Smith Mountain Lake Fishing Report – December 2013 – By Captain Dale Wilson

SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORTDecember 2013DALE WILSON’SSML GUIDE SERVICEPHONE NO:  540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950www.captaindalewilson.com

Picture: Bob Lane holding his first Smith Mtn. lake striper, caught 10/25/13 while fishing with Captain Dale Wilson.  

OVERVIEW: Fishing will be better this month. November was slow with a mixture of poor and only fair fishing days. The majority of the lake is clear and the water temperature will be in the upper 40’s to the low 50’s. Largemouth Bass-Fishing will be fair. Best lures will be rattle traps, spinner baits, Carolina rigs, shaky heads , crawfish color medium diving crank baits, Texas rigged plastic worms and football head jigs. Most largemouth bass will be in their late fall to early winter habitats. Best depths will be from 5 to 30 feet deep. Best areas will be ledges, rocky points, docks, creek channels and brush piles. Early morning and late afternoon will be the best time to fish this month. Most shad will be in the creeks and the upper parts of the rivers this month.

Smallmouth Bass- Fishing should improve with cooler water temperatures. Best areas will be ledges, long points, rocky areas and humps. Best lures will be tube lures, drop shot rigs, jigs and jerk baits. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Early morning, late afternoon and cloudy days will be the best time to try your luck.

Striped Bass- Fishing will be better this month. Stripers will be caught mostly in the mid to upper sections of the lake and in the big creeks. Best lures will be Alabama rigs, spoons, swim baits, buck tails, and Zoom flukes fished with 3/8 to 3/4 oz. jig heads. Live bait and trolling will also be a productive method. The best depth should be from the surface to 50 feet deep. Best time to try your luck will be early morning, cloudy days, late afternoon and early night. 

Crappie-Fishing for crappie will be good. They will be found 5 to 20 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 1/32 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. Light line (4 lb. test) will help you catch more crappie.

Tip of the month: Keep your rod and reels inside during the cold weather. This will help keep your line from developing memory. If you use a quality line dressing, your line will cast better and it will also prevent it from freezing. Make sure to leave your running lights on after dark and wear your life jacket.

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