SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT – May 2012

SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORTMay 2012DALE WILSON’SSML GUIDE SERVICEPHONE NO:  540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950www.captaindalewilson.com

Picture is of Viv Balatinez with a large smallmouth bass she caught 4/25/12 while fishing with her husband Ben & Captain Dale. The couple was visisting the states for the first time. The couple lives in Lower Portland, Austraila.

OVERVIEW: Fishing will be good this month. After fish spawn they will gradually start to move into a more consistent feeding pattern. Water temperature will be 60s to the lower 70s.

Largemouth Bass-Fishing will be good. Best lures will be top water lures, Carolina rigs, shaky heads, Texas rigged plastic worms and crank baits. Most largemouth bass will be caught in rocky areas, around stumps and shallow docks. Some largemouth bass will continue to spawn this month. Best depths will be from the 2 to 10 feet deep. Night fishing will improve as the water temperature rises.

Smallmouth Bass- Fishing should be fair. Best areas will be around stumps, rocks, humps and flats. Best lures will be tubes, top water lures, hair jigs and  shaky heads. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Most smallmouth bass will spawn in May. Cloudy days and night time is the best times to try your luck.

Striped Bass- Fishing will be good. Stripers will be caught in mostly in the mid to lower areas of the lake.. Best lures will be top water lures, swim baits, buck tails, 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 2 to 25 feet deep. Stripers will start to feed at night as the water temperature rises. Some stripers will surface. Try to find areas with the largest concentrations of baitfish.

Crappie-Fishing for crappie will be good. They will be found 2 to 10 feet deep this month. Best areas will be in the main creeks around deep docks, fallen trees, stumps 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. Crappie should continue to spawn this month.

 TIP OF THE MONTH: Night fishing, while using a black light to help see your line and the shoreline, will be the best time to catch bass and stripers. The baitfish will be spawning at night for the next several weeks. Fish close to the shore with shallow diving lures. The best time is usually between 10 pm. to 2 am. Wear your life jacket and always keep your running lights on.

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