SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT
March 2013
DALE WILSON’S
SML GUIDE SERVICE
PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950
www.captaindalewilson.com
Picture: David Owens from Huddleston,Va. with a citation 37″ / 18 lb. striper caught Feb. 8,2013 in the mid section of the Roanoke river.
OVERVIEW: March brings many changes to fishing! Most species of fish will start to feed more actively this month in preparation for the spawning season. Water temperature and the location of shad will be keys to being successful fishing this month. Water temperature will be in the 50s to low 60’s later in March.
Largemouth Bass-Fishing will be good. Best lures will be A-rigs, jerk baits, spoons, Carolina rigs, shaky heads, and football head jigs. Most largemouth bass will be caught around rocky shorelines, secondary points, shallow brush piles, stumps and docks. Best depths will be from the 1 to 25 feet deep. Windy days with abundant sunshine will be the best time to fish this month. Shad and wind will be the keys to catching bass this month.
Smallmouth Bass- Fishing should be fair. Best areas will be rocky banks, ledges and main channel points. Best lures will be floating-fly rigs, A-rigs, crawfish colored crank baits, tube lures, drop shot rigs, jerk baits and shaky heads. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Cloudy, windy days will be the best time to try your luck. Smallmouth will suspend under schools of shad and also feed on crawfish.
Striped Bass- Fishing should be good. Stripers will be caught mostly in the mid to upper sections of the lake and the major creeks. Best lures will be A-rigs, swim baits, buck tails, jerk baits and Zoom flukes fished with 3/8 to 1/2 oz. jig heads. Live bait and trolling will also be a productive method.. The best depth should be from the surface to 45 feet deep. Best time to try your luck will be early mornings, late afternoons and after dark. The seagulls will still be active early this month. The colored water from the recent heavy rains should make fish feed in shallow water.
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 docks, fallen trees, and brush piles in the mid to upper sections of the lake. Small live minnows and 1 ½ inch tubes and twister tail grubs fished on 1/16 to 1/8 oz. lead heads will work best to catch crappie this month. Small Gulp minnows also work well when fished on small lead heads or drop shot rigs.
Tip of the month: Stained water will make for better fishing. Look for bait fish. Try fishing wind blow coves. Keep your running lights on when fishing after dark. Take a kid fishing.
This combo can be fished shallow, deep, around all kinds of cover and in current and it’s excellent for all species of bass (and a multitude of other species too!). It’s extremely effective in any water temps 50 degrees or above but will also put them in the boat in water temps as low as 45. A 6’6” to 7’ med action spinning rod with a fast tip rigged with 10 or 12 lb Fluoro is all you’ll need to toss this set up and bury the Scrounger hook into a basses mouth. As far as retrieves go, a standard “chuck and wind” retrieve is very effective. But getting creative with different retrieve speeds, or adding quick snaps with your rod tip or brief pauses during your retrieve will help you dial into what the bass are responding best to.
