December 2012 / Smith Mtn. Lake Fishing Report

SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORTDecember 2012DALE WILSON’SSML GUIDE SERVICEPHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950www.captaindalewilson.com

Picture: (Lt.) Paul Bille from Westminster,SC. & (Rt.) Ron Ayers from Moneta,Va. holding one of 20 plus Stripers caught and released Nov. 6,2012 while fishing with Captain Dale Wilson.

OVERVIEW: Fishing should improve as water temperature drops. November was basically a slow month for fishing due mainly to the unusual weather and the low water levels..Water temperature will be in the upper 50s. Early morning, late afternoon and cloudy days will be the best times to try your luck. *Please be extremely careful when operating your boat due to the low water levels.

Largemouth Bass-Fishing will be fair. Best lures will be spinner baits, Carolina rigs, shaky heads, football head jigs, Alabama rigs and crank baits. Most largemouth bass will be caught around rocky shorelines, points, brush piles and docks. Best depths will be from the 5 to 35 feet deep. Cloudy days with wind will be the best time to fish this month.

Smallmouth Bass- Fishing should be fair. Best areas will be rocky banks, humps and flats. Best lures will be crawfish colored crank baits, tube 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 relate to areas that hold crawfish.

Striped Bass- Fishing will be improve. Stripers will be caught mostly in the mid to upper sections of the lake and the major creeks. Best lures will be Alabama rigs, swim baits, buck tails, rattle traps, thunder sticks and Zoom flukes fished with 3/8 to 3/4 oz. jig heads. Casting 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 surface to 40 feet deep. Best time to try your luck will be early mornings & late afternoons. Night fishing will be fair. Seagulls will return this month.

Crappie-Fishing for crappie will be good. They will be found 5 to 18 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. Small Gulp minnows also work well when fished on small lead heads or drop shot rigs.

Tip of the month: The Seagulls are starting to return for the winter. When you see a group diving, it usually means there is a school of feeding fish. Keep your running lights on when fishing after dark. Take a kid fishing.

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