Smith Mountain next spring/summer

[Reel Northern Bass]

Looking for a place to go fishing next year for a full week (will have about 9 days total, two days for travel, 7 days of just fishing), and after the last two years of getting my butt kicked on the St Lawrence River (just really bad timing on our part), I think I want to go for a largemouth trip this time. I've heard great things about Smith Mountain Lake, and it's not too far that I don't mind dragging my boat down there with me. That said, I know nothing about the place, other than it's got some really great largemouth.

So, I'm looking for a little help on general information on the lake and the area, and figured I'd start here.

What would be a great time to come down there for a week early next year, say anywhere between May and July? I love fishing for both smallmouth and largemouth, but my goal for this trip is to get into as many BIG largemouth as I can.

Also, what would be a better area of the lake to stay in/around? I'll likely be getting an Airbnb as it will be likely be multiple boats all going down together for this trip.

Anything else you can think of that would be great information to have, please share! I'm looking to make a decision on where to go in the next few weeks so I can lockup a rental sooner than later. Thanks everyone.

[Meadows]

May fishing will still be pretty good, June isn't too bad, July can get brutal although the weights were up in local tourneys this year throughout the summer. I personally would avoid coming down late May - end of September because of the insane amount of boat traffic. However if you're primarily going to be on the water during the weekdays it probably won't be too bad.

Being from New Hampshire, you've gotta realize that our spring starts much sooner than yours, and the fishing gets really good on that lake in March. If it were me and I had to plan that vacation I would come down in March or April if you want to catch big largemouth. I'm not a SML expert by any means, but don't expect a lot of high number days. Smith has a ton of 3-5 pound fish, but it's not a numbers lake... and it gets pounded to death year round.

Good luck on your trip!

[tcesni]

I will reiterate much of what Meadows wrote with a few differences and added information. I've lived on the lake the past three years and it was quite different from any place I'd ever fished before moving here. The primary forage is shad and shad like to wander all over the place and the bass follow. The difference maker is the spawn and when the water gets warm enough the fish have to go shallow and then work their way back to deeper water. SML is a long lake with a riverine upper end (where I live) and more typical lake with a bunch of creek arms on the lower end. In addition to the largemouths there are some really stud smallmouths that tend to dominate the tournaments in March and November. My favorite time to fish is the last two weeks of April and the first week of May which is where I find fish accessible throwing a spinnerbait, crankbait or swim bait in shallower water. After this time it is pretty good fishing into June as the fish move to points and such. You will definitely find the weather to be nice compared to New Hampshire! As Meadows said, SML is not a numbers lake but the average size fish can be quite healthy and 4-6 lb. fish are certainly possible as the number of big bass is on the rise following the introduction of fingerlings the past 4 years that are a cross between Florida and northern strain bass. And there are plenty of homes to rent on the lake. If I can provide any further info just PM me.

[Rick McFaul]

I'd try and go sometime between March 15th and May 15th. It's one of my favorite places to fish. Largemouth, smallmouth, hybrid largemouth and don't forget about the striper fishing!

[tcesni]

Yes, having a 10 lb. striper eat your DT10 and take off with it is a lot of fun. And then there are the flatheads.

[191 champ]

April would be a good time to go. By memorial day the water is usually about 75 degrees. Back up a few weeks and you're into the shad spawn. If you're there at that time go night fishing. SML is really easy navigate at night due to all the ambient light. Add some moon light and it is just plain fun. You can hear the shad swirling around the rip rap and when that happens move tight to shore and fish top water. It could be 10PM or 2AM when it happens but when it does it can get exciting real quick with both LM and striper, sometimes back to back. June is pretty good but forget July.

If you find a place reasonably close to Hales Ford Bridge (maybe 3-4 miles by water) you'll be more convenient to shopping and restaurants.

[Reel Northern Bass]

Awesome, thank you everyone for the feedback, I appreciate it!