Where/How to fish around Roanoke

[Tylor]

Hello!

I'm new to these forums and have already found a bunch of great information. I moved to Roanoke a couple months back after getting out of the Navy and I haven't had much luck fishing. I live super close to the Bay Rock Marina and have tried out that leg of Smith Mountain Lake as well as some small lure fishing in the smaller parts of the Roanoke river. I've tried catfishing with no luck, and tried my luck doing some panfishing out at lake philpott.

Does anyone have any good fishing spots, or know of any especially good techniques for catfish, crappie, and striper? I'm eager to start fishing, but curious about the bite in the winter time.

Thanks!
Tylor

[jrbdad]

Welcome. Wish I could help but I havent fished up there.

Not to mention I dont have much experience in winter either.

[Tylor]

I appreciate the response regardless. I've been able to find some more helpful content on these forums, but overall it seems like I'll be waiting out the winter and fishing smith mountain lake in the spring.

[tcesni]

Fishing for crappie on Smith Mountain Lake is pretty good right now around deep docks and brush. The lake also has a good population of channel catfish and flatheads that receive little fishing pressure but are caught pretty often by bass anglers. Sunfish populations are generally poor and mostly green sunfish that aren't worth bothering with. This is a prime time for striper fishing, I caught 6 in about an hour last week, focusing on where gulls were working and throwing a swim bait. Do you have a boat or are you fishing from shore?

[johnpscott1]

My brothers live up there and we fish Smith Mountain often. As said right now is prime time for stripers. Get a throw net and learn how to use it. Nothing beats live shad or Alewives for bait. We just free line them around fish marked on the graph. Smallmouth should be biting too

[Tylor]

That is great news that there's still so much action! I have been fishing from shore, but I have a kayak I'm looking to get out there on. Would love to get on some stripers. Sorry for the late response to your message!

[Tylor]

Throw net? As in a cast net? Are those not illegal to throw in fresh water in VA?

[johnpscott1]

honestly never checked the regulations on legality of the throw net. Always see people using them all over the lake so I assume its ok. I know that it is not legal to sell live shad. We use a round plastic drum to keep the shad happy because they will swim into the corner of a square container and beat themselves to death. Go figure.

[Coastal Mountaineer]

Apologize if what I'm posting is stuff you already know, but here goes.

It's been many years, but starting now through March I'd do good on stripers below Hardy Ford public boat ramp and above the Hales Ford Bridge with the biggest minnows I could buy. Netting your own shad is better, but I never got the hang of it and the few I did catch seemed to die fast. Just use your depth finder and look for bait marks 5-20' and larger marks 20-30' down. River channel edges, points, and bends. Carolina rig with 18-36" leader, 1/4-1oz. lead weights depending on wind and current. Know how much line you strip off with each pull then divide that into the depth you want to get your bait to. If you pull 5' like I did, make 5 pulls to get bait down to 25'.

February through April, I'd fish closer to Hardy bridge than Hales Ford bridge, looking for 10' flats off rocky points, and throw crawfish color crankbaits for smallies. Largemouth show up a little later. Late April, May and June, move below Hales ford bridge to places like Becky's and Betty's Creek. I liked Zoom lizards and large worms for bigger fish.

That's how I got started when I moved there in the 80's. Maybe this will help get you started. Remember, water temps are more important than the date on calendar.

[tcesni]

There was ice this morning in the back of the creek I live on.