Tomorrow, 12 pm–8 pmSmallmouth bass
The bite peaks at 82.
Each float is an hour. The deeper it rides, the better the bite. The strip underneath runs daylight, dusk and dark; the red rule marks the best window. Click any hour to read it.
Right now
Smallmouth bass range 55–78°
From the northwest
falling · -34% in 24 h
Sunset 5:15 pm
No rain expected
NWS hourly forecast
Measured, last 3 hours
Waning crescent
Each species is scored against its own water-temperature range and tide preference, then wind, weather and warnings. The rules are Virginia non-tidal (VDWR) regulations for these waters.
No water reading here right now. Smallmouth bass bite in 55–78° water, best near 68°.
Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Light breeze — ruffles the surface so fish spook less, and casting is easy. Holds 3–30 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Only 2 of the 5 bass may be under 14".
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Kerr Reservoir and Smith Mountain Lake
Last checked 15 days ago. Rules may have changed.
Season here: Apr–Nov. More on smallmouth bass
No water reading here right now. Striped bass bite in 50–72° water, best near 62°.
Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Light breeze — ruffles the surface so fish spook less, and casting is easy. Holds 5–35 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. 2 a day combined. Nov 1–May 31: no striped bass from 30 to 40" may be kept. Jun 1–Oct 31: no length limit.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Smith Mountain Lake
Last checked 15 days ago. Rules may have changed.
Season here: Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov. More on striped bass
No water reading here right now. Largemouth bass bite in 55–85° water, best near 72°.
Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Light breeze — ruffles the surface so fish spook less, and casting is easy. Holds 3–25 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Only 2 of the 5 bass may be under 14".
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Kerr Reservoir and Smith Mountain Lake
Last checked 15 days ago. Rules may have changed.
Season here: Mar–Nov. More on largemouth bass
No water reading here right now. Crappie bite in 50–80° water, best near 65°.
Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Light breeze — ruffles the surface so fish spook less, and casting is easy. Holds 3–20 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Virginia statewide: 25 crappie a day combined, no length limit. Exceptions include a 9" minimum on Kerr Reservoir and no daily limit on Lake Gaston.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Virginia non-tidal (VDWR)
Last checked 15 days ago. Rules may have changed.
Season here: Mar–Jun, Oct–Nov. More on crappie
No water reading here right now. Common carp bite in 52–86° water, best near 72°.
Fish feed actively ahead of a pressure drop. Light breeze — ruffles the surface so fish spook less, and casting is easy. Common carp is here Apr–Oct. Holds 1–15 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Virginia inland waters: carp may be possessed in unlimited numbers for personal use.
Verified Oct 18, 2026 · Virginia non-tidal (VDWR)
Last checked 20 days ago. Rules may have changed.
Season here: Apr–Oct. More on common carp
Solunar tables are a popular heuristic. A peer-reviewed test found they don’t predict catch on their own, so here they only nudge the score when the tide or moon already agree. How the score works
We only show reports an agency has published, with their date. Virginia DWR has the state’s fishing pages.
Licenses and rules: VA DWR/VMRC · fish-consumption advisory
Virginia's premier striped-bass lake, a 20,000-acre reservoir in the Roanoke foothills — trophy stripers plus largemouth, smallmouth, and crappie.
The closest public spots we cover, with the same 36 hours of floats.
Yes (anglers age 16 and older). To fish at Smith Mountain Lake you need a Virginia freshwater fishing license issued by DWR (and a separate trout license for designated stocked trout waters October 1 through June 15). See the agency's current rules: https://dwr.virginia.gov/fishing/regulations/licenses/
Smith Mountain Lake is listed on this site for 5 commonly-targeted species: Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, and 1 more. Which species is currently in season and which is scoring highest today is shown in the per-species ranking on this page.
It depends more on the species and the day's conditions than on a fixed "best hour." Water temperature, weather, and — at tidal locations — the stage of the tide drive activity most. The per-species ranking on this page scores every target species at Smith Mountain Lake against today's live conditions, so the fish near the top are your best bets right now; check back as conditions change through the day.
Smith Mountain Lake has multiple access types — pier, shoreline, and at least one public boat ramp.
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) freshwater regulations apply at Smith Mountain Lake. Size limits, creel limits, and seasonal closures are listed per species on each species page. Always confirm against the agency source linked from each regulation block — emergency closures can take effect mid-season.
No. Smith Mountain Lake is non-tidal — water level varies with rainfall, seasonal flow, and (where applicable) upstream dam releases rather than tidal exchange.
Press / anywhere to search. Towns list the closest spots.
