[SurfRider]

I know it's not North Carolina, but figured I'd ask here anyway... NCAngler is home after all.

Anyone know much about catching largemouth, smallmouth, or even stripers at Smith Mountain Lake this time of year? I will be up there for a week with my family (parents, sister and brother-in-law, nieces, wife, son, the whole 9) and I would love to put the non-fishers on some nice fish if I can. I'll be sneaking out early mornings and doing a little solo more serious fishing, but I'd love any tips folks can give me for SML the first week of June.

Won't get to do much night fishing, so if you have early morning or day time tips, that is most helpful. Thanks in advance guys!

 

[Fish_Fiend]

Ive only ever bowfished catfish there years ago. Got some big cats.

Gene - Red》X《 - Asheboro

 

[bustman]

stripers.......if catch you some shad, best to do before light, rig your poles just like c-rig 1/4 or 1/2 oz sinker with 3-4 ft leader. let out 10-18 ft in water fish humps and points . you will probably seen them busting the water mornings and late afternoon..if you do not want to mess with shad you can troll, 1 oz bucktails with 6 in curly tail, (white) leadcore line is best,36lb test with that let out 3-5 colors in water and troll 2.5-3 mph. do not know where you be coming from. but i can let you use some of my rods that is ready to go with leadcore give you some bucktails too. i make my own bucktails have plenty..just let me know.hope this helps

 

[Jeffonc]

I was up there about this time last year for a couple days. We cast-netted shad (alewife? - longer, skinnier than threadfin) from a lighted dock at night, kept in a submerged round bait cage. We made early morning runs down to the Dam area and found a few keeper stripers drifting the shad on suspended C-rigs. Caught them one day, didn't catch them the next. I took the boat out mid-day and evening to drift/troll some deeper points & channel bends with artificials in the mid-lake area with no results at all.

Good luck and enjoy the views - its a beautiful place.

 

[Bleedingblue]

I found this forum. It has some recent reports.

http://smlfishingforums.proboards.com/board/3/largemouth-smallmouth-general-discussion-reports

 

[Neilslure]

I have fished it in March and October. Water clarity is about like Belews, however alot of rain can turn it bright orange. The times I fished it in March I pretty much cranked in shallow and dirty water as I was looking for tournament fish and that was more in my comfort zone, caught the largemouths pretty good then mostly fished the creeks off of the Blackwater river.

In October I was just fun fishing and targeting smallmouth (never did find one). I focused my efforts more on the Roanoke river and Bull Run. The first day I cranked alot and kind of struggled, second day I took my travel partner's tourny partner (both from Lynchburg so thats where they fish alot) who knows SML pretty good, we pretty much fished his stuff. We fished alot of steeper rock walls and long points in the state park area and made a long run up the Roanoke. I imagine in June they would probably kill a topwater plug on those points. My thrid day there I again fished the state park area and did find stripers busting shad, caught alot on a shakeyhead around the dock poles too. SML has alot of boat docks but they are all built on telephone poles with no cross members so they dont offer alot of structure like the piers on the Yadkin chain, also very few of them have any kind of brush around them.

I am wanting to get back up there pretty soon myself, I have heard the pleasure boat traffic in the summertime takes out some of the enjoyment.

 

[SurfRider]

I found this forum. It has some recent reports.

http://smlfishingforums.proboards.com/board/3/largemouth-smallmouth-general-discussion-reports

Thanks Andrew. That looks quite helpful, I'll make a shortcut for that one and keep tabs on it. Appreciate the input everyone.

 

[lagvpi]

Depends on where you are staying...around the state park is good for largemouth and stripers. PM me general location you are staying and I might can help you. I grew up 20 mins from there.

 

[Kayaking]

When I was real real young I would go out with my granddaddy to the marina and he would always show me the pictures on the wall of HUGE fish people had caught. Stripers and cats get really big up there. Locals say some of the land under the lake is ancient indian land and that's why the fish get so big, I always thought they were crazy.

If you want to get some easy fish, rig up some light tackle and shoot around docks for guaranteed results. Small jigs or go with a can of worms/corn. Corn is nice for the people who don't like to deal with worms. Plenty of nice sized panfish stack up around the docks and cover.

 

[SurfRider]

When I was real real young I would go out with my granddaddy to the marina and he would always show me the pictures on the wall of HUGE fish people had caught. Stripers and cats get really big up there. Locals say some of the land under the lake is ancient indian land and that's why the fish get so big, I always thought they were crazy.

If you want to get some easy fish, rig up some light tackle and shoot around docks for guaranteed results. Small jigs or go with a can of worms/corn. Corn is nice for the people who don't like to deal with worms. Plenty of nice sized panfish stack up around the docks and cover.

I will remember this too, my 5 year old niece will appreciate this. Thanks again for the input guys, and the PM lagvpi. Anyone thinks of anything, just shout it out, I know nothing about fishing this lake so I'm a sponge!!

 

[banjo]

I have always had the best luck for stripers in the Blackwater River channel and around Hales Ford Bridge in Moneta. This time of year flipping crappie jigs under docks will be action packed for crappies and largemouth. Good luck!

 

[SurfRider]

Sounds like i'll be limited to a couple of hours each morning before everyone else gets up. Hoping to connect with some smallies or some topwater LMB's. Thanks for all the input guys, I'll post pics if I catch any!

 

[Fshn4d92]

Dont forget a wacky worm thats deadly this time of year, skip it underneath docks but you need to look for shallower dock in 3 to 6 feet and the fish will be hanging in the back flat form guarding fry. I would pull up a Navionics map or something and look for docks in pockets with the shallower water underneath it.

 

[SurfRider]

Have had trouble getting internet, but have hooked into some smallies this week fishing some secondary points in Witcher Creek, and hooked and lost a striper this afternoon during a calm low-traffic overcast period when some schools where periodically boiling the surface for a minute or two and going down again. One LMB from under a dock late afternoon. Will post pics and stuff as time permits but it's late and I have child care duties in the am. Tips have been helpful so thank you guys!