SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REP
June 2019
DALE WILSON’S
SML GUIDE SERVICE
PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950
www.captaindalewilson.us
Picture: Captain Dale with a nice post spawn largemouth bass caught a few days ago.
OVERVIEW: Fishing has been fair. Water temperature has risen rapidly the past several weeks. Some bait fish are still in shallow water spawning at night this month. Most species of fish will have spawned by the middle of this month. Look for fishing to improve soon!
Largemouth Bass- Fishing will be good this month. Best lures will be Neko rigs, drop shot rigs, crank baits, shaky heads, Ned rigs and top water lures. Most largemouth bass will be caught on points, ledges rock piles, brush piles and docks. Best depths will be from the surface to 15 feet deep. Largemouth bass will continue to feed at night this month. Points, rocks, stumps and brush are a key factor to finding bass this month. Please release the bass quickly during hot months.
Smallmouth Bass- Fishing should be fair. Best areas will be rocks, ledges, and points. Best lures will be Ned rigs, hair jigs, top water lures and crank baits. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Most smallmouth bass will have spawned this month. Cloudy days are good times to try your luck! Light line will increase your chances to catch smallmouth bass.
Striped Bass- Fishing will be good. Stripers will be caught in the lower to mid sections of the lake and in the larger creeks. Best lures will be buck tails, swim baits, top water lures and Zoom flukes fished on 1/2 to 3/4 oz. lead heads. The best depths will be from near the surface to 50 feet deep. Try to find areas with the largest concentrations of baitfish. Fishing at night will be fair this month. Some schools of stripers will surface this month. Live bait fished on planner boards and down lines will also be good this month.
Crappie- Fishing for crappie will be fair this month. They will be found 10 to 20 feet deep. Best areas will be in the main creeks around docks, fallen trees, stumps and brush piles in the mid to upper parts of the lake. Small live minnows and 1 ½ to 2 inch tubes or shad shaped plastic lures fished on 1/16 to 1/8 oz. lead heads will work best to catch crappie this month.
TIP OF THE Month: Fishing during the early morning, late afternoon and night is usually the best time to fish. To avoid the boat traffic and the hot sun you should try fishing at night! Make sure you wear your life jacket and never fish alone at night! Make sure your running lights are on after dark! You can never be too careful when boating. Remember to please practice catch and release! PLEASE TAKE A KID FISHING!