September SML Fishing Report

SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT September 2011 DALE WILSON’S SML GUIDE SERVICE PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950 www.captaindalewilson.com

Picture is of Emily Wilson (Age 8) / Capt. Dale’s Niece from Huddleston,Va. / with Stripers caught with Capt. Dale, her dad Mike Wilson &  Josh / August 22. 2011.

OVERVIEW: Fishing should improve as the water temperature cools. Most species of fish will feed aggressively as fall approaches. Water temperature will be in the 70’s.

Largemouth Bass-Fishing will be fair. Best lures will be plastic worms, jig & pig, top water lures, Carolina rigs, crankbaits and drop shots. Most largemouth bass will be caught on humps, points, ledges, docks and rocky shorelines. Some largemouth bass will chase schools of bait early and late in the day. Best depths will be from the surface to 18 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, small top water lures and jigs. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Smallmouth bass will begin to surface feed this month. Cloudy days, early morning and late afternoons 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, top water lures and Zoom flukes fished on 3/8 to 3/4 oz. lead heads. Live bait will also be productive. The best depths will be from the surface to 60 feet deep. Vertical jigging with ¾ oz. leadheads and Hopkin’s spoons will work good this month. Some schools of stripers will surface early and late in the day .

Crappie-Fishing for crappie will be fair. They will be found 10 to 20 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: Fishing is usually better as weather fronts are approaching. Most of the time fishing is better on windy shorelines. Try to find areas of the lake with a large concentration of baitfish.

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