SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT
November 2019
DALE WILSON’S
SML GUIDE SERVICE
PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950
www.captaindalewilson.us
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OVERVIEW: Fishing should be good the next few weeks. Water temperature has been above normal. 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 50’s to low 60’s. The bait fish has started to move to the creeks and to shallow water this month.
Largemouth Bass- Fishing will improve this month. Best lures will be drop shot rigs, crank baits, shaky heads, spoons, spinner baits, Carolina rigs and plastic worms. Most largemouth bass will be caught on points, rock piles, brush piles and docks. Best depths will be from the surface to 25 feet deep. Bass will be caught both deep and shallow. Points, rocks, stumps and brush are a key factor to finding bass this month. Please practice catch and release.
Smallmouth Bass- Fishing should be good. Best areas will be rocks, ledges, humps and main channel points. Best lures will be Ned rigs, hair jigs, drop shot rigs, crank baits and Carolina rigs. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Small mouth bass will feed on crawfish 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 mid to upper sections of the lake and in the larger creeks. Best lures will be swim baits, jigging spoons and Zoom flukes fished on 1/4 to 1/2 oz. lead heads. The best depths will be from near the surface to 60 feet deep. Vertical jigging is a good method to catch stripers 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 5 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: Fishing can be tough this month! Warm water temps and clear water can make for slow fishing. 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!