I have been largemouth fishing in NC for a long time but have never caught a smallmouth.  What is the best lake/river in NC for smallmouth and what spots should I look for?

 

thanks for any suggestions

 

Way to many lakes to narrow to one, just depends on which one is near you. I prefer falls for my smallies

you'd want to head west in my opinion.  lake fontana, lake glenville those are two lakes up in western nc that produce some smallies.  I do know that the little tennessee river up in western nc holds some good smallies and is a blast to float/camp/fish

I cut my teeth on smallies growing up in New Hampshire and resigned myself to only catching them on trips back home. Imagine my surprise when I hooked into one fishing part of the cape fear river by wade, nc. Was a decent size(3 and half pounds) and the guy I was fishing with had actually never seen a smallie before.

I grew up on a Farm in Wade NC, My parents are still there i know that river very well, fished it my whole life.  I have never seen or caught a small mouth though.

You know where old bluff church is? When you go down behind it and walk about 1/4th of a mile up the river where the deep part is only about maybe 20 feet across, its all rocky right there. I meet an old timer that says he used to catch them on flies out there(he was catching bait fish the day we were fishing).

I know that you can find them by the dam in spring lake(off vass road)