Smith Mountain Lake Fishing Report March 2014

SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORTMarch 2014DALE WILSON’SSML GUIDE SERVICEPHONE NO:  540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950www.captaindalewilson.com

Captain Dale Wilson holding a large striper caught 2/25/14 while fishing with Woody Turner from Roanoke, Va.

OVERVIEW:  Old man winter will still be around for a few more weeks! This is an excellent time to catch some of the largest fish of the year! Fish will begin to feed heavily after the long cold winter as they prepare to spawn. Water temperature will be in the upper 40’s to near 60.

Largemouth Bass-Fishing will be good. Best lures will be jig & pigs, crank baits, Alabama rigs, spinner baits,  and jerk baits. Most largemouth bass will be caught on shallow points, rocky areas, creek channels and docks. Largemouth bass will relate to areas with bait fish. Crayfish will be one of the main foods for largemouth early this month. Best depths will be from 2 to 15 feet deep. Remember to use a slow retrieve early this month. 

Smallmouth Bass- Fishing should be fair. Best areas will be humps, rocky areas and main points. Best lures will be jig & pig, jerk baits, float & fly rigs, hair jigs and crank baits. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Most smallmouth bass will be suspended near ledges and rock bluffs this month.  Cloudy, windy days 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 Alabama rigs, swim baits, buck tails, jerk baits and Zoom flukes fished with 1/4 to 3/8 oz. lead heads. Live bait will also be productive. The best depths will be from the surface to 30 feet deep. Try to find areas with the largest concentrations of baitfish. Seagulls will be here until later in the month. Crappie-Fishing for crappie will be good later this month. They will be found 5 to 15 feet deep this month. Best areas will be in the main creeks around docks, fallen trees, and brush piles in the mid to upper parts of the lake. Small live minnows and 1 ½ to 2 inch tubes or shad shaped plastic lures fished on 1/32 to 1/16 oz. lead heads will work best to catch crappie this month. 

TIP OF THE Month: Don’t over look fishing after dark later this month. When the water temperatures rise and the water gets clearer most species of fish will start to feed after dark. Remember to always wear your life jackets. Cold water temperatures will be around for several more weeks.

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