I fish smith mtn lake regularly. And for large mouth you should stay above hale ford bridge. The water is not so clear and the boat traffic is not so bad. Look for structure, ie points, wood, and boat docks. If you want stripers look below the bridge. the water is crystal clear and very deep, start around the "s" curves and neqar the dam. The best fishing is at night. And i cant stress this enough be careful and keep an eye open for other boats the lake gets very crowded and the larger boat always has right of way... or so they think.
mike