Smith Mountain Lake Fishing Report – November 2013

SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORTNovember 2013DALE WILSON’SSML GUIDE SERVICEPHONE NO:  540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950www.captaindalewilson.comPicture: Caleb Page from Roanoke, Va., holding a striper he caught while fishing with Captain Dale.

OVERVIEW: Fishing will be good later this month. The cooler weather will make for better fishing. Stripers, bass and crappie will feed in preparation for the winter months ahead.  The majority of the lake is clear and the water temperature will be in the upper 50’s. to low 60’s. Largemouth Bass-Fishing will be good. 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 start to move to their fall habitats. Best depths will be from the surface to 20 feet deep. Best areas will be ledges, rocky points, docks and brush piles. Early morning, late afternoon and cloudy days 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. Bass will feed some on top water 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 top water lures, 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 good. Stripers will be caught mostly in the mid to upper sections of the lake  and 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 during the day. Night fishing will be good! 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 at night. 

Crappie-Fishing for crappie will be good. 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 sections of the lake. Small live minnows and 1 ½ inch tubes and twister tail grubs fished on 1/32 to 1/16 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: Shad and crawfish colored lures will be a great choice for lure color this month. Rocky areas will hold bass this month. Good electronics are a must to locate schools of bait fish!  Make sure to leave your running lights on after dark and wear your life jacket.

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