SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REP
October 2019
DALE WILSON’S
SML GUIDE SERVICE
PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950
www.captaindalewilson.us
Picture: Tim Machnair from Pennsylvania with a hugh large mouth bass caught & released while fishing with Captain Dale
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OVERVIEW: Fishing should improve the next few weeks. Water temperature has been high. Most species of fish will become more active as the water temperature cools. Look for striper fishing to continue to improve! Water temperature will be in the 70’s. The baitfish will start to move to the creeks and to shallow water later this month.
Largemouth Bass- Fishing will improve this month. Best lures will be drop shot rigs, crank baits, shaky heads, Ned rigs, spinner baits, Carolina rigs, plastic worms and top water lures. Most largemouth bass will be caught on points, rock piles, brush piles and docks. Best depths will be from the surface to 20 feet deep. Points, rocks, stumps and brush are a key factor to finding bass this month. Please release the bass quickly during hot months. Please practice catch and release.
Smallmouth Bass- Fishing should be fair. Best areas will be rocks, ledges, and main channel points. Best lures will be Ned rigs, hair jigs, drop shot rigs, top water and Carolina rigs. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Most smallmouth bass will be suspended around schools of shad. Small mouth bass will feed on crawfish later this month. Cloudy days are good times to try your luck! Light line will increase your chances to catch smallmouth bass. Night fishing will be fair.
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 swim baits, top water lures, jigging spoons and Zoom flukes fished on 3/8 to 3/4 oz. lead heads. The best depths will be from near the surface to 80 feet deep. Vertical jigging is one of the best methods to catch stripers in this month. Try to find areas with the largest concentrations of baitfish. Fishing at night will be fair this month. Some schools of stripers will surface early morning and late afternoon this month. Live bait fished on planner boards and down lines are also good methods this month.
Crappie- Fishing for crappie will be good this month. They will be found 10 to 15 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 1/32 to 1/16 oz. lead heads will work best to catch crappie this month.
TIP OF THE Month: Above average water temperatures will cause the fish to slow their feeding. Fishing during the early morning, late afternoon and night is usually the best time to fish. 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!