By Nick Simonson

Second only to spring, fishing for smallmouth bass in early fall can provide some of the best angling from bronzebacks as they strap the feedbag on and prepare for a winter of near dormancy.  Knowing where to look and what to use is key in connecting with smallies this time of year and as fall comes in, and adds and excellent “cast” to the season’s “blast” portion of time in the outdoors. 

Why So Serious?

Smallmouth bass are strong fall biters because they need to stock up for the upcoming lean season of winter.  When water temperatures cool and lakes ice up, smallies typically find a deep hole in a given river and winter in place for the next several months, without a whole lot of movement.  On lakes, they’ll stake out spaces along or at the base of a deep drop-off and – sometimes in groups of 10, 20 or more – will hold out for warmer days before they get more active in early spring.  Thus, from the end of August to the chill days in late October, smallmouth bass can be found actively feeding, providing serious strikes to baits of all kinds.

Before they make that move, look for them in the shallows that remain warm; especially those shoals that are darker with blacker rock or mud substrate that holds the heat.  As things cool, smallmouth will relate to breaklines that they can easily move up or down as cold fronts rip through the region with the autumnal shifts. On nicer days look up near the top, or target the upper water column of the area around such breaks, and on cooler, tougher days, work the deeper edge initially until fish are located.

Load Up

As with summer, bronzebacks can be very active in fall, especially when warmer, stable weather patterns of two or three days in a row keep water temperatures from dropping quickly with the cooler nights, or even heat them up a degree or two.  In these more stable periods, utilizing faster moving lures such as jerkbaits and spinnerbaits can be effective in covering water and finding pockets of active fish, which in many cases are in looser schools. 

As a follow up to those missed strikes or bumps sometimes felt with a faster lure that a smallie went after, but turned on without mouthing, Texas-rigged soft plastics such as tubes and sticks are great options in autumn.  Jigs too can shine when smallies are snacking on the season’s abundance of maturing crayfish as well, and don’t overlook those frogs if the shallows are still warm and smallies are patrolling the skinny water before things start to get cool.  As with spring and summer, start with shallow structure as the bigger smallies will relate to the best spots with the most cover and prey-attracting objects to find their fill before the season shifts.

For those open-water opportunities along the breaklines, another great combo is the float-n-fly rig, consisting of a small jig dressed with bucktail, marabou or krystal flash under a slip float.  Allowing the slightly rippled surface of a lake to provide the motion of the material on the lure below, these finesse presentations can work wonders when fall smallies get moody with the changing weather, and can be a great option on those brighter, post-frontal autumn days when things start to get nice once again.  The jig need not be much heavier than 1/8-ounce, and under the float can be adjusted to the stretches of the water column where bass are showing up on sonar.

By understanding how smallmouth adjust to the season and their need to get their fill before fall ends and a sluggish winter sets in, anglers can know where to find the season’s gamest quarry.  Switching presentations up to the rapidly-changing conditions of autumn will assist in producing more hooksets as well, and options abound on any given day to put a fall football of a different sort in hand.

Simonson is the lead writer and editor of Dakota Edge Outdoors.

Featured Photo: Smallmouth bass in fall are feeding to prepare for a winter of near-dormancy.  Adjust tactics to the conditions and it’s likely you’ll connect with these fish gearing up for the seasonal shift. Simonson Photo.