Smith Lake Fishing Adventures
Independent · Arley, Alabama
Smith Lake Fishing Adventures is an independent fishing guide based in Arley, Alabama, running stillwater trips for striped bass and spotted bass on Lewis Smith Lake. Season runs year round. You book directly with the guide, and Driftline takes no commission.
On Lewis Smith Lake near Arley, Smith Lake Fishing Adventures guides striped bass and spotted bass from a center console boat using live bait and lures. Licensed and insured, the trips welcome first timers and seasoned anglers alike.
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One lake and one fish account for most of what this Arley operation does. Captain Keith Prather guides striped bass on Lewis Smith Lake all year, with spotted bass turning up alongside them, and he fishes live bait and artificial lures across every season. The live bait is blueback herring and shad caught legally on Smith Lake itself, and certain parts of the year open up topwater work with lures.
Prather came to these fish in 2008 after years on Georgia reservoirs including Lake Lanier, where he served as vice president of the Lanier Striper Club and built a mentoring program for it. He and his wife later moved to Arley and made the lake their home water. Clients travel in from the Birmingham, Huntsville and Cullman areas, and the operation states it is licensed and insured.
Released fish get specific handling. Prather promotes catch, picture and release on the larger stripers and uses a Seaqualizer descending device through the hotter months to return them to deep cold water, while smaller fish can be kept for the table. A cooler and ice are provided for anything a client takes home.
The boat is a 2020 Frontier center console, 21 feet, powered by a 200 horsepower Suzuki and carrying Garmin electronics, a Super Bait Tank livewell and a Minn Kota trolling motor. Reels are Shimano line counters for bait work plus Shimano and Daiwa spinning gear. Families with children are encouraged to book and life jacket sizing is arranged in advance. Prather also states he has run events with Outdoors Without Limits and has experience accommodating anglers with physical challenges. Clients bring their own fishing license, food, drinks, sunscreen and rain gear.
WatersLewis Smith Lake
SpeciesStriped bassSpotted bass
Tripsstillwater
SeasonYear round
Rates$450 per boat for a 4 hour trip and $500 per boat for a 6 hour trip, each covering up to 3 adults, with a fourth angler adding $50 on the 4 hour and $75 on the 6 hour
Good to know
What waters does Smith Lake Fishing Adventures fish?
Smith Lake Fishing Adventures guides Lewis Smith Lake, out of Arley, Alabama. Trips are matched to water conditions and the season, so the exact stretch depends on when you fish.
What fish can you catch with Smith Lake Fishing Adventures?
On Smith Lake Fishing Adventures's trips you're targeting striped bass and spotted bass. What's biting shifts through the year, and the guide sets the day around what's fishing best on their home water.
What kind of trips does Smith Lake Fishing Adventures run?
Smith Lake Fishing Adventures runs stillwater trips on Lewis Smith Lake. Reach out for exact trip lengths, group sizes, and what's included. The guide sets those directly.
When is the fishing season with Smith Lake Fishing Adventures?
Guided striped bass trips run all twelve months. Live bait, mostly blueback herring and shad caught legally on Smith Lake, is the standard method in every season, though certain times of the year open up topwater fishing with artificial lures. Through the hotter months the guide uses a Seaqualizer descending device to return released stripers to deep cold water.
Do I need a fishing license to fish in Alabama?
Yes: everyone fishing Alabama waters needs a valid Alabama fishing license. You buy your own; get it from Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Smith Lake Fishing Adventures can point you to the right one for your trip.
How do I book a trip with Smith Lake Fishing Adventures?
You book directly with Smith Lake Fishing Adventures: through their website at smithlakefishingadventures.com or by phone. Driftline lists the guide but takes no commission and no booking fee, so the price you get is the guide's own.
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Listings are free. Send a correction, add your logo, or ask us to take the page down. Driftline also builds and runs marketing for guides; separate thing, never required.