Smith Mountain Lake Fishing Report March 2015 by DALE WILSON’S

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SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT March 2015 DALE WILSON’S SML GUIDE SERVICE PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950 www.captaindalewilson.com

Picture: Ben Hartman & son John with stripers caught last month while fishing with Captain Dale.

OVERVIEW: Fishing almost came to a stop the past two weeks due to the ice, snow and cold temperatures! Water temperature will be in the upper 30’s to upper 40’s. Baitfish will start to move to shallow water this month. Most species of fish will begin feeding actively this month as water temperature rises.

Largemouth Bass- Fishing will be fair to good later this month. Best lures will be Alabama rigs, jigs, drop shot rigs, crank baits, spinner baits, jigging spoons and jerk baits. Most largemouth bass will be caught on secondary points, creek channel banks, brush piles and docks. Best depths will be from 2 to 30 feet deep. Most largemouth bass will start to follow the shad movements. Rocks, stumps and shallow brush are key factors to finding bass this month. Slow your retrieve when fishing cold water temps.

Smallmouth Bass- Fishing should be fair. Best areas will be rocks, humps, ledges, main and secondary points. Best lures will be jig & pig, jerk baits, hair jigs, crank 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 on or around ledges and humps this month. Cloudy days with light winds are good times to try your luck! Light line and smaller lures will increase your chances to catch smallmouth bass.

Striped Bass- Fishing will be good. Stripers will be caught in the mid to upper sections of the lake and inthe larger creeks. Best lures will be jerk baits, Alabama rigs, swim baits, and Zoom flukes fished on 1/4 to 3/8 oz. lead heads. The best depths will be from near the surface to 40 feet deep. Try to find areas with the largest concentrations of baitfish. Vertical jigging with 3/4 oz. Hopkins spoons will also work this month. Find the seagulls and you will usually find feeding stripers. Live bait will also work this month. Night fishing will improve later this month.

Crappie- Fishing for crappie will be good this month. They will be found 5 to 15 feet deep. 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. Spider rigging is also a great method to catch crappie this month.

TIP OF THE Month: Don’t over look fishing shallow when the water is cold! The bait fish will relate to the super shallow areas because of a slightly warmer water temperature. Most of the time sunny evenings are best time to try your luck! It’s a good idea to always fish with a partner during the cold months. Make sure you wear your life jacket. You can never be too careful when boating. Remember to be courteous and obey all the boating laws. Please practice catch and release. Take a kid fishing!

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