SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT
January 2014
DALE WILSON’S
SML GUIDE SERVICE
PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950
www.captaindalewilson.com
Picture: Captain Dale Wilson with a nice striper caught 12/17/2013 while fishing with John Mason from Brookneal, Va
OVERVIEW: Striper and largemouth bass fishing will be good this month. Cooler water temperatures will make for better fishing conditions. Water temperature will be in the 40’s to the low 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 deep docks. Largemouth bass will relate to rocky areas. Crayfish will be the main food for largemouth this month. Best depths will be from 5 to 45 feet deep. Vertical jigging with Hopkins spoons will be a productive method.
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, float & fly rigs and hair jigs. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Most smallmouth bass will be suspended near ledges this month. Cloudy, windy days are good times to try your luck!
Striped Bass- Fishing will be great. 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 Alabama rigs, 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 the surface to 60 feet deep. Vertical jigging with spoons will work good this month. Some stripers will surface. Try to find areas with the largest concentrations of baitfish. Watch for the active Sea gulls.
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: Dress in layers, as the temperatures will sometimes vary 40 or more degrees from night to daytime. Using chemical hand warmers in your gloves is a good method to help warm your hands. It’s always a good idea to never fish alone in the cold months. Wearing a life jacket is very important in the winter months. Always be prepared for the worst.
