SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT February 2016 DALE WILSON’S SML GUIDE SERVICE PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950 www.captaindalewilson.com

Picture: Charles Burks from Lynchburg, Va. with a citation striper caught a few days ago while fishing with Captain Dale at Smith Mtn. lake.

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OVERVIEW- Fishing should be fair this month! Water temperature will be in the 40’s. Best times will be early morning and late afternoon. Fishing the past few weeks has been fair to good! Most of the baitfish has moved toward the main channels of both rivers and the major creeks. The snowy cold weather has caused fishing patterns to change. The majority of the stripers have moved below Indian creek. Still be aware of the floating debris!!!

Largemouth Bass- Fishing for largemouth bass will be fair this month. Best lures will be jigs, spinner baits, jigging spoons, blade baits, deep diving crank baits, jerk baits and Alabama rigs. Most largemouth bass will be caught near creek channels, rock piles, deep brush piles, ledges and deep water docks. Best depths will be from 5 to 45 feet deep. Look for stained water and shad movements to help catch bass this month.Bass will feed on crawfish on warm days.

Smallmouth Bass- Fishing should be fair. Best areas will be humps, ledges and main channel points. Best lures will be floating –fly-rigs, blade baits, jerk baits, tubes, jigs and spoons. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Most smallmouth bass will be suspended this month around ledges with schools of baitfish. Cloudy days with light winds are good times to try your luck! Look for areas with rocks on ledges next to deep water.

Striped Bass- Fishing should be good this month. Stripers will be caught in the mid and upper sections of the lake and the large creeks. Best lures will be swim baits, Alabama rigs, jigging spoons and Zoom flukes fished on 3/8 to 3/4 oz. lead heads. Casting early and late day can be productive. The best depths will be from the surface to 60 feet deep. Live bait fished on planner boards will work fair this month. Most fish will be suspended and will constantly be on the move. Find the largest concentration of shad. Vertical jigging with spoons will work good this month.

Crappie- Fishing for crappie will be slow this month. They will be found 10 to 20 ft. deep. Crappie will be suspended around docks, brush piles and fallen tree tops near creek channels. Small live minnows and 1½ to 2 inch tubes or shad shaped plastic lures fished on 1/16 to 1/8 oz. lead heads will work best to catch crappie this month.

TIP OF THE Month- You should always fish with a partner in the cold months! Wear your life jacket!!! Winter can be a great time to catch stripers, bass and crappie. Remember shad constantly move as the water temps fall. You can also hear reports about local fishing on the website: The Bass Cast Radio show each month. Make sure your running lights are on after dark! Remember to be courteous and obey all the boating laws. Take a kid fishing!

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