SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REP
April 2015
DALE WILSON’S
SML GUIDE SERVICE
PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950
www.captaindalewilson.com
Picture: Russ Gilmen from Northern Va. with a large striper caught & released 3/24/15 while fishing with Captain Dale.
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OVERVIEW: Fishing should get better every day! Water temperature will be in the 50’s to lower 60’s. Baitfish will start to move to shallow water at night this month. Most species of fish will begin feeding actively this month as they prepare for the spawning season.
Largemouth Bass- Fishing for largemouth bass will be good this month. Best lures will be jigs, drop shot rigs, crank baits, spinner baits, buzz baits, Texas rigged plastic worms and senkoes. Most largemouth bass will be caught near secondary points, protected pockets, stumps and docks. Best depths will be from 2 to 10 feet deep. Most largemouth bass will start to move to their spawning areas. Rocks, stumps and shallow brush are key factors to finding bass this month. Practice catch and release during the spawning season.
Smallmouth Bass- Fishing should be fair. Best areas will be rocks, humps, ledges, stumps and secondary points. Best lures will be jig & pig, tubes, hair jigs, crank baits and top water lures. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Most smallmouth bass will start to move towards their spawning areas this month. Cloudy days with light winds are good times to try your luck! Light line and smaller lures will increase your chances to catch smallmouth bass.
Striped Bass– Fishing will be good. Stripers will be caught in the various sections of the lake and in
the larger creeks. Best lures will be jerk baits, swim baits, and Zoom flukes fished on 1/4 to 3/8 oz. lead heads. The best depths will be from near the surface to 25 feet deep. Try to find areas with the largest concentrations of baitfish. Live bait will also work this month. Night fishing will be good later this month.
Crappie- Fishing for crappie will be good this month. They will be found 2 to 10 feet deep. Best areas will be in the main creeks around docks, fallen trees, and brush piles in the mid to upper sections of the lake. Small live minnows and 1 ½ to 2 inch tubes or shad shaped plastic lures fished on 1/32 to 1/16 oz. lead heads will work best to catch crappie this month. Spider rigging is also a good method to catch crappie early this month. Some crappie will spawn later this month.
TIP OF THE Month: Weightless plastic lures are a good method to catch bass this month. The bait fish will relate to the super shallow areas at night during their spawning time. Most of the time early morning and late evenings are the best time to try your luck! Make sure you wear your life jacket. You can never be too careful when boating. Remember to be courteous and obey all the boating laws. Please practice catch and release. Take a kid fishing!
