SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT
January 2012
DALE WILSON’S
SML GUIDE SERVICE
PHONE NO:  540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950
www.captaindalewilson.com

OVERVIEW: Fishing has been excellent for stripers and largemouth bass the past few weeks.. The water temperatures are still above normal for this time of the year Water temperature will be in the mid to upper 40’s.

Largemouth Bass-Fishing will be fair. Best lures will be jig & pigs, Carolina rigs, spoons, blade baits and jerk baits. Most largemouth bass will be caught on deep points, ledges, creek channels and tree lines. Largemouth bass will relate to deep structures this month. Best depths will be from the 5 to 40 feet deep. Try using a slower retrieve as the water temperatures drop.

Smallmouth Bass- Fishing should be fair. Best areas will be humps, rocky ledges and main points. Best lures will be jig & pig, blade baits, jerk baits and floating-fly-rigs. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Most smallmouth bass will be suspended this month. Cloudy days and windy days are good times to try your luck!

Striped Bass- Fishing will be good. Stripers will be caught in mid areas of the lake.
The best areas will be in the larger creeks and main river channels. Best lures will be swim baits, buck tails, spoons and Zoom flukes fished with 1/2 to 3/4 oz. lead heads. Live bait will also be productive. The best depths will be from 5 to 50 feet deep. Vertical jigging with spoons and heavy lead heads tipped flukes will work this month. Some stripers will surface early and late in the day. Try to find areas with the largest concentrations of baitfish. Seagulls are a good way to locate feeding fish.

Crappie-Fishing for crappie will be fair. They will be found 5 to 25 feet deep this month. Best areas will be in the main creeks around deep docks, fallen trees, and brush piles in the mid to upper parts of the lake. Small live minnows and 1 ½ inch tubes fished on 1/16 to 1/8 oz. lead heads will work best to catch crappie this month.

 TIP OF THE MONTH: Chemical hand warmers really help to keep your hands warm this time of the year. Always wear your life jacket! It’s a good idea to always fish with a partner during the cold months in case of an emergency.”Happy New Year” & “Good Fishing”!

SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT

November 2011

DALE WILSON’S

SML GUIDE SERVICE

PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950

www.captaindalewilson.com

Capt. Dale & John Sanos with a 7 lb. largemouth bass, caught and released October 1,2011. John was fishing with Capt. Dale. John is from Pittsburg, Pa.

OVERVIEW: Mild weather and lots of sunshine during October made for very mixed fishing conditions Water temperature will be in the 50’s. November should be a better time to catch fish.

Largemouth Bass-Fishing will be good. Best lures will be jig & pigs, Carolina rigs, spoons, crankbaits, spinner baits and drop shots. Most largemouth bass will be caught on humps, deep points, ledges, back of larger creeks and docks. Some largemouth bass will chase schools of bait early and late in the day. Best depths will be from the surface to 30 feet deep. Some schools of largemouth bass will be suspended under schools of baitfish this month.

Smallmouth Bass- Fishing should be fair. Best areas will be humps, rocky ledges and main points. Best lures will be jig & pig, drop shots, jerkbaits and hair jigs. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Smallmouth bass will surface feed some this month. Cloudy days, early morning and at night are good times to try your luck!

Striped Bass- Fishing will be good. Stripers will be caught in various areas of the lake.

The best areas will be in the mid to upper sections of the lake and the larger creeks. Best lures will be swimbaits, bucktails, spoons and Zoom flukes fished with 1/4 to 1/2 oz. lead heads. Live bait will also be productive. The best depths will be from the surface to 40 feet deep. Vertical jigging with spoons will start to work this month. Some schools of stripers will surface early and late in the day. Try to find areas with the largest concentrations of baitfish.

Crappie-Fishing for crappie will be good. They will be found 5 to 15 feet deep this month. Best areas will be in the main creeks around deep docks, fallen trees, and brush piles in the mid to upper parts of the lake. Small live minnows and 1 ½ inch tubes fished on 1/16 to 1/8 oz. lead heads will work best to catch crappie this month.

TIP OF THE MONTH: Don’t overlook fishing at night during the month of November. The clear water and mild days sometimes makes for tough fishing during the daytime.

SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT
October 2011
DALE WILSON’S
SML GUIDE SERVICE
PHONE NO:  540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950
www.captaindalewilson.com

Brooke & Conner Phillips with stripers caught while fishing with their grandfather

Capt. Dale Wilson / Sept. 18,2011.

OVERVIEW:    Bass fishing has been good. Stripers have been surfacing early morning, late afternoon and cloudy days. October is usually a good month to catch fish. Water temperature will be in the 60’s.

Largemouth Bass-Fishing will be good. Best lures will be jig & pigs, top water lures, Carolina rigs, spinner baits and drop shots. Most largemouth bass will be caught on humps, deep points, ledges and docks. Some largemouth bass will chase schools of bait early and late in the day. Best depths will be from the surface to 25 feet deep. Some schools of largemouth bass will be suspended under schools baitfish this month.

Smallmouth Bass- Fishing should be fair. Best areas will be humps, rocky ledges and main points. Best lures will be jig & pig, drop shots, top water lures,  jerkbaits and jigs. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Smallmouth bass will surface feed this month. Cloudy days, early morning and late afternoons are good times to try your luck!

Striped Bass- Fishing will be good. Stripers will be caught in various areas of the lake.
The best areas will be in the mid to upper sections of the lake and the larger creeks. Best lures will be swimbaits, bucktails, top water lures and Zoom flukes fished with 3/8 to 3/4 oz. lead heads. Live bait will also be productive. The best depths will be from the surface to 60 feet deep. Vertical jigging with ¾ oz. leadheads and Hopkin’s spoons will work good this month. Some schools of stripers will surface early and late in the day. Some schools of stripers will move up river and  to back of the larger creeks.

Crappie-Fishing for crappie will be good. They will be found 5 to 15 feet deep this month. Best areas will be in the main creeks around deep docks, fallen trees, and brush piles in the mid to upper parts of the lake. Small live minnows and 1 ½ inch tubes fished on 1/16 to 1/8 oz. lead heads will work best to catch crappie this month.

 TIP OF THE MONTH: The best time to catch fish is usually the day before a cold front arrives. Fish feed heavily on shad this month. Look in the back of large coves and the upper parts of the main rivers to locate large schools of shad.

SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT
September 2011
DALE WILSON’S
SML GUIDE SERVICE
PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950
www.captaindalewilson.com

Picture is of Emily Wilson (Age 8) / Capt. Dale’s Niece from Huddleston,Va. / with Stripers caught with Capt. Dale, her dad Mike Wilson &  Josh / August 22. 2011.

OVERVIEW: Fishing should improve as the water temperature cools. Most species of fish will feed aggressively as fall approaches. Water temperature will be in the 70’s.

Largemouth Bass-Fishing will be fair. Best lures will be plastic worms, jig & pig, top water lures, Carolina rigs, crankbaits and drop shots. Most largemouth bass will be caught on humps, points, ledges, docks and rocky shorelines. Some largemouth bass will chase schools of bait early and late in the day. Best depths will be from the surface to 18 feet deep. Some schools of largemouth bass will be suspended under schools of baitfish this month.

Smallmouth Bass- Fishing should be fair. Best areas will be humps, rocky ledges and main points. Best lures will be jig & pig, drop shots, small top water lures and jigs. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Smallmouth bass will begin to surface feed this month. Cloudy days, early morning and late afternoons are good times to try your luck!

Striped Bass- Fishing will be good. Stripers will be caught in various areas of the lake.
The best areas will be in the mid to upper sections of the lake and the larger creeks. Best lures will be swimbaits, bucktails, top water lures and Zoom flukes fished on 3/8 to 3/4 oz. lead heads. Live bait will also be productive. The best depths will be from the surface to 60 feet deep. Vertical jigging with ¾ oz. leadheads and Hopkin’s spoons will work good this month. Some schools of stripers will surface early and late in the day .

Crappie-Fishing for crappie will be fair. They will be found 10 to 20 feet deep this month. Best areas will be in the main creeks around deep docks, fallen trees, and brush piles in the mid to upper parts of the lake. Small live minnows and 1 ½ inch tubes fished on 1/16 to 1/8 oz. lead heads will work best to catch crappie this month.

TIP OF THE MONTH: Fishing is usually better as weather fronts are approaching. Most of the time fishing is better on windy shorelines. Try to find areas of the lake with a large concentration of baitfish.