Smith Mountain Lake November Fishing Report - Pray for colder weather

Wow did that weather take a turn from October to November. We were on a path to have another great fall bite with some super cold nights in October that sent the water temp into a free fall but that all changed when 60-70’s decided to show up for a few weeks. Fishing is a little more tough right now. Bass and Stripers are still up chasing bait but the bait is a little confused on if it should head shallow or stay out suspended over the main and secondary points. Covering water is key right now to find the large groups of bait and those active eating fish. You can catch some good ones on a lot of different baits but when that water temp keeps rising mid day the fish seem to be getting lock jaw pretty bad.

Stripers are starting to make their way up both the rivers and into the pockets where bait is going. Take time to use your electronics and find bait or drive around looking for surface activity. I’ve seen some reports of stripers eating very large bait so don’t be afraid to up your lure size. A spoon is also a great option right now. Find the bait balls and let the spoon fall underneath the school. It’s only a matter of time before they are all stacked in the shallows of back pockets I just don’t see it happening yet.

Largemouth and Smallmouth are scattered and big fish are somewhat hard to come by. It’s taking around 17-19 lbs to win tournaments with teams only having one big kicker. With the colder weather our bags are much bigger. Bass are suspended on the bait and have a short bite window until the weather is blowing and cloudy. Covering water with a buzz bait, tossing a jig around or throwing a drop shot seem to be getting bites but you have to fish a lot of water to find a big one. Again, colder weather will bring a MASSIVE wave of big ones as I think they are just staged and waiting.

Crappie are loaded in brush from 14-25 feet in most pockets. LiveScope of course makes crappie fishing fun and much easier, but traditional sonar can still find the same structure. a bobber and a minnow make for endless bites or a small spoon or jig. The size is pretty good right now in the upper blackwater river.

Whatever your faith, just do us all a favor and start praying for some colder weather so we can knock the fins off these fish that are just patiently waiting to put the feedbag on.