Alright guys, I'm down here on Smith Mountain for 5 days and only have 3 left. I'm looking for any guidance you guys can give me on this lake for this time of year, we've caught 2 fish in two days and went to a weigh in for a tourney yesterday and watched guys weigh in 15-25 lb sacks. Anything helps locations, baits, depth, specific colors etc. Thanks for any help you guys can provide!

Alabama rig. That is all you need.

Any specific depths? We have pounded docks for two days straight and just aren't getting bit!

Carolina rig with a lizard.

 

Throw it everywhere.

 

Crankbaits in shad and crawfish colors.

 

Throw them everywhere.

 

a little too early for the docks to be majorly productive, the panfish arent even around them yet, unless theyre deep water docks. youre going to have to back off and go deeper. try pearl white flukes, and maybe even a double fluke rig. try jerk baits and x-raps on secondary points and around wood and tree stumps. bait fish are probably still holding up in the creek channels, itll be 2-3 weeks before the alewives move in coves at night to start spawning. so you may want to also try cranking creeks channels and the mouths of the creeks. a lot of the coves have just iced out recently the last couple weeks. i heard some people been catching them on jigs and spoons in 15-25 feet of water as well. further up the river arms the water may be more stained/muddy and more warm because of it. not sure where you are at on the lake...

 

the lake can be a cruel mystery, especially for bass this time of year. you should come back in mid-september. that dock bite will be explosive by then...