January 2012 Smith Mountain Lake Fishing Report

SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT January 2012 DALE WILSON’S SML GUIDE SERVICE PHONE NO:  540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950www.captaindalewilson.com

OVERVIEW: Fishing has been excellent for stripers and largemouth bass the past few weeks.. The water temperatures are still above normal for this time of the year Water temperature will be in the mid to upper 40’s.

Largemouth Bass-Fishing will be fair. Best lures will be jig & pigs, Carolina rigs, spoons, blade baits and jerk baits. Most largemouth bass will be caught on deep points, ledges, creek channels and tree lines. Largemouth bass will relate to deep structures this month. Best depths will be from the 5 to 40 feet deep. Try using a slower retrieve as the water temperatures drop.

Smallmouth Bass- Fishing should be fair. Best areas will be humps, rocky ledges and main points. Best lures will be jig & pig, blade baits, jerk baits and floating-fly-rigs. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Most smallmouth bass will be suspended this month. Cloudy days and windy days are good times to try your luck!

Striped Bass- Fishing will be good. Stripers will be caught in mid areas of the lake. The best areas will be in the larger creeks and main river channels. Best lures will be swim baits, buck tails, spoons and Zoom flukes fished with 1/2 to 3/4 oz. lead heads. Live bait will also be productive. The best depths will be from 5 to 50 feet deep. Vertical jigging with spoons and heavy lead heads tipped flukes will work this month. Some stripers will surface early and late in the day. Try to find areas with the largest concentrations of baitfish. Seagulls are a good way to locate feeding fish.

Crappie-Fishing for crappie will be fair. They will be found 5 to 25 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: Chemical hand warmers really help to keep your hands warm this time of the year. Always wear your life jacket! It’s a good idea to always fish with a partner during the cold months in case of an emergency.”Happy New Year” & “Good Fishing”!

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