SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT
November 2020
DALE WILSON’S
SML GUIDE SERVICE
PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950
www.captaindalewilson.us
James Luck from Pennsylvania with a smallmouth bass caught while fishing with Capt. Dale Wilson
Fishing should improve the next few weeks. Temperatures will be in the upper 50s to lower 60s this month. Most species of fish will become more active as water temperatures cool.
The bait fish have moved to the creeks and the upper ends of both rivers. Night fishing will be good this month.
Largemouth bass
Fishing will be fair this month. Best lures will be drop shot rigs, crank baits, shaky heads, spoons, spinner baits, buzz baits, Ned rigs, 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 20 feet. Bass will be caught in both deep and shallow waters. Points, rocks, stumps and brush are key factors to finding bass this month. Continue practicing catch and release.
Smallmouth bass
Fishing should improve this month. Best areas will be rocks, ledges, main channel points and sunken islands. Best lures will be Ned rigs, hair jigs, drop shot rigs, top water lures and Carolina rigs. Best areas will be in the mid- to the lower sections of the lake. Smallmouth bass will feed mainly on crawfish this month. Cloudy days are good times to try your luck. Light line will increase chances to catch smallmouth bass.
Striped bass Fishing will be fair. Stripers can 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 and Zoom flukes fished on 3/8- to 1/2-ounce lead heads. The best depths will be from near the surface to 60 feet. Jigging spoons is one of the best methods to catch stripers this month. Try to find areas with the largest concentrations of baitfish. Some schools of stripers will surface early morning and late afternoon. Live bait fished on planer boards and down lines are also good methods.
Crappie
Fishing for crappie will be good. They will be found at depths of 5 to 15 feet. 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 1½- to 2-inch tubes or shad-shaped plastic lures fished on 1/32- to 1/16-ounce lead heads will work best to catch them.
Tips of the month
Fishing can be tough this month. Warm water temperatures and clear water can make for slow fishing. Fishing during early morning, late afternoon and night are usually the best times. Try fishing at night. Make sure to wear a life jacket and never fish alone at night. Make sure running lights are on after dark. Remember to practice catch and release and take a kid fishing.