SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT
September 2012
DALE WILSON’S
SML GUIDE SERVICE
PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950
www.captaindalewilson.com
Picture: Captain Dale, son Chris & my granddaughter Addy from Apex,NC / grandson Conner Phillips & granddaughter Brooke Phillips from Radford,Va. with fish caught Aug.12,2012. Great morning!!!
OVERVIEW: Striper fishing has been good!. Bass fishing has been slow. Water temperature will be in the upper 70s to low 80’s. Early morning, late afternoon and cloudy days will be the best times to try your luck.
Largemouth Bass-Fishing will be fair. Best lures will be large plastic worms, surface lures, Carolina rigs, shaky heads, football head jigs and deep diving crank baits. Most largemouth bass will be caught near humps, ledges and brush piles near deep water. Docks will also be productive. Best depths will be from the surface to 20 feet deep. Night fishing will be fair. Top water fishing will be good later this month.
Smallmouth Bass- Fishing should be fair. Best areas will be on ledges, deep rocky banks, humps and long flats. Best lures will be deep diving crank baits, top water lures, drop shot rigs and shaky heads. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Cloudy days will be the best time to try your luck. Most smallmouth bass will be suspended near bait fish.
Striped Bass- Fishing will be good. Stripers will be caught mostly in the mid sections of the lake.. Best lures will be swim baits, buck tails, and Zoom flukes fished with 1/2 to 3/4 oz. jig heads. Vertical jigging will be a good method to catch stripers this month. Live bait and trolling will also be productive. The best depths will be from the 20 to 80 feet deep. Best time to try your luck will be early mornings & late afternoons. Some schools of stripers will surface this month.
Crappie-Fishing for crappie will be fair. They will be found 10 to 20 feet deep this month. Best areas will be in the main creeks around deep docks, fallen trees, and brush piles in the mid to upper sections of the lake. Small live minnows and 1 ½ inch tubes fished on 1/16 to 1/8 oz. lead heads will work best to catch crappie this month.
Tip of the month: September is a transition month. Try to locate areas with the most bait fish & fish shallow & deep water. Keep your running lights on when fishing after dark. Take a kid fishing.
