SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT
August 2021
DALE WILSON’S
SML GUIDE SERVICE
PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950
www.captaindalewilson.us
Keith Roberts with two bass caught while night fishing recently at Smith Mountain Lake.
[print_link]
Fishing has been fair the past month. Striper fishing has improved from last month. Water temperature has been extremely high in the mid-80s.
Night fishing for bass has been good the past several weeks. All species of fish are in their summer patterns.
Largemouth Bass Fishing has been good at night. Best lures will be Neko rigs, drop shot rigs, crank baits, shaky heads, Carolina rigs and large plastic worms. Most largemouth bass will be caught on points, ledges rock piles, brush piles and deep docks. Best depths will be from 10 to 25 feet. Largemouth bass will feed mainly at night. Points, rocks, stumps and brush are key factors to finding bass. Remember to release them quickly during hot months.
Smallmouth Bass Fishing will be poor. Best areas will be rocks, ledges and main channel points. Best lures will be Ned rigs, jigs, drop shot rigs 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. Cloudy days are good times to try. Light line will increase chances of catching them.
Striped Bass Fishing should continue to improve. Stripers will be caught in the lower to mid-sections of the lake and in the larger creeks. Best lures will be swim baits, jigging spoons and Zoom flukes fished on 1/2- to 3/4-ounce lead heads. The best depths will be from 20 to 80 feet. Vertical jigging is one of the better methods to catch stripers during the hot months. Try to find areas with the largest concentrations of baitfish. Fishing at night will be poor this month. Live bait fished on planer boards and down lines are also good methods.
Crappie Fishing for crappie will be poor. Best areas will be in the main creeks around deep docks, fallen trees and brush piles in the mid- to upper parts of the lake in depths from 15 to 30 feet. Small live minnows and 1½- to 2-inch tubes or shad-shaped plastic lures fished on 1/16- to 1/8-ounce lead heads will work best to catch crappie this month.
Tips of the month When the lake’s water temperature reaches above 80 degrees a fish’s metabolism will slow down. This will cause them to feed less often.
Night will still be the best time to fish. Try to avoid the heavy boat traffic by fishing at night. 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.