Early Spring- As the temperature warms early in the spring, striper will swarm to the shallows to feed, the majority of stripers will be in our 2 main river arms, the Roanoke, and the blackwater river; as that is where the majority of baitfish will be present. There will be some fish that will also frequent some of the major creek arms throughout the lake. This is a great time to fish shallow and fast with live bait for aggressive stripers, as their metabolism will be on the rise after a long cool winter, and they will also be stocking up on forage for their spawn that will occur in the 2nd half of spring. Most of our baits will be fished behind planer boards/floats, in order to spread out our baits, cover more water, and reach some of the shallower depths without spooking the fish with the boat. This time of year, afternoons and evenings will typically see the best fishing as the water can warm 1-2 degrees throughout the course of a warm spring day, and up to 3 degrees in the backs of creeks/shallow pockets. Generally speaking spring does not consistently produce the same amount of numbers that summer produces, but yields a greater chance to catch a citation class fish. 

Mid/Late Spring- The second half of the Spring is all about the spawn! This is when female stripers naturally get filled with eggs, and male stripers with sperm.  Trolling live bait will continue to be the best method to target stripers during their spawn, however finding them becomes more important as Stripers will begin to group up as the spawn approaches. This presents a unique opportunity to see Striper collectively Feeding on the surface in a feeding frenzy with overcast, and gloomy days providing the best odds to find stripers on the surface. Not all stripers will spawn at the same time, so a lot of other situations can present themselves during this time. However, most stripers do spawn out around the full moon in May. Striper need current in order to spawn, requiring at least 50 miles of river current for their eggs to survive and naturally hatch. Smith Mountain Lake obviously does not offer that much current, so as a result Stripers tend to migrate where the most amount of current in the lake is present. Which is a huge reason why fishing on the lower half of the lake is very popular during the spawn as it is closer in proximity to the daily current that the dam provides. The Smith Mountain Dam is a very unique dam as it has the ability to both pull water from Smith Mountain Lake, and push water back into the Smith Mountain from Leesville Lake, providing varying levels of current throughout the day. As a result of Smith Mountain Lake’s lack of current; the population of Stripers in Smith Mountain Lake is a completely stocked population, with the lake receiving around 300,000 striper fingerlings annually.  

Early Summer- As the spawn wraps up, Striper will migrate and scatter throughout both river arms, and into feeder creeks throughout the lake. Striper tend to be very aggressive post-spawn as the stress and responsibilities of the spawn takes up a lot of their focus during the spawn period, more specifically females. Leaving them lower on protein, and ready to feed again.This is one of the best times of the year to catch a citation class fish, and some of the biggest stripers SML has to offer, as Female Striped Bass tend to be larger than males. Females are especially susceptible to be more aggressive post spawn than males because Females endure a lot of stress over their eggs, and are less likely to feed during the spawn period than a male Striper. Trolling live baits behind planer boards will continue to produce, this is a great time of year to fish some big live gizzard shad as well for those aggressive females. As the Summer continues and Water Temperatures rise, striper will begin heading back down the lake, out of the river systems, in search of deeper, cooler, and more oxygenated water. Numbers of stripers caught daily really starts to increase this time of year, as the fish migrating down the lake will form into deep water schools, creating the opportunity to have fast action with multiple fish on at a time. 

Summer- One of the best times to Striper Fish on Smith Mountain Lake. As the water near and exceeds 75 degrees, Striper will migrate down the lake, and form into big schools. Striper are a cool-water fish; meaning they prefer temperatures of around 60-65 degrees. The surface water temperature simply becomes too warm for them, physically pushing them down into deeper water. A thermocline of low dissolved oxygen levels also forms in the river systems contributing to their movement to the lower part of the Lake. This time of year, finding them is crucial, as the electronics and sonar technology of today’s fishing world allows us to know when we are or aren’t on top of them. Summer days consist mostly of using sonar to locate schools of striper, and once you find them, chaos can ensue, with multiple fish being on at once. Best tactics include down-lining, jigging, and light-lining which are a more vertical presentation. In some cases, planer boards can also be used this time of year as a way to spread out your baits if the fish are more scattered. Schools of Striper will move fast, so you do need to take advantage of the time you have them under the boat. Striper tend to be willing to feed on most days in the summer as the amount of forage they have access to is severely diminished. Some of the best times of the year to have consistent double digit days. Schools of Striper in the summer can well exceed a few thousand at a time.

Fall-  As the water begins to cool back down in the fall, a phenomenon called the fall turnover begins. This is when the warm water that has been on the surface all summer begins to cool down and become more dense than the water below it. Creating a ‘turnover’ effect, imagine a washing machine with different temperatures and oxygen levels of water being mixed around. Striper do not like to be in water that is turning over, as it is very low in oxygen and has a dark tint to it. The turnover is much more apparent in the river system, causing the majority of Stripers to migrate down to the deepest parts of the lake for the duration of the fall turnover, even past a lot of the areas they were present at in the summer. The schools are still present, and still will present many opportunities for fast action once found. Fall also presents probably the best time of year to have a chance at running into stripers feeding on the surface as the surface temp cools down. Best tactics will still include down-lining, jigging, and light-lining, but will also mix in planer boards, and a lot of casting to breaking fish! As fall progresses, and the turnover winds down, Striper will shoot back up the river arms, striper tend to remain schooled throughout the fall season, and finding them remains important.  

Winter- After the fall turnover is complete and the water begins to reach its coolest, baitfish will migrate to the deeper parts of the river system for warm water refuge for the duration of winter, so striper will follow! Finding your fish still remains key, even through the winter months, with sonar continuing to play a big role. This is probably the laziest Stripers will be for the entirety of the year, due to water temperature, and that a lot of the bait fish that SML holds “thread fin shad: become weak in cool water and become very easy meals for striper. Small baits and jigging artificial lures are key tactics in the winter. 

Anddd….. Repeat!

 – Capt. Hartman 

published Aug 23