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Fishing Lewis Smith Lake: what the data says
Alabama's deepest lake. a clear, ~21,200-acre highland reservoir on the Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River, famous for spotted bass and deep-water striped bass. The lake tops out around 264 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Spotted Bass fishing at Lewis Smith Lake
In spring, spotted bass run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 15 to 40 ft, and winter fish settle into 25 to 50 ft. The spot to know is Offshore hump, a offshore hump in about 19.92693608835814 ft of water that rates prime for spotted bass in summer. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A drop shot over brush or a underspin + fluke (schoolers) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig on gravel points, Shaky head |
| Summer | 15 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot over brush, Underspin + fluke (schoolers) |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Walking topwater, Underspin |
| Winter | 25 to 50 ft | midday | Damiki/hover rig, Jigging spoon |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Lewis Smith Lake
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. Shallow flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 10 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Striped Bass fishing at Lewis Smith Lake
Start shallow in spring: striped bass sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 25 to 60 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 50 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 25 ft, rated prime for fall striped bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a flutter spoon (deep) or a umbrella rig (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail jig + trailer, Walking topwater (dawn) |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Flutter spoon (deep), Umbrella rig (trolled) |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Topwater walker, Jerkbait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Alabama rig (slow), Flutter spoon |
White Bass fishing at Lewis Smith Lake
Spring white bass on Lewis Smith Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Offshore hump, a offshore hump in about 19.92693608835814 ft of water that rates prime for white bass in summer. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Fall | 6 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | see map |
Crappie fishing at Lewis Smith Lake
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Standing timber (creek arm), a standing timber / brush in about 18 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in summer. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Lewis Smith Lake
In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 25 ft. Shallow flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 10 ft, rated prime for summer bluegill. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Lewis Smith Lake also holds channel catfish (8 to 25 ft in summer), blue catfish (10 to 40 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Dam-side deep basin: deep basin, around 240 ft
- Creek channel ledge: creek channel, around 45 ft
- Bluff wall (spotted-bass ledge): drop-off, around 40 ft
- West-arm point: point, around 28 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 25 ft
- Main-lake rock hump: rock pile, around 22 ft
- Sipsey Fork inflow (upper lake): inflow / creek mouth, around 22 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 19.92693608835814 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 18.695552058385616 ft
- Standing timber (creek arm): standing timber / brush, around 18 ft
- Shallow flat: weed flat, around 10 ft
- Shallow flat: weed flat, around 10 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 10 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 9.595596889118566 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lewis Smith Lake?
Lewis Smith Lake is about 264 ft at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
What fish are in Lewis Smith Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, white bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, striped bass, blue catfish, spotted bass on Lewis Smith Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lewis Smith Lake?
Offshore hump is the top-rated area: a offshore hump in about 19.92693608835814 ft of water that rates prime for spotted bass in summer. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Lewis Smith Lake?
For spotted bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Sipsey Fork · Walker County Public Fishing Lake · Marion County Public Fishing Lake · Bibb County Public Fishing Lake · Madison County Public Fishing Lake · Lamar County Public Fishing Lake
See how Lewis Smith Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Alabama · best crappie lakes in Alabama · best bluegill lakes in Alabama · best channel catfish lakes in Alabama
Browse all Alabama fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.