Smith Mountain Lake February Fishing Report - Tough bite

Sorry for the delay on this report everyone, I took a long needed vacation after the busy year of guiding. I didn’t get to spend a ton of time on the water but what I did was down right tough. I’ll shoot you straight on these reports with what I experience and it was one of the hardest months of fishing I have experienced.

The bass tend to be bunched up this time of year and it takes some moving around to find them. Covering water is your best friend, but can be tough to do when its below freezing at dawn. Remember to focus on main lake structure like rocks, docks and lay downs, but don’t spend to much time on dead banks. Good bait choices are a jerkbait, a rig and a swimbait. Keep a jig handy to drag if the fish seem to be sticking close to the bottom.

The crappie fishing reports have been great with lots of fish being caught up lake on the Roanoke side near docks and lay downs in 10-20 ft. A gulp minnow on a light jig head is all you need to bring home some slabs.

Stripers seemed to be stacked on main lake humps with standing timber and rock. Throwing an A rig through the school is almost a guarantee for a strike.