Smith Mountain Lake is a 20,600-acre impoundment located near Roanoke in Bedford and Franklin counties. This reservoir is one of Virginia’s premier fisheries, consistently ranking in the top three of W2’s annual Best Bets for Big Fish article. It offers outstanding fishing for striped bass, largemouth and smallmouth bass. The reservoir was constructed in the early 1960s and is owned by American Electric Power Company and is managed primarily for hydroelectric power generation. Most of the shoreline is developed with residential homes but other facilities catering to outdoor enthusiasts are found at various locations.
One couple that has called SML home for the past 45 years and operated the longest-running guide service told W2 the fishing this summer and early fall was some of the best they’d experienced in a number of years.
Spike and Kathy Franceschini have been guiding on Smith Mountain Lake for the past 37 years. They utilize two Hurricane deck boats and a lot of live bait with Spike’s Prime Time Fishin’ Guide Service. They have studied more screens, thrown more cast nets and caught more striper than anyone. At one point Spike even held the lake record for striper.
These days they fish from April to November and then head out west for some time off visiting with friends and skiing. They recommended we catch up with Chad Gilmore, president of the Smith Mountain Lake Striper Club for a W2 interview about the state of Smith Mountain Lake striper fishing.
Gilmore resides at the lake and has been fishing it for the past two decades
We started by asking him how he thought the fishing ranked historically for numbers of fish caught and size of fish caught.
“Right now, Smith Mountain lake has as many 24-26 inch fish as I’ve ever seen. I’ve been fishing SML for striped bass for about 20 years, so I can’t speak intelligently on the “good ole days” of 40-pound fish roaming the lake. It isn’t uncommon now to catch striper 30 inches or longer, but the trophy fish (37 inches or 20 pounds) still seem to be harder to come by,” Gilmore told W2.
He said fall fishing has been strong on Smith Mounting Lake this season.
“The fall fishing has been good. The fish have remained in schools and are actively feeding on the surface. The smaller bait has been the striped bass’ main target this fall (so far). These baits school up on the lake’s surface in the afternoon warmth and the striper are taking advantage of the easy meal. Being in the right areas where bait is on the surface gives you a chance to encounter these feeding frenzies. Personally, I like to throw a three-inch paddle tail swimbait on a ¼ oz. jig head. It has enough weight to allow a long cast, but light enough that it doesn’t sink through the fish on the surface. I try to avoid topwater style baits because of the treble hooks, they are harder to remove and could damage the fish if you plan on releasing it,” Gilmore said.
As far as what he thought winter would bring, Gilmore had this to say: “This winter should be a great time to fish for striper at SML. Reduced crowds and hungry fish make a great combination. Winter fishing allows anglers to fish a variety of tactics, even in the same day. Big gizzard shad on planer boards, smaller bait on downlines, chasing birds that alert anglers to actively feeding fish, jigging spoons and flukes deep and trolling artificials will all produce positive results.”
In the coming months the striper angler says he will target fish at or near the mouths of major creeks using spoons and jig heads tipped with soft plastic jerkbaits. The depth will depend on the weight of the bait. I use 1/4 oz. for fish up in the water column, 1/2 oz. for fish down to 40 foot deep and 3/4 oz. for fish deeper than 40 feet.
Gilmore did note a significant change in SML striper has occurred over the past decade.
“The introduction of the blueback herring over the last 10 years has slowly changed the way the striped bass behave on SML. Years ago, at the striper would be forced to go find bait shallow. Gizzard shad and threadfin shad typically prefer shallow water. The blueback herring population has grown significantly, and they reside in deeper, cooler water. The striped bass also prefer cooler, well-oxygenated water. So, if you can find the schools of blueback herring, you can usually find the striper here.”
When we asked him what a visiting angler should expect on an average day of striper fishing the lake, Gilmore was circumspect.
“SML offers anglers the opportunity to fish myriad techniques to catch fish. If you want to target big fish and know that you’re fishing for a few bites on an outing, you can do that. If you want to focus on numbers by looking for schools, you can do that as well. A good day fishing at SML is being on the water enjoying the fishery, catching your limit of two fish is an added bonus.
As far as the possibility of hybrid striper stockings in the lake, Gilmore had a clear preference.
“I think hybrid striped bass or wiper are better in lakes that don’t have cool water refuge. SML is deep enough to offer that to striper and they do fine here as opposed to lakes like Anna and Kerr Reservoir.”
