Re: Smith Mountain Lake
Seeing as how SML used to be my local lake, allow me to throw out a few observations.
The lake can be (and usually is) a zoo in the summer. It's a huge lake for the area at 45,000 acres (almost 45 miles from end to end) and 500 miles of shore line...BUT almost all of that shore line is packed with houses. And almost every one of those houses have at least one boat sitting in their respective boat houses, so as you have probably guessed SML has one of the highest boat densities per mile of water east of the Mississippi.
Did I mention all of the idiots on jet-skis? Hundreds of them! Most of which are piloted be testosterone overloaded teenagers showing off, or as much as I hate to say it, middle aged folks full of alcohol induced bravery and foolishness.
Bass boats? Yup SML has those by the hundreds too. Most of these are piloted by Bass Master wanta-be's who think that 250 hp on the back of their boat means that they rule the water.
BIG cruisers? Got plenty of them too. A goodly portion of which are piloted older folks who are afraid to go fast enough to get the boat up on plane. This results in a nice 3 to 4 foot wake.
Speaking of big wakes, the latest craze on the lake is wake-board boats. After filling all of the on-board bladders which makes their wakes HUGE, they like to cruse around (without a wake boarder in tow) seeing how large of a wake they can create. The fun part is being at the dock when they try to put the boat on the trailer. The resulting hilarity (and dangerous situations) occur when these younger guys (full of bravado and beer) try to attempt to actually get the boat on the trailer. Then once they do manage to put the boat on the trailer, most of them forget to drain the wake inducing bladders. I have seen hitch balls sheared off and trailer tires popped because of the added weight of 500+ gallons of water in the boat and liberal applications of the throttle.
Do I sound like I am trying to discourage you from going? Not in the least. I just want to give you a little insight as to what you MIGHT see. Remember, SML is a HUGE lake, but with all of the summertime boat traffic, it does get rough. This is because the lake is very narrow for it's size. At it's widest, it's only just over a mile wide, and the majority of the lake is less than 1/2 mile wide.
Now for the good stuff. The water is usually very clear and deep. The main channels average over 110'+. If you find yourself down by the dam, watch out for the shoal markers. The terrain is very rugged in that area and the water can go from 150' to less that 6' in less that 200yds.
The scenery is unbeatable, there is good to great fishing depending on the time of day and the boat traffic, and there is plenty to do within 30 miles of the lake itself. The national D-Day memorial is 20 miles away in Bedford. There are numerous restaurants with fantastic food close by. You can rent bow-riders, pontoons and jet-skis at Bridgewater plaza for a reasonable rate, (which may actually save you some $$ and worry of hauling your boat that far) and there are several restaurants there too. One other note, if you do bring your boat, fuel up at any one of the nearby gas stations because gas on the water runs from $.50 to a dollar per gallon higher.
