I have vacationed at SML for the past two years and have had little success locating fish. I was reading a walleye magazine over the holidays that lists SML as one of the better lakes in VA. Has anyone on this board fished there with any luck?

Bagman -- I live "down here".I don't fish SML regularly but know some who do.Walleye are VERY hard to find -- people I know catch them @ night while after bass/stripers.Better to fish Claytor in the up-lake area, particularly spring -- New River is good too (VA record @ 15# +).Philpot NW of Martinsville is also a producer -- summer,points,@ night.SML is really a better bass & crappie lake -- spring -- stripers on shad -- almost anytime.Walleye also run up out of KERR in the Roanoke/Staunton(?) river,but I haven't fished it.I'd be interested if anyone else out there has a "line " on SML 'eyes myself! JimmiG

I never fished it either, my son went to college near there for several years. I looked the lake over pretty hard, talked to several local guides and a friend of my son that lives there and fishes it. The concensus seems as Jimmi said, most walleye are caught by accident while fishing stripers. If I were to fish it this time of the year I would start out on the trib that comes in from the northwest (Black River?) there is tons of standing flooded timber in this branch. When I was there in the dead of winter it was in the upper 40's and no one fishes then! On rare occasions it will get a thin coat of ice.

Thanks for the responses.
I have fished the main Roanoke channel by the state park down to the Bernards Landing condos. Everyone tells you to fish the "S" curves there. Then I fished over in the upper reaches of the Craddock Creek by the Mariner's landing. Only caught a few bass in the brush.

It still amazes me how quickly that water drops off. I took an older depth finder that had a top depth of 120 ft and there was a lot of water where I could not get a bottom depth. If we get back down there I will certainly take my better equipment.

Anyway thanks again.

Barry

Hi Bagman,
I fished Smith Mountin four times for a week each. I trolled the whole lake with no luck. Got a few bass casting the shore line. One year in march we had 12" of snow, had to shovel 400'of drive. On a rest stop, I could the stripers rolling 200' of shore, but was too tired to chase them. Anyway I have given up on SM. No fish.
Good luck. Joe fishtaker24@aol.com

Do you live on the lake? That report is very disappointing.

I usually fish Lake Erie and live in the Cleveland, OH area. We have really enjoyed our vacations at SML. So much so that last summer I looked at some property on the lake with reirement in mind. The wife loves the SMOOTH lake. But little ones enjoy the state park beach. But I haven't been able to get a handle on the fish there. Are there any web sites that give good info and fish reports for SML?

Barry

Bagman, there are lots of walleye in SML but just hard to find and fish for. A friend of mine is a VA fish biologist and has done electro-shocking at SML and found a very good population. SML is so chopped up it is hard to find the feeding/travel patterns. Leesville Lake right below SM is also a good walleye lake. They fish them at the dam in the spring and catch a lot of them. I live on the James River about 40 min north of SML on SR 122. Right now I am Striper fishing but this spring and summer will be concentrating more on Walleye. Do you live near the lake up there or not. I grew up fishing walleye on Lake Erie near Conneaut, OH

Steelhead,

My home port is the Vermilin River and fish from Lorain to Huron on Lake Erie. We are spoiled for sure up here. But SML really has me stumped. We weren't marking fish anywhere on the lake. With its reputation as a Striper lake you would think we would at least show some marks. What part of the lake would you concentrate on for walleye? And is there a good website with fishing reports?

We have been vacationing at various lakes south of here with the thought of maybe finding a future retirement location (without being a Florida snowbird.) The wife really liked SML. A buddy has started building a home on the Sandusky Bay for his summer home and plans on a "cabin" in North Carolina for winters. That sounds like a real retirement plan to me.

Bagman,I would too be interested in some more info about walleyes at SML.My parents friend live in richmond and has a second house on the lake. My parents love it down there and wouldn't be surprised if they end up moving there.I have fished it a couple of times but just for bass.Thinking of taking some friends this year down there for fishing vacation.Would like to try for walleyes too.We are from the cleveland area as well.good luck goose925

Bagman,

Yeah, I guess you are spoiled. I've heard the spring spawning run in the rivers near you is killer for monster walleyes. I miss fishing Erie and try to vacation up there for a week each spring or summer. I fish the spring/fall steelhead run in PA tribs each year.
As far as I know there are no good websites for SML fishing reports. The Game and inland fisheries posts some reports on catches but nothing real specific on areas or techniques. There is a place called Walleye Rock in the Roanoke River arm up past Indian Point that sometimes holds some fish and also the drop offs to the right of the dam sometimes will produce. Jigging drop-offs seem to be the most productive. You can pretty much forget fish finders for locating them as the bottom of the lake is covered with trees. They never cut them before the lake was flooded and the cold water has preserved them. Very few people target walleye on SML and those who do are stingy with info. Send me your e-mail and I'll keep you posted on my results this spring/summer in exchange for your reports on Erie 'eyes. bob@liberty.edu