the water temperatures in the lake are varying from the low 40’s in the upper ends of both the rivers to almost 50 degrees on the lower end of the lake. This can make it challenging to know how reactive fish will be in both areas and can require an angler to switch baits and presentations based on the area they choose to fish. Pray we get some big cold snaps in the next few weeks because spring time will be here before you know it.
Bass fishing has been a little tough. Most the tournament weights are in the mid to high teens (which is still an awesome day of fishing) but not as big as some winter bags could be. Weather plays a big role in a monster bag of winter bass, but more important is a shad stun event. This happens when the water temp snaps and the smaller shad that were born this year start to die. That is the dinner bell to large fish of call kinds. Most all of our fish are coming on either a 2.8-3.3 swimbait on a very light Dobyns lightwire swimbait head (1/8,3/16,1/4) or an Alabama rig rigged with 1/8 heads and 2.8 swimmers. Take the time to find the bait in the pockets before casting it will pay off.
Striper fishing is great right now. I am finding most of my fish in the standing timber along points that start at the mouth of most creeks. Again, a swimbait, Alabama rig or a spoon are killer for getting them to react. Look for fish in the 25-60 foot range hiding in the standing timber and either cast and count it down or drop the spoon right on their head. This is where knowing how to use your electronics is key. Front facing sonar like Garmin Livescope is a great tool when fishing that deep and for schooling fish, but also being able to use traditional 2D sonar with the A-scope is great. If you’re looking to learn more about your electronics book an electronics training class with me here.
Crappie fishing is also lights out right now. I am finding massive schools of them in 14-25 feet of water in most boat marinas. Again if you find the bait check most the marina areas for dock slips that are stack. Get right on top of them with a small shad bait and have a blast!
Like always if you’re heading out alone please let someone know the area you are going and always wear a lifejacket.
Smith Mountain Lake December Fishing Report- It’s Game Time
Winter is finally here showing up a few days before Christmas. The bigger fish are finally starting to eat to fatten up and our water temperatures are falling. Currently most of the lake is in the high 40 to low 50’s with some of the upper parts of the Roanoke and Blackwater rivers being close to low 40’s. This can allow an angler to fish a few different ways to their strengths but can also help get the fish stacked up in certain areas. Paying attention to bait fish movements and if the shad are stunned/dying is the key to have a great day on the water. If you can bare the cold, getting out right after a super cold night usually will cause a shad stunning event and lead to a great day on the water.
Bass Fishing is still really good right now. Believe it or not there are still fish shallow on the main lake. If you get out on a windy day don’t over look main lake rock in 2-8 ft of water with a crankbait, shallow jerkbait or a swimbait. You may not be around numbers but big fish are roaming looking for a solid meal. If shallow doesn’t feel right focus on much deeper water. The 18-30 foot range can hold large schools of bass chasing shad. Throwing a deep diving jerkbait, a blade bait, spoon, hairjig or damiki rig can make for one hell of a day out deep. Keep on the move with the bait because the bass will follow.
Striper fishing is on fire this month. The same as the largemouth and smallmouth, the stripers are following the massive schools of bait over deep water. Use your boat electronics to scan long points that lead into the river channel. Scan enough points until you find a good amount of bait. A great go to winter bait is a heavier blade bait like a 3/4-1 oz. Another good option is a 1/2 ball head with a zoom fluke. Let the bait sink to the bottom and just slow reel the lure back through the school of bait fish. Those stripers are looking for the single fish out of the school to eat up.
Crappies are loaded in the brush. Focus on brush in 10-18 ft. Small jigs or live bait are a great call. Fishing can start slow but once you get the school fired up in can be fish after fish.
Yellow perch…. I have caught more yellow perch this year than any other year I can remember. Also, like the crappies they can be loaded in the brush, but even better is finding deeper rock. The schools are holding tight to the deep cover and waiting for schools of shad to come by.
DRESS WARM: Don’t forget your hand warmers, wear you life jacket and have your throwable life jacket close incase an emergency happens. Stay safe as the water temps drop.
Smith Mountain Lake November Fishing Report - Things are starting to happen
November is already half over and the weather just decided to change. We have had yet another fall of warm temperatures well into the mid days of November. This has caused a big delay in the water temps dropping and it seems to be holding the fish off from moving into the backs of the pockets to feed up. A few times throughout the day you can find that pocket full of bait and full of fish, but it seems to be every 4-6 pockets not every 1-3 like a true mid fall pattern. However, this week is calling for very low overnight temps and good wind to shake things up. I’m hopeful the fish will really start to stack up mid to late this week.
On another note - we just had our 3rd major flood event at the lake this year, this one being the highest and longest lasting. I know lake homeowners get frustrated by the management from AEP and of course there is always a better way to handle things after the fact, but a lot goes into how the lake level is managed. On the fishing side i’m A-ok with some rising water, color stain and the post flood water pull that will happen. The fish will be super active this week while AEP pulls water through the dam. Keep an eye on the leaves to see if they are pulling current or run down to the dam to check with you own eyes.
If I was coming to the lake for a day trip I would approach the lake as a late summer early fall pattern, The majority of the fish are still on main lake points, and secondaries. It’s hard to find large numbers of fish in the way backs of the pockets. Largemouth and smallmouth are eating a lot of shad and crawdads so a Dobyns 3/8oz swimbait head matched with a shad swimbait 3.3” - 4.5” are a great choice for covering water. If you’re a jig fishermen hitting the rocks with a Missile Headbanger jig in green pumpkin orange it’s a great choice. The topwater bite doesn’t seem to be great just yet but this week could change things.
The stripers are still stacked up the river and the guides and fun fishermen seem to be catching! If you’re a bass guy and wanting to give it a try its hard to beat reeling in a fluke or throwing a topwater up the river for some fun.
Crappies are stacked in brush 10-20 ft on the river sides and up both ends. Bobbers and minnows are always a go to.
Please be safe if you head out this week since there will still be logs and junk floating down from the floods.
Smith Mountain Lake October Fishing Report - Tough conditions
Fishing is tough :)
Keep your head on a swivel these next coming weeks and keep a lot of rods on the boat deck, it’s a true junk fall fishing kind of month. We are catching bass from 6” of water all the way in 30 feet. Some days you can run topwater and catch them all day and the next you have to drag a shaky head extremely slow. If you’re new to fishing the lake or new to fishing in general now is a great time to get a guide and learn how to break down new water or when to move to a different area. The water temperatures start around 64 in the mornings and rise to 72 in the afternoons depending on how hot the air temp is and how much wind we get. Wind is your FRIEND this month as it helps shake the crawfish loose and pushes the bait fish into the banks.
If you are bass fishing target large points going into pockets first and see if you can find active schoolers, if not move into secondary smaller points that may concentrate more fish in a tighter area. Keep moving back into major creek arms like Becky and Bettys, Craddock or Gills. Last check as far back in pockets as you can. If you find bait there will be fish around.
Target aggressive eaters with chatterbaits, a Dobyns spinnerbait and Spro MD crankbaits. If you notice fish busting on the top (which could also be stripers) grab your favorite topwater walking bait and fire into the schools.
For neutral and negative fish picking up a shaky head with a Missle Baits Missle Craw or their new Quiver worm or dropshot with any Roboworm is a great tool. Fish this very slow on rocky points or deeper docks.
A huge tip this year is if you catch a bass slow down in the same area. Fish will be stacked together and you can have a great time fishing for a school and getting a lot bites.
If you can plan ahead pick a day with wind and cloud cover to make the fish be more aggressive.
For the striper guys, up the Roanoke people are having good luck with fish moving up the river. Target channel swings and the back or beaver dam with flukes and topwater baits for some explosive action.
The Crappie are starting to stack up in brush 10-18 feet in most pockets.
Smith Mountain Lake September Fishing Report - Fall turnover
Early fall brings lots of moving fish and covering water is by far the most important approach to have a great day on the water. Each day can change which fish will be active and there are fish in all areas of the lake at this point. Keep an eye on up coming cold fronts and changing weather to hit the water pre-front. This is a great time to throw a topwater around points and rock transitions. A crankbait or jerkbait while windy is also a great tool during the changing weather. Don’t be afraid to head to the way backs of creeks early to check for early arrivers looking to eat shad moving back.
Striper fishing is still good on main lake points and river edge rock. A fluke, topwater or jerkbait are a great way to catch some. Watch for birds and fishing school and get your boat just within casting distance.
Largemouth and Smallmouth are moving daily and setting up for their fall patterns. Fish can be found on the main lake, secondary points and in the backs of pockets. Base you location on wind. A squarebill crank on riprap is a good start, a buzzbait or whopper plopper are good topwater options and a jig flipped into rock transitions should have all fish around.
Here are some great baits to check out squarebills crankbaits buzzbaits whoppers jerkbaits
Smith Mountain Lake August Fishing Report - Summer bite windows and suspended fish
We are at the peak of summer now. Water temps are ranging from 83-87 degrees depending on how hot we get during the day. The fish are moving and schooling up and can be hard to locate. Keep moving around and using your electronics to find schools. If you’re interested in a electronics class click here. If you are fishing over multiple days keep in mind that one day a school of fish may be there and not the next. Bait around is key to finding good areas to fish. Check depths as deep as 30 feet, but don’t completely ignore the 5-10 foot range either.
Stripers are schooling on the lower end of the lake on most main lake points and channel swings. Trolling seems to be the best way to get bites. For artificial baits try dropping spoons or drop shots with minnow imitating baits right into the school for some aggressive strikes.
Largemouth and smallmouth are keying on rock in 8-20 feet and brush piles. Pulling a Carolina rig is a great go to bait this time of year. Not the most fast paced way to fish, but it will put numbers in the boat. Always have a drop shot, Ned rig or shakey head ready on the deck. If you are able to fish on cloudy days moving baits are still getting chewed. Smaller swimbaits, underspins or crankbaits are a good choice.
Grab some Missile Baits ned bombs, bomb shots and Missile craws for your finesse stuff or some baby destroyers for your Carolina rigs.
Smith Mountain Lake July Fishing Report - Dog days and deep fishing
Summer is finally here! Air temperatures are mid 80’s to mid 90’s almost everyday, thunderstorms roll in almost every evening and the fish are BITING!!!
Most fish off all species are heading for the deep water for the rest of the summer to stay cool and now is the perfect time to cut them off at the points and secondary points. The only fish that is sticking it out shallow is the big bull bluegill and bream.
Stripers are on most main lake points, shoals and schooling in the standing timber. If you get out early throw a topwater or swimbait. Good topwater choices include walking baits like a Zara spook, Strike King sexy dog or a Lucky Craft gunfish. A Missile Baits shockwave or something similar for a swimbait is a awesome starting bait as well. Keep an eye out for big schools coming to the surface and fire your bait right in there.
The smallmouth are back and have attitude! The lower end of the lake holds the most so look for rocky points and steep dropoffs. Topwater in the morning is a great choice but as the sun comes up switching to a dropshot, or a Ned rig with a Ned bomb will bring more fish to the boat.
The largemouth are still getting gathered together on the points. Check secondary points with crankbaits (DT10, DT16, 6xd, Spro little John MD and DD’s) or drag around a worm. We are still a few weeks out from fishing being stacked on the points, but its close. Also don’t be afraid to go check super shallow as some largemouth stay back in the cuts to chew on bluegill and bream. It may not be great numbers, but you could find yourself a monster back there.
As always check in with Captains Quarters for any baits your need. Tell Dewayne I sent ya :)
Smith Mountain Lake June Fishing Report - Post Spawn and F1 Tiger Bass
The post spawn is here! Fishing has been off an on and each day brings something new. Weather is a good indicator to how the bite will be. Bright post front sunny days will push the largemouth and smallmouth under docks for shade or slightly deeper (15ft+). Fish are eating topwater early. Use walking baits like gunfish, spooks or poppers back in pockets. Dropshot and a texas rig lizard are a great way to catch fish off deeper docks near the main lake.
Bream beds everywhere. If you fancy catching monster bull bream head to the back of any pocket and look for those honeycomb beds. Keep an eye out for a lurking largemouth and is snacking on them all day long. A bobber and corn is hard to beat for bream.
Stripers are loaded on most shoal markers on the lower end of the lake early. Swimbaits and topwaters are a great way to get some bites. Don’t be nervous to try smaller swimbaits like a Kietech 2.8 or something up to 6” long. 1/2oz swimbait heads are a good standard to get your bait deep. Be sure to work your topwater faster to get those explosive strikes.
The shad spawn is still going on but the late night topwater bite is getting later and later into the evening. If you plan to hit the night bite starting around 11:30-midnight is a goods start time. Most parts of the lake still have them spawning.
The best news on the lake this week is that the lake got a huge stock of F1 tiger bass. These are hybrid largemouth bass that are going to make this lake a true fishing destination in the years to come. Here is a link to the stocking program for more info.
Smith Mountain Lake May Fishing Report - Spring time is the best time, but cold weather brings changes
Fishing has been great for weeks now, but these big cold fronts are making each day different. If you can pick your fishing days come out the second or third day after the front has moved through and the weather is warming up.
The smallmouth and largemouth bass are well on their way to finishing their spawn. You can still find some on beds but its few and far between. You can find smallmouth out on most shoals now and catch them dragging dropshots, shaky heads or top water if the wind is low. Largemouths are still pretty shallow and some are still protecting their fry. Throw poppers if the wind is low or floating lizards/flukes. If the wind is blowing focus on secondary points with crankbaits and spinnerbaits for shad eaters.
The shad spawn is behind now with the cold weather. We had a few good nights of fishing, but the water temps have dropped around 60-62 and need to be higher for it to be in full swing. You can still find some banks loaded at night up the black water and Roanoke rivers but we are still a bit away from a full blown shad spawn.
We are catching stripers in the mix on the shoals throwing topwater and swimbaits. A missile baits shockwave on a dobyns swimbait head are a great choice to throw around and get lots of bites.