Smith Mountain Lake March Fishing Report. The Pre-Spawn Beat Down.
DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE BAIT SHOP FOR ALL THE EARLY SPRING TACKLE
I RECOMMEND
This is and will always be the big fish month on SML!
Smith Mountain is dealing with a unique situation this March as we have had a super wet winter with some major flooding events and our lake is taking its sweet time getting that muddy river water down lake. We are also having a hard time having the water temps bust above that mid 40’s range, but that is honestly GREAT!
Due to the extremely harsh winter SWVA has experienced this year we have had a great shad kill. This is super important. When lakes have long lasting cold snaps that kill off shad the bass will have less to choose from come spring time when they start to put the feed bag on for spawning. Some of the best springs I have had at this lake are after a month long shad kill. We should see a good swimbait bite this spring, jerkbaits and even some early fluke action due to this shad kill.
As for the stained and dirty water….. it’s NASTY up the rivers still even as I write this 11 days after the last big rain event. I am not certain what is taking so long for it to clear, but when it does it is lining up to be insane. As anglers we know dirty water is going to heat up faster, so when we get a good stretch of low wind and bright sunny skies that dirty water is going to become one of the first places I will look.
As an angler that is on the water almost every day I’m all about watching it hit the next 5 degree marks. 40 to 45 is a big jump and 45-50 is one of the biggest indicators that bass will become very active. This is going to happen at different times and different areas of the lake based on sun location, wind and cover. If you don’t have it already download the SML+ app on your phone for getting some temperature readings around some of the main creeks on the lake.
On to the fun stuff, what is working and areas to look and what I would have ready on the boat.
BAITS: Be sure to click the links to the baits below!
Big Swimbait. Everyone knows that I love me a 6” Megabass Magdraft and it just catches fish and big ones. Doesn’t matter the conditions I will have a 6” on at all times for the next 30 days. Megabass also just dropped the 5” Magdraft as well that looks and runs great. This would be something I would try on days with less wind or later into March after the fish have had some pressure from others throwing the 6”.
Colors: 6” White Back Shad and Pro Blue Chart for stained water
Colors: 5” Silver Shad and Celeste for stained water
Large Jerkbaits. Upsizing this time of year can lead to getting monster bites. It’s a tough bait to mentally throw but it gets rocked. The Megabass Kanata is a go to bait for me against docks with suspended big ones that are staging.
Colors: GP Pro Blue and MG Sexy Skeleton for stained water
A-Rig. I’m starting to like this thing a little after this spring. I have started to upsize my baits a bit and that seems to be getting some bigger bites. A common question I get is line size… I have ended with landing on 22lb Sunline Sniper and that seems to still get me plenty of bites in clear and stained water.
A rig heads: 6th Sense Divine Umbrella Rig Jig head (get 1/8oz 4/0 for shallow and 1/4oz 4/0 for deeper fishing)
A rig swim baits: Megabass Spark Shad 4” and 5” ( I like something with a little less kick in the colder part of March)
Colors: Neon Pepper and Royal Gill
Minnow. The minnow bite will slowly start to go away this month but we are still catching a ton of fish on it. Each day you need to figure out if the fish are higher in the water or stuck to the bottom. TIP (a lot of smallmouth hang on the bottom this month waiting for the water to get close to 55 for them to transition to docks and main lake points to spawn)
Jig Heads: Gamakatsu Round Jig Head (1/8oz 2/0 and 1/4oz 2/0 for baits that are 3” or smaller and same sizes with a 3/0 hook for baits that are 3"“- 6”)
Minnows: Castaic Jerky J (Ghost Blue Gizzard) Fish Arrow Flash J Split Tail Shad (Pro Blue Silver) Reaction Innovations Pano Shot (Lab Rat)
LOCATIONS:
The lake has some color almost everywhere with the heavy flooding we have had. We are also getting a lot of super windy days which is turning up the lower end waters for a good portion of the days.
Typically the upper river sections are a great starting spot for spring with water warming faster than the other parts of the lake. However, this year the stain is super heavy. Keep an eye on the weather and when we hit a stretch of 3 hot days (lows in the 50’s and highs in the 65+ range) head up the rivers to see what has changed. That water will be the warmest come the end of March.
I would work backwards this spring because of that water color. Bait is going to feel more secure and safe shallower and bass will be chasing them back there. Start in the backs and work your way out.
Be sure to focus on docks this time of year as well since some fish will be pulling up in the next few weeks to be ready to start spawning in early/mid April.
FINAL TIP:
Fish aggressively every start to your day! The fish are eating and this may be the month that they are the most aggressive out of the entire year. Don’t die by it, but test the fish every morning for a few hours to see how they are acting. More times then not you can get a bigger fish to commit to something larger and moving.
Tight lines, be safe and always let a friend know if you are fishing alone where your planning on going.