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Fishing Smith Mountain Lake: what the data says
20,600-acre lake near Moneta. Virginia's premier big-water fishery. a deep, clear 20,600-acre Roanoke River reservoir with a nationally known striped-bass and citation-largemouth following. The lake tops out around 250 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.
Striped Bass fishing at Smith Mountain 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. If you only fish one area, make it Bettys Creek inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A flutter spoon (deep) or a umbrella rig (trolled) covers the summer program.
| 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 |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Smith Mountain 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. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. 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 |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Smith Mountain Lake
Spring smallmouth bass on Smith Mountain Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 45 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Offshore hump: a offshore hump around 12.890944978321762 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Crappie fishing at Smith Mountain Lake
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 10 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. 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 |
Channel Catfish fishing at Smith Mountain Lake
Spring channel catfish on Smith Mountain Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Bettys Creek inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday |
Flathead Catfish fishing at Smith Mountain Lake
In spring, flathead catfish run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 8 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 45 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Bettys Creek inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft that scores good in spring. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | night & dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday |
Smith Mountain Lake also holds walleye (15 to 35 ft in summer), muskellunge (8 to 25 ft in summer), bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 213 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 125 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 63 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 63 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 57.4620818273389 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 13.506273547868176 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 12.890944978321762 ft
- Bettys Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 8 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 8 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 4.495341660855661 ft
- Dock / pier line: dock line, around 4 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 3.975619836606565 ft
Common questions
How deep is Smith Mountain Lake?
Smith Mountain Lake is about 250 ft (76 m) deep 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 Smith Mountain Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, muskellunge, striped bass, flathead catfish on Smith Mountain Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Smith Mountain Lake?
Bettys Creek inflow is the top-rated area: a inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for striped bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Smith Mountain Lake?
For striped 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
Leesville Lake · Carvins Cove Reservoir · Philpott Lake · Lake A. Willis Robertson · Lake Moomaw · Claytor Lake
See how Smith Mountain Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Virginia · best smallmouth bass lakes in Virginia · best walleye lakes in Virginia · best crappie lakes in Virginia
Browse all Virginia fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.