July 2019 Smith Mountain Lake Fishing Report

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SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REP
July 2019
DALE WILSON’S
SML GUIDE SERVICE
PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950
www.captaindalewilson.us

Picture: John Jones with a nice summer striper caught while fishing with Captain Dale.

OVERVIEW: Fishing has been fair. Water temperature has risen rapidly the past several weeks. Night fishing has been good the past few weeks. Most species of fish have spawned. Look for striper fishing to improve soon! Water temperature will be in the low to middle 80’s.

Largemouth Bass- Fishing will be good this month. Best lures will be Neko rigs, drop shot rigs, crank baits, shaky heads, Carolina rigs, large plastic worms and top water lures. Most largemouth bass will be caught on points, ledges rock piles, brush piles and deep docks. Best depths will be from the surface to 25 feet deep. Largemouth bass will feed mainly at night this month. Points, rocks, stumps and brush are a key factor to finding bass this month. Please release the bass quickly during hot months.

Smallmouth Bass- Fishing should be fair. Best areas will be rocks, ledges, and main channel points. Best lures will be Ned rigs, hair jigs, top water lures and Carolina rigs. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Most smallmouth bass have spawned. 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 and Zoom flukes fished on 1/2 to 3/4 oz. lead heads. The best depths will be from near the surface to 60 feet deep. Vertical jigging is one of the best methods to catch stripers in the hot months. 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 this month. Live bait fished on planner boards and down lines are also good methods this month.

Crappie- Fishing for crappie will be poor this month. They will be found 15 to 25 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 1/16 to 1/8 oz. lead heads will work best to catch crappie this month.

TIP OF THE Month: Fishing during the early morning, late afternoon and night is usually the best time to fish. If you are looking for something different to fish for this summer try fishing for white perch!To avoid the boat traffic and the hot sun you should 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!