Up-and-coming star and next-door neighbor, Sandy River Reservoir, is also a great spot to fish. While the average size bass is smaller at 10 to 13 inches, the density of bass is higher, which equates to a higher catch rate.

"This is a good place to take new anglers to fish, particularly youngsters," DiCenzo commented.

While the bass behave much like their counterparts at Briery, they tend to be easier to catch at Sandy River. There is less structure to fish and there are plenty of 3- to 5-pound fish, too. Because there is less structure, anglers can fish faster and cover more water. The slot limit at Sandy River is 14 to 20 inches.

Smith Mountain Lake is often overshadowed by its neighbors, but it still has a great largemouth fishery. Smith Mountain is quite large, with more than 20,000 acres of water. Typically, that water is clear. Local anglers target the numerous docks, piers and boathouses for bass cover. Dan Wilson, a fisheries biologist from the region, did some sampling last year and determined that the bass population is on an upswing and doing well.

"We have also seen an increase in largemouth production the last two years. The largemouth population declined from 1996 through 2002. However, the number of 1-year-old fish of the past two years has increased. The increase is likely due to high inflows into the reservoir in 2003-2004."

The inflows bring nutrients to the headwaters of the lake and the impact is felt from the bottom up in the food chain.

The population distribution is spread out with 20 percent of the fish sampled measuring over 16 inches. Forty-four percent of the bass are 8 to 12 inches long; 36 percent are between 12 and 16 inches long.

Anglers fishing Smith Mountain in March will find that more bass can be caught or located upstream near the headwaters rather than downstream. However, there are good spots downlake, too. Wilson recommends that anglers take into account the clarity, forage availability and temperature. These factors fluctuate rapidly in March and greatly affect fishing.

SOUTHERN MOUNTAIN
The Southern Mountain region is a tough place to go largemouth bass fishing and catch a lot of quality fish. The rugged terrain and steep-sided, clear lakes with marginal structure and little vegetation are not as conducive to largemouth production as are the lakes in the eastern half of the state. While the Southern Mountain region may not be the best destination for largemouth anglers, there are a few spots that a decent bucketmouth can be found. Local anglers know that Claytor Lake has a good black bass fishery.

"About 58 percent of the anglers at Claytor Lake fish for black bass," reported VDGIF regional fisheries biologist John Copeland. "The three black bass species in Claytor Lake are regulated by a 12-inch minimum size limit and anglers may harvest five per day (all three species combined). Anglers are encouraged to practice catch-and-release of trophy-size bass from the lake,"

Copeland also indicated that Claytor has more spotted and smallmouth bass than it does largemouth bass and the largemouths grow slowly in Claytor. The good news for anglers targeting largemouths is that the population appears to be increasing. According to Copeland, largemouth bass comprised 10 percent of the black bass population in 1992. In 2003, surveys indicated that largemouths increased their ratio in the black bass family to 30 percent.

The most popular places to locate largemouths include Peak Creek and Clapboard Hollow, which is a major cove in the lake upstream from Peak Creek. The Claytor Lake State Park area, including Texas and Spooky Hollow, is another good place to try for bucketmouths.