late fall smallmouth bass fishing

By Kyle Peterson & Mitch Anderson •Sep 27, 2020 Seth Feider takes the guesswork out of choosing the best lures for smallmouth bass fishing from late summer through late fall. The reason they’re so effective is because of what bass are eating during this time of year. Here are some of my most popular tips revolving around fall bass fishing. Companies size their swivels differently, so for example from Bass Pro Shops I like size 24, and Eagle Claw I like size 18. Too hard a hookset can pull the small hook right out of the fish’s mouth. If a fish has taken the bait, you will see your line slowly going away. Of great concern, exploitation of fisheries is a problem. Fishing partner and smallmouth bass expert, Johnny Amato, was gracious to contribute to this piece and offer insights to our northern Wisconsin live bait fishing program. A detailed-oriented angler, Amato has observed preyfish and forage relating to the same locations as wintering smallmouths; notably with crayfish, followed by massive schools of yellow perch and bottom-dwelling juvenile suckers. To ensure catch and release, my recommendation is circle hooks only. “If fish are deeper than 30 feet, I leave them alone,” says Amato. Trokar’s assortment of circle hooks in the TK 619 variety is superb as well. In part one of this article, we looked at how early fall smallmouth relate to shallower water. My other tip is to go with soft plastics because they have some give, especially if you’re using a weedless lure. The big fish stay where they are because they’re still feeding on larger baitfish out there. Seth Feider takes the guesswork out of choosing the best lures for smallmouth bass fishing from late summer through late fall. The lake Amato describes here is a large mesotrophic lake of a couple thousand acres with fewer classic fall and wintering spots. This is just a basic recipe, though. Most lakes in northern Wisconsin have populations of juvenile white suckers, and smallmouths are used to seeing them occupying the same deep rocks and wintering structures. But when fish turn off working those same spots with live bait often transforms a non-bite into a bite, many times a good one for him. Bass are heavily feeding in these areas, and if you’re serious about fall largemouth bass fishing, you’ll want to hit this area hard. If we all thought May 2020 was difficult fishin... Hi everyone! Once the weather starts to change, and the temperature starts to dip, they move closer to shore into the shallow water. We will not spam you, or solicit your e-mail address to other companies. I recommend going as natural with the color as possible because we want to mimic what’s currently going on in the water. They’re great for moving through dense vegetation, they have an awesome presentation, and honestly, they’re addictive to fish. These behaviors are common with the heavy feeding competition of fall. Relatively inexpensive, “There are quite a few smallmouth bass still swimming around right now who owe their lives to this tool!” proclaims Amato. Fishing shallower as the water temperature drops may be counter-intuitive, but it has the potential to … Top Five Fall Baits For Smallmouth Bass with Ben Nowak TFO Ambassador Ben Nowak is no stranger to smallmouth fishing. Ideally, what you want to look for is a frog lure that is weedless because you’ll be moving through the densest of vegetation on the lake. Not enough live bait anglers are using these types of hooks and it poses a serious problem for catch and release intentions and conservation. “Smallmouth usually winter out on deep flats near structure of some sort; be it a rock/boulder field, or a big flat with humps or rock piles,” Amato points to a map to showcase a fall hotspot. But rigging, bait choice, and attention to detail involving hook style, hook rigging placement, weight size and leader length demonstrate creative adaptations to specific smallmouth locations. Let’s talk about that and some actionable steps you can take to improve your chances of catching bass this fall. “I only live bait fish in the fall,” says Amato. Amato has had plenty of incredible, memorable days of fall fishing with live bait rigging, including days of numbers and others of trophy size. A lot of anglers consider live bait cheating. Late October through November is an excellent time to fish large streamers for big smallmouth bass. Lindy walking sinker with a size 1 Gamakatsu Octopus hook. Your email address will not be published. No need to set it too hard, it’s more of a medium hookset. How would you possibly end up with a better strategy than this? In addition to deep wintering locations, Amato’s livebait tactics work well along deep weedlines where both smallmouths and schools of yellow perch gravitate to for fall feeding. Many locals don’t have internet access or the same luxuries many of us do for buying specialty livebait hooks. Now let’s talk about the specific lures you’ll want to use. Here are Johnston’s tips and tricks for using this rig in cold water. I love fishing frogs no matter what the season is, but I especially enjoy these guys during the fall. Smallmouth bass will bite all day but generally speaking, the best time of day to catch bass are in the reduced light hours or early morning and late afternoon. If you live in a place that experiences all four seasons, you’ll want to fish closer to midday than you’re used to. On the other hand, you don’t want a slow action rod because bass are a little timid right now, so you need to feel every little nibble. Fishing live bait in October and November, prepare to catch some of the fattest fish of the year. But what if live bait rigging is fished properly and responsibly with conservation and care in mind, with no mention of GPS coordinates and precise locations? 90% of all smallmouth bass in fall will be located in 10% of the lake. Another important point to mention is smallmouth will often drop the bait during the fight due to the small hook. To swim and stroll the walleye sucker, spinning rods and reels are the preferred tackle. Tank-sized smallies won't make it easy most days. In his mind, nothing beats jigs and craw imitation plastics, and skirted hula grubs worked through deep rock structure and steep breaklines. Amato fishes a 6ft 6in or 7ft medium fast action rod with quick tip and plenty of backbone to extract smallmouths from the depths. Fishing for Smallmouth Bass closes for the winter in many parts of North America. You can choose to fish for them, or you can look for them elsewhere like Amato and I often do. Amato meanwhile keeps things simpler, prefering size-1 octopus hooks from Gamakatsu. All lakes fish and handle differently. The only thing you’ll want to do a little different with swimbaits is cover water at a faster rate. This question also depends a lot on your location. If you’re planning on targeting bass this fall, you’ll need some fall bass fishing tactics to keep in your back pocket. Experts like Amato have learned to fish basic presentations. As rivers cool below 57 degrees, dramatic changes in smallmouth bass behavior occur. He usually has his rods paired with a Shimano Stradic 2500 size spinning reel. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This is a time of year where bass are trying to feed as much as possible because they’re bulking up for the cold weather. Or I will simply look elsewhere where they may be shallower. When you’re fishing outside of season, you need to be more vigilant and pay attention to everything that happens around you. The predator and prey relationship between the two always drives year-round smallmouth location. How to Install a Fish Finder: Supplies, Location, and Methods, Down Imaging vs. Side Imaging: Differences and Similarities. “I usually look for long shallow bars like this that extend out to deep drop-offs and lead to deep flats, usually a good distance from shore. Plus, the fish you just caught is almost definitely part of a school, so you want to get your line back in the water quickly before the school disperses. When the water starts to cool down in mid to late September, the fall smallmouth start to feed up for the winter months. Tournament organizers and circuits ban it, and its competitor jersey-clad fishermen laugh at it in haste. The reason I recommend going with a lipless crank is that it can move through vegetation better, and you don’t need the noise or vibration of the lip in this case. Late winter smallmouth bass fishing is tough. Fall is here and it’s one of my favorite times of the year because it’s transition fishing time for fall smallmouth bass. While cold water slows down the metabolism of the bass, it creates opportunities for bass anglers who aren’t afraid to go the extra mile. Lipless crankbaits are the number one choice for fall bass fishing lures. Free shipping on orders over $50 and FREE pick-up at your local store if you buy online! Smallmouth bass home to wintering areas and will not vacate them regardless of angling pressure and the exploitation that is on them. 4 to 5 inch walleye sucker minnows, rigged from lower jaw through nostril, is most ideal and hearty, followed by blacktail and redtail chubs. Gut hookings, which happen from irresponsible rigging, improper hook selection and letting the fish swallow, coupled with barotraumas and un-releasable fish can take a devastating toll on a lake’s adult bass population. The rigged minnow swims while being pulled slowly, so their fins are constantly moving and the restriction of the pulling weight prevents them from burrowing and hide from smallmouths,” concludes Amato. One of the best winter smallmouth baits most anglers overlook is the blade bait. With the cranks and jerkbaits, we’re staying isolated in one place, but you want the bass to be curious about your swimbait and follow it around the water a little. Remember that bass are opportunistic predators, and they’ll eat whenever they think they can get an easy meal. Frog fishing is popular in the fall because the bass are feeding aggressively in early fall, and if you can find a place on the lake with a lot of pads and grass that coat the surface, you’ve found yourself the perfect place to fish frogs. You need to cater to your environment to give yourself the best chance of catching the most bass. You also want one that looks as real as possible. Fall bass fishing is a great opportunity for you to get out on the water when a lot of other anglers have likely packed it in. But now that we know how smallmouths behave in late fall, "stacked like smallmouths" is an even better analogy. The exceptions happen in spring, when they spawn, and a short time in fall. With aid of the wind and Minn Kota Terrova trolling motor to help keep us on course and spot lock us when necessary, we then run a precise drift course over the region fish are at. 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