And remember, most importantly, be patient! I never like to waste an opportunity to go smallmouth fishing. Sure, it’s hunting season. Latest. River bait like a flat surface under them but, like almost everything else that swims, they also like cover. Fall smallmouth can be found across the United States and Canada and the fishing can be absolutely awesome through the month of October and sometimes even into November, depending on the weather. Live minnows can also be used, but it is a bit more difficult to present them naturally. But that’s no reason to forget about fishing, especially if you happen to hit a day or two of unseasonably warm temps, which often slows down the movement of bucks and ducks. This combo mimics the look and movement of a crawfish to a T — and fall smallmouth will readily gobble it up. It is important to work your baits as slow as possible keep them tight to the edge of the river channel and any shoreline wood cover. Shooting with the Mann: Why Steel Targets. Shooting with the Mann: Ballistic Reticle Basics, Shooting with the Mann: Defensive Handgun Reliability, Video: Monster Channel Cat with Plus-Size Whiskers, Shooting with the Mann: Bonded vs. Non-Bonded Bullets, Video: Melissa Bachman Gives Great Arrow Advice. The lightest weight plastics like a Texas Rig or jig head need just enough weight to make bottom contact and then walk it down the shoal. This post guest written by Bob Adkinson, Professional Bass Fisherman & Guide. Bouncing from one high-percentage spot to the next with these two tactics is a great way to enjoy banner days for hard-fighting bronzebacks. The smallmouth bass will face upstream angled towards the current but be resting in slack water to the sides called the eddy. Top Five Fall Baits For Smallmouth Bass with Ben Nowak TFO Ambassador Ben Nowak is no stranger to smallmouth fishing. “The river in the summer time is really good because of the water temperature,” Bench says. When throwing baitfish streamers I focus on areas with shallo… These all are found naturally in rivers. Stick with crankbaits measuring 1¼ to 2 inches for most situations. “The warmer the water gets the more active the fish are.”. Regardless, you can’t go wrong fishing these streams. Best Color of Worms for Smallmouth Bass Worms are another popular and effective way to catch smallmouth bass. Best river smallmouth fishing rod and reel. By this point, I would recommend casting parallel to the river towards the pond and try to find any areas of stagnant water where a school might be hiding out. They are also fond of river … In the fall, they will stay on the summer pattern until the water temp drops to about 60 degrees, and after that they start moving to wintering holes.” If you haven’t done it much, you should get on it while you can. Whitetail Wednesday: The Pre-Rut is Finally Here! As rivers cool below 57 degrees, dramatic changes in smallmouth bass behavior occur. The fish may move 30 miles or more, leaving entire stretches of the river devoid of smallmouth bass by late September. smallmouth with a topwater, spinnerbait or crankbait. “I look at our fall in two sections — early fall and late fall,” he said. It’s just a bit of a drive from St. Louis and trying to tackle such a long river … He finds most smallmouth in deep water — 40 to 50 feet where he’s fishing — about Labor Day. I even start to see them get into feeding groups in an effort to trap baitfish easier. I’ve had a lot of success catching fall smallmouth on almost everything at this time of year including crankbaits, jigs and of course a variety of soft plastics. Fish Eddies Along Main Current When fishing rivers or streams, bass will congregate along the current for food passing by. You can prepare as best you can, but you’ll never know exactly what they are biting until you show up that day and dangle it in front of them. The passage of fall cold fronts can also put a damper on smallmouth fishing in rivers but not always. (Photo by Jeff Knapp) GET AGGRESSIVE. NRA Competitive Shooting Series, Part 1: Is It for You? Whitetail bucks are rutting, and waterfowl, grouse and pheasants are flying. And, it creates tons of smallmouth … I have read about the river for years, and see plenty of instagram photos showing some great fish caught from there. If fall smallmouth are hiding in an eddy or deep patch just at the end of some thick current, fish those points and lines like your supper is almost ready. “Most of the largemouth leave the large spawning bays and swim upstream,” Klatt said. Along the way, they stop at predictable places to rest and feed, offering diehard anglers some of the year’s best bass fishing. Fall smallmouth can be found across the United States and Canada and the fishing can be absolutely awesome through the month of October and sometimes even into November, depending on the weather. That same day I had five smallmouth that weighed a total of 22 lbs even…it wasn’t a tournament day, but what an incredible day in the fall! When the water starts to cool down in mid to late September, the fall smallmouth start to feed up for the winter months. Look for areas with an abundance of weed lines, drop-offs and scattered rocks. In fact, if I had to pick one month out of the year to fish for smallmouth bass I would choose the month of October. We are sorry that this post was not useful for you! Abandoning their summer haunts, fish may travel many miles downstream to slack-water hibernacula, where they will overwinter. If you find more than one place with bait, choose the one on a flat that’s near deeper water with wood on or near the break. Across the southern-most range for smallmouth bass one hears chatter about “winter smallie fishing.” However, upon examination of water temperatures on the lakes and big rivers down south, those readings rarely fall below the mid-40 … Fall is one of my favorite times of the year for fishing, and can be yours too. More Fishing. The fish weighed 7 pounds 5 ounces and I caught her on a Big Bite Baits 3.5” Tube in the color ‘Old Ugly’ which mimics crawdads and other baitfish. A Chess Match with Early Season Manitoba Whitetails, Pawn Shop Shotguns for Hunting and Home Defense, Recipe: Freshly Ground Wild Boar Bacon Bomb Meatloaf with Honey Crisp Apples and Maple Bourbon Glaze, Whitetail Wednesday: Deer Hunting On Smaller Acreages, Tuesday’s Take Your Best Shot: Muzzleloader Pronghorn, Shooting with the Mann: Practice Smart, Shoot Better. The action often lasts deep into November, meaning there’s still time to get out and enjoy this exciting rite of fall. Fall cold fronts can drop the water temperature and slow down the action. Many smaller rivers have tons of smallmouth. Casting crankbaits is a great way to pluck aggressive bass off the spot. Jerkbaits, spinner baits and buzz baits can all be used for smallmouth fishing. One of my favorite fall fishing areas is the tip of a firm-bottomed, sandy bar bordered by softer substrate and vegetation such as wild rice. That’s about twice as deep as he usually catches them in summer. Fly fishermen and conventional fishermen both can enjoy the hard-fighting nature of the smallmouth in this absolutely beautiful river, which flows from the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Bath and Highland Counties, through Lynchburg and Richmond, past Williamsburg and Jamestown to the … No votes so far! I use a two-pronged attack to catch the most bass possible from each spot. A smallmouth in a shallow river fights better than any lake smallmouth, and it’s a truly unique type of fishing. The exceptions happen in spring, when they spawn, and a short time in fall. September 1, 2004. It’s not uncommon on the rivers that I guide on to see multiple bass chasing my flies during the retrieve. Depths of 2-4 feet are ideal. At this time of year, the rivers are absolutely full of shad minnows which the fall smallmouth feed on to get ready for the winter. The lures do not weigh much and light line and tackle is required to cast them. Light spinning tackle is the best choice for anglers fishing rivers for smallmouth bass. Fall is here and it’s one of my favorite times of the year because it’s transition fishing time for fall smallmouth bass. Bench’s favorite time to fish for river smallmouth though is in … Always wear your life jackets, be safe and have fun on the water! They’re also great for fall smallmouth bass fishing. Fall smallmouth spawners? The best live baits to use when smallmouth bass fishing and rivers are crawfish, helgramites, and nightcrawlers. Small versions of largemouth crankbaits and also crayfish-shaped models are terrific mid-level smallmouth lures. Willis’ Mike Smith operates New River Fly Fishing and offers this advice. Massive lakes and impoundments aren’t the only places that giant smallmouth call home. Seth Feider takes the guesswork out of choosing the best lures for smallmouth bass fishing from late summer through late fall. The heat of summer makes river fishing ideal for smallmouth. 8. An example would be points or ends of islands which create current breaks and allow the smallmouth to remain out of the current and wait for baitfish to wash down to them. New River, West Virginia. The upper James River in Virginia offers some of the best smallmouth fishing in the country. “Fly fishermen should wait until we’ve had 50-degree-plus air temperatures for three or four days, which typically cause the water temperature to rise from, say, 40 to 44-45 degrees,” he says. You may not get many bites, but the fish you catch can be big and it’s possible to catch the trophy fish of a lifetime in the fall! By Mark Zona. Late October through November is an excellent time to fish large streamers for big smallmouth bass. ... done the right way. How to Fish for Smallmouth Bass in the Fall. DIY European Mount – Using a Pressure Washer! Whitetail Wednesday with Dr. Grant Woods: Simple Trick for Sneaking into a Treestand. All over North America, river smallmouth bass fishing can be absolutely phenomenal if you know where to look. When you hook one the fight is on and it will give you a surprising fight for its size. When fly fishing in mid to late fall, consider fishing with a sinktip or a 250 grain full sinking line in the deeper riffles and pools on our larger rivers. They become somewhat reckless as they chase baitfish near the banks and in the shallow flats of river systems. Bass don't spawn all at the same time, so it follows that they don't all communally recover from spawning stress. In rivers across the Midwest, smallmouth bass make a fall migration from their summer ranges to deep wintering holes in the main channel. If you’re located in the south and want to catch smallmouth till you’re sore – head to Wilson in the fall or early spring. The areas I look for fall smallmouth are flats that have sharp drop-offs nearby or scattered rocks and riprap. Guns. The best jig colors for smallmouth are brown, green pumpkin, watermelon and any other natural color that best resembles crawdads that live on your home lake. Winter River Smallmouth With Pete Cartwright. The first tactic is to fish aggressively. When the water starts to cool down in mid to late September, the fall smallmouth start to feed up for the winter months. The biggest Smallmouth I’ve ever caught was during the Fall of 2005. Don’t miss a chance to fish undercut banks, fallen trees, weed beds, deep holes, and eddies. As the water temps start to drop into the 60s and 50s, smallmouth bass, as well as all warm water species shift into overdrive for the upcoming winter. My typical rig consists of a pegged sinker, 24-inch-long 12-pound monofilament leader, 3/0 hook and either a creature body or Northland Fishing Tackle IMPULSE Fatty Tube, rigged weedless (below). It never even crossed my mind that I would be fishing the James River near Nixa this fall. Photo by Meghan Marchetti/DGIF. So make sure and try everything in your Mystery Tackle Box this month! The Ultimate Guide to Hunting Snowshoe Hares. Fall Fishing for River Smallmouth. The Case Sinking Shad is my favorite fall bait for weed related smallmouth and largemouth bass. Editor’s note: Check out the video below to see Chip Leer take advantage of this outstanding autumn opportunity. Gasconade River – The Gasconade River is the longest river in Missouri. We’re not talking about a break like you find in a Tennessee River impoundment. Fishing for smallmouth in rivers is an exciting way to spend a day. It meanders for over 300 miles within a linear distance of about 100 miles. During the month of October, these fall smallmouths make such great changes, you are going to go through a full spectrum of presentations in a relatively short period of time. The summertime river smallmouth angler’s arsenal should include both finesse and power-fishing lures. Frogs . Shooting with the Mann: Anatomy of a Miss. Smallmouth bass love fast-moving water – rivers, creeks, anything that has moving water. Based out of Michigan, Ben hosts a YouTube channel called The Smallmouth Experience where he uploads weekly videos sharing his experiences of catching smallmouth bass, as well as helpful tips for anglers out there who want to find more success on the water. I spend the day chasing smallies on the river and share some tips and tricks I use to catch them. Whitetail bucks are rutting, and waterfowl, grouse and pheasants are flying. In early fall, Klatt catches bass from the transition zone between the slack water of a bay mouth and the main river current. This is river fishing. The time is NOW! By Will Ryan. How To Find Winter Largemouth Bass In Open Water, Mystery Tackle Pro Box Unboxing (Multi-Species January 2021), Mystery Tackle Box Bass Elite Unboxing (January 2021), Mystery Tackle Box Bass Unboxing (January 2021), 7 Crappie Lures You Can Rely On All Winter Long. During our trip, the gigging season for suckers had started, which Smith claims also makes the smallmouth skittish. As for the plastic portion, 3.5 inches is a proven performer for me, with brown, orange or … After the initial flurry dies down, I toss a Carolina rig into the hot zone. Also, rivers run clear and low in summer and early fall. First, I cast a diving crankbait such as a LiveTarget Threadfin Shad Magnum Crankbait (above) tight to the weed edge and quickly crank it down, then slowly bounce it along bottom. Just as when fishing the river grass in summer, it is important to fish both the weeds and the weed line. These flats will hold fish that are roaming around looking for prey. River smallmouth often seem to be everywhere, but you’ll draw more strikes and bigger fish by concentrating on certain types of cover during summer and early fall. Also be on the watch for fish swirling. It twists, turns and doubles back on itself. Grass lines, rocks, timber, sand bars and points located within this zone hold largemouth. In shallower waterways across the northern portions of the species’ range, smallmouth actually migrate. Hunting. I use 13 Fishing’s 7-foot, 11-inch Envy Black Crankenstein casting rod (below) with 10-pound mono for crankbaits, and their medium-heavy 7-foot, 1-inch or 7-foot, 4-inch Omen Black casting rod with 30-pound Northland Bionic Braid mainline for Carolina rigs. You can use a variety of baits to catch smallmouth in … It is a great idea … Be the first to rate this post. Fall smallmouth bass fishing is almost always dynamite. Outdoor Hub Staff 11.01.16. NRA Competitive Shooting Series, Part 2: The Disciplines, Shooting with the Mann: Running a Bolt-Action Rifle, Graphic Video: How To Remove Fish Hooks From Your Skin, Keeping It Old School: Hunting with the .30-30 Winchester, INFOGRAPHIC: Safe Firearm Storage Ideas from the NRA, Whitetail Wednesday: Don’t Clean the Table, Shooting with the Mann: Ballistic Balance. On some northern U.S. and Canadian rivers, migrating fish congreg… So look for similar baitfish in your area and use baits that mimic that pattern. As a result, a river smallmouth feels like a lake bass twice its size. Best baits for river fishing smallmouth bass. You can slowly drag the rig or let it rest in place, allowing the river’s current to activate the soft plastic. These fish thrive in the waters with current. Looking for a Bargain Bear Hunt in Canada? Fish care done the right way. I use both tube jigs and skirted grubs. “Any time you have a front come through the fish shut down on the back side of that front as a general rule,” Smith says. Sure, it’s hunting season. Plastics can also be effective on fall river smallmouth especially when faced with a severe cold front. Another area that can be very productive are points and weed lines that have a strong water current, effectively pushing the baitfish directly into the path of smallmouth ready to ambush their prey. Whitetail Wednesday: Is the October Lull a Myth? 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