Where do river smallmouth go in fall?

These baitfish migrate out of the sloughs and creek channels as the water cools. In early spring they will hold tight to the weed edges and any available shoreline cover. Later in fall they will hold tight to the main river channel at the base of the slough. Start fishing the edges of the slough with spinnerbaits.

How do you catch Late fall river smallmouth?

Guide Tommy Bench’s three favorite lures for river smallmouth in late summer and early fall are a buzz bait, Fluke, and jig-and-craw combo. The Missouri angler slowly drags the jig along the bottom with 20-pound fluorocarbon line. “I want to feel every rock, crease, crevice, and log or anything on the bottom,” he says.

Do smallmouths move shallow in fall?

Fall is one of my favorite times to catch smallmouth, because the fish move shallow and they’re super aggressive. With the days getting shorter and water temperatures starting to drop, they put the feed bag on, and it gets to be a blast.

What do smallmouth like in the fall?

Why they work: Smallmouth bass love to clobber a fast-moving spinnerbait. As water temperatures drop, fish will be actively chasing down prey — and this lure mimics their food of choice perfectly. I like to use spinnerbaits in the fall as a search lure. They can cover a lot of ground and help you locate fish fast.

How do you catch a smallmouth river in October?

River smallmouth in the fall will move to the shallow gravel banks to feed on minnows in the early morning so Smith will tempt these fish with spinnerbaits, Jewel Bait Company Gem Blades 2.0 rigged with swimbaits, Flukes and topwater lures.

How deep are smallmouth in the fall?

about 10 to 25 feet
Look for fall smallmouth in water depths of about 10 to 25 feet. As the water temperature drops and winter approaches, the fish will go deeper and you’ll need to slow your retrieve. Look for areas with noticeable current when fishing a river or stream.

How deep are smallmouth bass in fall?

10 to 20 feet deep
As September surrenders to October and beyond, smallmouths move deeper still. Their love of structure turns into a passion, as they hold on vertical drops from 10 to 20 feet deep.

What do smallmouth eat during the fall?

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. So look for similar baitfish in your area and use baits that mimic that pattern.