Alabama Discussion Board!

New Alabama Discussion Board!

Lake Level Down over 10 feet (may be even lower for winter pool by October)

Fall Bass Fishing on Smith Lake

Smith Lake is a deep, clear man made reservoir situated in northwest Alabama on the Sipsey fork of the Warrior River System. It is now nearing 50 years since its impoundment. How deep is Smith Lake? As most Alabama anglers know, deeper than any other reservoir in Alabama, like 300 feet deep! At 21,200 surface acres of water (at full pool) and over 500 miles of shoreline...that's a lot of water to explore this fall and winter seasons.

Unseasonably low water lake levels this past summer season showed Smith Lake down 10 feet. Actually, the lake level during the late fall / winter period is traditionally lower. Smith Lake has been drawn down even lower, with the lake down for winter pool as low as 30 feet in the past. So you would think, "what does 30 feet down do to hurt the fishing on a lake with 200-300 foot depths"? Not much.

The schools of spotted bass and largemouth bass (that are just a couple of fish species that make up this huge lake) easily adjust to falling water levels. They are used to fluctuating lake levels on this lake (up or down) and besides, there are many factors that drive them towards deep water. Most of these bass are already relating to deep water due to this summers drought, 3 weeks of 100 + degree air temps, water temps of 90 degrees, little or no rain for months, recreational water vehicles and boaters lake wide and some very clear water as well.

All of these negative fishing factors showed daytime bass fishing for both spotted bass and largemouth bass really slow down in July and August. Night fishing was the only way for anglers to go with air temperatures of 105 degrees in late August. But with the coming of fall it always gets better on Smith Lake. Unknown to many anglers that just plain miss this opportunity on Smith Lake, due to them usually fishing on other lakes they are more comfortable with.

Or some "would be anglers" have duties like watching football, hunting and getting their children back in school. So if you have not fished Smith lake during this period from late September on into December, you may want to take out some time and do so. There is also some excellent bream fishing, cat fishing, crappie fishing, white bass and striped bass fishing to be had on Smith Lake.

As waters cool the fishing for all these species gets even better. But the bass get a lot of attention from tournament anglers and trophy bass hunters alike. Keep in mind there have been largemouth's over 10 pounds and some up in the "teens" taken on Smith Lake in past fall and winter seasons. Also five of the past world record size spotted bass have been taken out of Smith Lake.

* Here's a few lures and suggestions, places to target, fishing techniques and fishing factors that will increase your catch on Smith Lake. These are tips for targeting both spotted bass and largemouth bass on this lake during the fall and early winter period;

Spotted Bass
Smith Lake is made up of thousands of schools of spotted bass. Unlike the homebodies the largemouth bass, these feisty little fighting bass roam the lake in huge wolf packs in search of an easy meal. They are usually following the bait fish schools around and feeding on threadfin shad and gizzard shad.

Or spotted bass can roam the lake searching the shallows for other meals like small catfish, crappie, bedding bream and crayfish. They may feed on small worms, eels, snakes, small minnows, insects and other small prey. So lures that look similar to these smaller meals they feed on work very well in Smith Lakes clear waters. Spotted bass do have a small mouth and they may prefer to feed on meals that are small, especially when compared to the feeding habits of the notoriously labled, largemouth bass, some of which can easily devour a one pound shad.

But don't rule out fishing for spotted bass with oversized lures. They can be taken with big, oversized lures usually reserved for fishing for stripers or largemouth bass. Lures like big worms or jig combos fished on bottom, or oversized floating and suspending model jerkbaits, big gaudy spinnerbaits and zara spook topwater lures can fool even the weariest of spotted bass. Trophy sized spotted bass on Smith lake in the 5-9 pound class have been taken on lures you would think they would refuse, due to the lures being to big.

Largemouth Bass
The largemouth bass of Smith lake get little recognition. Most anglers visiting this lake for the first time have spotted bass or striped bass on their mind. But ask any local about largemouth's of the trophy size and most will tell you they do exist. I have seen a few 9-10 pound largemouth's and heard of a 13 pound largemouth bass taken many years back on Smith Lake. There are plenty of largemouth's in the 3-5 pound range in this lake.

They are surprisingly shallow, found in the fall season hanging around wood cover like laydown trees, logs, stumps and brush. Rocky points or rock bluffs featuring wood cover are attractive to Smith lakes largemouth's or if an angler can fish whatever piers and boat houses are still in the water at low pool. These largemouth bass can be fooled with topwaters like buzzbaits and zara spooks, sammies or over sized poppers. Or they may be very skittish due to water clarity and hit smaller topwaters like baby torpedoes, pop-r's, the spittin' image, the poppin' image or very small buzzbaits.

As fall rains increase on Smith Lake the mid-to-far back ends of major feeder creeks and the lakes headwaters will display current and a stained look to the water. This gives these feeding bass a feeling of security, especially when compared to them swimming around in very clear and deep water, so they move shallow to feed. This is when spinnerbaits are excellent lure choices. So are crankbaits, floating and suspending jerkbaits and a whole list of Texas rigged worms, Carolina rigged worms and small finesse worms fished on jig heads, all that will fool both spotted bass and largemouth bass as waters cool and winter approaches.

Give Smith Lake a try this fall and winter season. Or call on Reeds Guide Service and see how to fish this lake... that often stumps many other anglers. Keep in mind a guided fishing trip with Reeds Guide Service makes a great surprise gift for Birthdays, Fathers Day or Christmas (certificates available), for those loved ones that love to fish.

Winter Fishing on Smith Lake

Impounded 1961
Water Temperature: Mid 50's

Winter (early Spring) on Smith Lake

With Bassmaster's visiting Smith Lake early in the upcoming Spring of 2004, learning to fish Smith Lake this winter, will reveal many deep water secrets, that should hold up until then. Down for winter pool until April, low water, often down as low as 30 feet, can show fish-holding structure. This is off shore cover, that will hold deep bass this spring, during the prespawn period in March, prior to the lake being returned to full pool.

Its been said, Smith Lake is Alabama's most difficult Lake to find the fish. No matter what season you decide to challenge this deep impoundment, even in Spring, when bass are traditionally shallow during the spawn, its a tough lake to decipher.

Deep water and very clear water, are not what most anglers are accustomed to fishing in Alabama and most anglers struggle on Smith Lake, that has plenty of both. Impounded in 1961, this lake was built in North Alabama's mountainous region, along the Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River in Walker County, in North Alabama. Smith Lake drains in Bankhead Lake.

Smith Lake is a very deep lake, no matter what part of the 21,200 acres you choose to fish. The lake has over 500 miles of shoreline with a full pool stage at 510.0 feet. The Smith Lake dam sits in a deep valley and is 300 feet high. It is the largest earthen dam east of the Mississippi River. Just like the dam, the entire lake features miles and miles of very deep water, often as deep as 300 feet.

If you plan on fishing Smith Lake this winter (like the rest of the year), think deep. It is not unusual to find both spotted bass and largemouth's in water depths 30-50 feet deep. Even during the Summer, when most anglers are fishing at night, they find that fishing less than 20-30 foot depths, shows very few bites.

This especially holds true during the mid-to-latter part of winter, when water temperatures drop into the low 50's and bass are customarily deep, as they are on many lakes in Alabama. On Smith Lake, unlike many lakes in Alabama, when casting to the rocky shoreline, you are often sitting in water 100 feet deep.

So this bank fishing tactic still works, without having to decipher the lakes deeper, offshore water, which is always much more difficult to find. Choosing your fish holding targets wisely this winter season can show good results, when knowing what to look for.

Points, rock bluffs, islands, piers and boathouses and many other "visible structures" always hold fish on Smith Lake. Finding the depth they are holding at, and enticing them to bite your offerings is the daily challenge. These spotted bass, largemouth bass and striped bass follow the baitfish schools along these bank cover routes, year round.

These are excellent targets during winter for anglers to slowly fish this winter, when huge schools of bass can move up on these spots, congregating there for weeks at a time. But there is a lot of deep, offshore hideouts, places where often bass go unmolested, until some skilled angler finds them.

Lures for fishing Smith Lake can be an array of topwaters, mid depth lures or you can load up on some of today's dozens of bottom dragging bottom lures. Just like this lengthy list of lures, there are as many techniques and ways to fish them, that can show either good results or no bites at all.

Like most lakes in Alabama, normally slow, lethargic bass, can be turned on during winter with unseasonably warm fronts. Water temperatures can rise a few degrees, with a series of warm days and nights, triggering bass to rise to a well placed topwater lure.

Often schooling bass can even be seen on Smith Lake during these warming trends, as baitfish schools are forced to the water's surface. This is the time to have a shallow running crankbait, suspending jerkbait or topwater lure or two rigged and ready for some fantastic winter explosions. Big prop baits, walking type lures, popping lures or smaller, double prop-baits, always get these schooling bass attention.

Often, the bigger the lure, the bigger the bass. As most anglers know, Smith Lake holds several world records for the Spotted Bass. Many are trophy sized spotted bass (some, exceeding 8 pounds), of which have been caught, while foolishly feeding on these hapless prey.

One of those world record trophy spotted bass, held up for quite a while when a young angler from Alabama caught a huge spotted bass, on a spinnerbait. This tackle testing spotted bass weighed almost 9 pounds and was caught in February along a deep rock bluff.

Spinnerbaits continue to fool huge, spotted bass each winter. Some anglers, buzz them, bulging or waking the waters surface. Spotted bass will nail these lures, even when fast retrieved in this fashion during the dead of winter.

Many anglers slow roll (or drop), 1/2 ounce or heavier spinnerbaits along ledges, ends of points, around brush laden piers and boat houses, and especially along the face of rock bluffs and secondary ledges. Anglers fishing very deep water on Smith Lake have caught bass on very heavy 1-2 ounce spinnerbaits, often during winter while fishing depths of 50 feet or more.

Fishing on or near bottom, with small finesse lures and various techniques, may turn out to be the winning pattern on Smith Lake, when some fortunate Bassmaster Pro (or their amateur partner), attempt to tackle this deep impoundment next season.

Techniques such as the now famous "drop shot rig" that was developed in the deep, California Lakes out west, may show to be an excellent technique to decipher Smith Lake's finicky bass into biting. Carolina Rigs, Texas Rigs and Slider Rigs, can always entice a few bites in Smith Lake's deep, clear water depths.

Small worms, lizards, crayfish imitations, centipedes, French fries, grubs, and shad imitating plastics, can adorn any of these outfits with excellent success. That is, if you find the fish first.

Deep diving crankbaits fished on light line can show some deep divers run in that 20 foot zone, utilizing long rods, wide spooled reels and very long cast's. This goes for rattling lipless lures as well (rattletraps), either fished on or near top with a steady retrieve or down deep, with a jigging or yo-yo fashion.

Speaking of jigging. Vertical jigging with spoons and tailspinners is one of Smith Lake's untold secrets. You can actually arrive at the lake, no matter what the season, with no other lures, and do just as well, as bringing 5 tackle boxes loaded with every lure imaginable. This goes for the angler in the back of the boat as well, often to the tune of no fish for the guy in the front of the boat, especially when anchored.

The reason being: On Smith Lake, especially during winter and Summer, bass get very structure oriented. You can be fishing a long point, bluff or rocky bank, but schools of bass can be bunched in one very small spot, often about as big as your boat.

Vertical jigging with 1/4 ounce to 3/4 ounce spoons or tailspinners, can entice these bass to bite, but often they won't move far. I have actually seen the guy in the back of the boat load the boat on one end, when an angler only 20 feet away, could not even get a bite.

So this could prove to be an excellent technique for the angler in the back of the boat, as well as the angler in the front, that usually gets first shot at all the bass. But they better bring plenty of lures, for hang-ups in the deep water is inevitable. We'll just have to wait and see the outcome next Spring, when Bassmaster's visits Smith Lake ... often Alabama's toughest lake to figure em' out.

Need help on Smith Lake? Or any Lake in Alabama? Always call on Reeds Guide Service (205) 787-5133 first! "Over 40 Years Fishing Alabama's Lakes for Bass and Stripers" Many of those early years spent trying to figure em' out on Smith Lake.

This Report Provided by:
By Reed Montgomery
Reeds Guide Service
Call: Reed Montgomery - (205) 787-5133
alabassgyd@aol.com