Smith Mountain Lake January Fishing Report - Minnow, Minnow and Minnow. Just Kidding Minnow.
DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE BAIT SHOP FOR ALL THE WINTER TACKLE
I RECOMMEND
Did I mention it’s minnow season? SML is experiencing one of the longest low water seasons I have seen since living here and it doesn’t seem to have an end in sight. This is also keeping the lake super clear and throwing a lot of anglers for a loop for this time of year, but don’t be alarmed!
As I have had some time with guiding slowing down I was able to try to get an understanding on where these bigger fish went and I’m passing it on to you.
Jumping back to my Minnesota roots I know that clear water is all about finesse, so taking that into account I started right away by downsizing line. Another big factor for catching bass that can see well is trying to present as naturally as possible. This is accomplished by the lighest weights and most natural looking baits. Last is getting to unpressed fish and understanding how truly deep some of these bass are in the winter.
Let’s go over the minnow set ups now that we have water in the mid 40’s. I like to change things up a bit depending on the water temps for minnows becuase we want to mimic the same swimming speed and movement a shad would have at deeper depths. We also want to make sure we downsize our baits to that 2”-4” range. I like to have a few different ones rigged. The Missile Baits 3” Spunk Shad paired on a 1/16oz Missile Baits Eye Roller Head is a great starting bait. Now reading 1/16oz you guys might think yea right… and yes its hard to throw in wind and annoying to let drop into the 40 foot depth some of these fish are in, but it is by far the best setup for naturally presenting a bait to these slow moving fish. My next go to is Deps Sakamata shad 4” I like this bait on slightly windier days due to its softness and extra swim that is presents. I also am confident tossing this on a 3/16oz to help in-part action into the bait and allow for some quicker drops on fish that are following the bait. If I need to up to a 1/4oz I will, but I like to put a larger bait on to help hover the bait better. The Crush City Free Loader has been getting lots of bites this last 30 days and the fish do seem to be liking it more then the Mooch Minnow. For line I have now started using 6lb Seaguar Gold Label on every single minnow rod. This lighter line allows for these baits to get deep quickly and is nearly invisible. Im using a Megabass Orochi X10 7’ Jade Python rod paired with a Shimano Stradic FM Spinning Reel.
Finding these areas with bass in the 40-60 foot range can take some time and really understanding your sidescan and downscan is important, but this can also be done with 2D and some good mapping. Everything in the winter relates to quick drops in depth and the best place to find these is channel swings. Up both the Roanoke and Blackwater rivers you have bluff walls that make it easy to find steep drops, but on almost all other areas of the lake you have old creeks running and swinging side to side as they make their way back to the flat sections in the backs of the creeks. Starting with mapping you are going to want to find the hardest most dramatic swings bumping as close to the bank as possible. Over time this has created hard spots from the flow of water that the fish are holding to. If you are only able to use 2D on your finders you will want to look for the hardest red return on the bottom of your graph. Use markers on the shore like a dock or house so you know where its located and back off the spot.
Presenting the minnow is actually the easiest part to all of it. A lot of these fish are so tight to the bottom you can’t get a good return on either 2D or FFS so make it a habit of sending a bait down at every spot to see what sneaks up to eat. This bite should only be getting better and better for the next 30 days no matter the weather. If we do end up getting a large rain event or they decide to pump some water back into SML that will change come things, but for now the minnow is the deal. Tight lines, be safe this time of year and if you’re fishing alone wear a life jacket!