SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT
December 2011
DALE WILSON’S
SML GUIDE SERVICE
PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950
Picture is of Rich Hutchins from Huddleston,Va, with a rare Roanoke River Bass. The fish was caught and released, last month from Leesville Lake, while fishing with Capt. Dale.
* OVERVIEW: Fishing was slow during November. Above average water temperatures and lots of sunny days made for poor fishing conditions. December should bring better fishing. Water temperature will be in the 50’s.
* Largemouth Bass-Fishing will be good. Best lures will be jig & pigs, Carolina rigs, spoons, blade baits and drop shots. Most largemouth bass will be caught on deep points, ledges, creek channels and docks. Largemouth bass will relate to rocky areas. They will continue to feed on crayfish this month. Best depths will be from the 2 to 35 feet deep.
* 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 hair jigs. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Most smallmouth bass will be suspended 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 swim baits, buck tails, spoons and Zoom flukes fished with 1/4 to 3/4 oz. lead heads. Live bait will also be productive. The best depths will be from 5 to 40 feet deep. Vertical jigging with spoons will work this month. Some 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: Some of the worst weather conditions are the best times to catch fish this month. Dress in layers, as the temperatures will sometimes vary 30 or more degrees from night to daytime.
