Smith Mountain Lake April Fishing Report - Fish are biting!!!

It’s time to catch um. What felt like a super long winter that never seemed to end with the up and down weather has finally worked itself out. Bass are shallow and all over the beds. Stripers are loaded on points and the bluegill and crappie are on the move.

Striper fishing is lights out on the lower end of the lake on most secondary points in the backs of pockets. Craddock has a lot of fish as well as bull run area. Swimbaits are still the best for bites but the topwater is just around the corner. Use your electronics to locate the bait and be ready for some fast action.

Largemouth are in full on spawn mode. The full moon in the middle of the month is making for a huge wave of fish that are moving onto the beds. We know that bed fishing is extremely fun and addicting but please practice care with these fish when you catch them. The next generations of bass are being laid. If bed fishing is the way you want to catch them please put the fish right back near the bed so they can do their thing.

If you don’t want to catch them off beds there are TONS of fish under docks near spawning pockets. A floating worm, senko, neko or jig are a great choice. Focus on the shallowest part of the docks.

Smallmouth are spawning and going into post spawn. The topwater bite around rocky points should be starting late April. A walking bait is all you need to have some explosive action. You can also slow down on those calm days and fish a light shaky head or dropshot to get those fish to bite.

Crappie are in the brush piles in 10-20 feet and are loaded up together. Live minnows are a no brainer or a small crappie jig. If you have front facing sonar just use it to target the perfect cast.

Bluegills are moving up. If you are coming to the lake for a family vacation it’s a great time to introduce the young ones to fishing. Corn or a worm off the dock should get you plenty of bites. Head to any of the local marinas for bait and bobber set ups.