Picture: My son Chris Wilson from Apex,NC with a nice striper caught & released last week while fishing @ Smith Mtn. Lake.
SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT
May 2020
DALE WILSON’S
SML GUIDE SERVICE
PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950
Captain Dale Wilson Guide Service
Fishing should be good the next few weeks. Water temperature continues to rise. Most species of fish will be spawning or have spawned by the end of this month.
Baitfish will start to move to shallow water at night while spawning this month. Water temperature will be in the 60s to low 70s. Nighttime will be the best time to fish this month.
Largemouth bass: Fishing will be good. The best lures will be drop shot rigs, crank baits, shaky heads, Ned rigs, spinner baits, Carolina rigs, plastic worms and top water lures. Wake baits and plastic lures work best at night. Most largemouth bass will be caught on points, stumps, shallow brush piles and shallow docks. Nighttime bass fishing is best on rip rap shorelines and secondary points. Please release the fish where they were caught during spawning.
Smallmouth bass: Fishing should also be good. The best areas will be shallow docks, humps, stumps and rocky points. The best lures will be Ned rigs, hair jigs, drop shot rigs, top water and Carolina rigs. The best areas will be in the mid- to the lower sections of the lake. Most smallmouth bass will continue to spawn this month. Cloudy days are good times to try. Light line will increase the chances to catch smallmouth bass. Night fishing will be good.
Striped bass: Fishing will be good. Stripers will be caught in the lower to middle sections of the lake and in larger creeks. The best lures will be swim baits, top water lures and Zoom flukes fished on 3/8- to 3/4- ounce lead heads. The best depths will be from near the surface to 50 feet.
Fishing at night will be good this month. Some schools of stripers will surface in the early morning and late afternoon this month. Live bait fished on planer boards and down lines are also good methods this month.
Crappie: Fishing for crappie will be fair this month. They will be found at depths of 5 to 15 feet. The 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 crappie this month. Most crappie will have spawned by the end of this month.
Tips of the month: Stained water from the heavy rains will help make fishing better during the day during the first part of this month. Fishing during the early morning, late afternoon and at night are usually the best times. 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.