Fishing Forecast for Smith Mountain Lake

Fishing at Smith Mountain Lake

Smith Mountain Lake sits near Roanoke in Virginia’s Bedford and Franklin counties. It has a well-established bass fishery, with largemouth much more common than smallmouth, plus stripers, crappie and catfish. You can plan anything from a few hours on a public pier to a boat trip exploring the lake’s coves and river arms.

If you’re fishing from shore, start with a public access area rather than assuming you can walk down through the lakeside neighborhoods. Much of the bank is developed. Smith Mountain Lake State Park has a fishing pier and a boat ramp. Smith Mountain Lake Community Park in Moneta has a partly covered pier and is open year-round from dawn to dusk, even outside the swimming beach’s season.

For a boat trip, what you’re targeting helps decide where to explore. Crappie anglers look for brush and fallen trees in the upper coves, while stripers tend to concentrate farther down the lake in summer and early fall. Those are seasonal patterns, not fixed spots—the fish move with their food and the water conditions.

Summer brings plenty of recreational boat traffic. If you prefer a less busy outing, the cooler months are worth considering. For summer striper trips, read the Virginia DWR guidance before going: warm-water release survival is a concern, and the state advises stopping once you’ve caught your limit.