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Smith Mountain Lake

5K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  rlamkm 
#1 ·
Hello to All,

I am brand new to this forum. I came accross this site when googleing "how to catch stripers at Smith Mountain Lake." My buddies and I have rented a house at SML (accross from the dam) in mid May of this year. We go down once a year to fish and get away from the wives for a while. We normally target bass and pan fish just for fun, but I recently went out striper fishing (charter out of VA Beach) and I am hooked. I see that SML has a striper population and would like to know if any one has any knowledge, methods or baits to catch stiper at this lake. I have a small bass boat (16ft) with a 9.9hp we will be bring with us. I have a few 7ft rods that are stout that could probably handle a bigger fish. I have them rigged with 20lb mono. I am a complete novice when it comes to striper fishing so any and all advice is welcome. Bait, lures, weights, time of day, or pretty much anything that may be pertinent. We will also be fishing off the dock in the cove we are staying in. The only thing I have found is charters and I'mnot sure my group would want to charter a boat. Thanks for the help in advance.

Garrett
 
#2 ·
welcome.gifg7

I have limited knowledge of the lake but you may find some pertinent info that might be helpful in this document put out by the Va fish and game.
Some others may chime in and be of more help. Good luck
Smith mountain lake water bodies report
excerp
Striped bass are distributed throughout the lake during most of the year but are
concentrated in lower lake areas during the summer and early fall months. Coves are
typically not very productive for striped bass during the summer and early fall months so
anglers should concentrate their efforts on the main lake when water temperatures begin
to rise. Striped bass anglers utilize a variety of fishing methods such as drifting or slow
trolling live shad, trolling plugs and bucktail jigs, or casting top water lures and bucktail
jigs. Anglers use live shad throughout the year, trolling is most popular during the
warmer months, and casting top water or shallow running plugs is most productive during
the spring at night. Most striped bass are caught between the dam and buoy 64 of the
Roanoke Arm and up to buoy 40 of the Blackwater Arm. Although these are the general
areas most striped bass are caught, these fish are very mobile and may change locations continuously depending on forage availability, water temperatures, and spawning.
 
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