SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT

November 2011

DALE WILSON’S

SML GUIDE SERVICE

PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950

www.captaindalewilson.com

Capt. Dale & John Sanos with a 7 lb. largemouth bass, caught and released October 1,2011. John was fishing with Capt. Dale. John is from Pittsburg, Pa.

OVERVIEW: Mild weather and lots of sunshine during October made for very mixed fishing conditions Water temperature will be in the 50’s. November should be a better time to catch fish.

Largemouth Bass-Fishing will be good. Best lures will be jig & pigs, Carolina rigs, spoons, crankbaits, spinner baits and drop shots. Most largemouth bass will be caught on humps, deep points, ledges, back of larger creeks and docks. Some largemouth bass will chase schools of bait early and late in the day. Best depths will be from the surface to 30 feet deep. Some schools of largemouth bass will be suspended under schools of baitfish this month.

Smallmouth Bass- Fishing should be fair. Best areas will be humps, rocky ledges and main points. Best lures will be jig & pig, drop shots, jerkbaits and hair jigs. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Smallmouth bass will surface feed some this month. Cloudy days, early morning and at night are good times to try your luck!

Striped Bass- Fishing will be good. Stripers will be caught in various areas of the lake.

The best areas will be in the mid to upper sections of the lake and the larger creeks. Best lures will be swimbaits, bucktails, spoons and Zoom flukes fished with 1/4 to 1/2 oz. lead heads. Live bait will also be productive. The best depths will be from the surface to 40 feet deep. Vertical jigging with spoons will start to work this month. Some schools of stripers will surface early and late in the day. Try to find areas with the largest concentrations of baitfish.

Crappie-Fishing for crappie will be good. They will be found 5 to 15 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 parts 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: Don’t overlook fishing at night during the month of November. The clear water and mild days sometimes makes for tough fishing during the daytime.