Adventurous News

Fall Fishing for Smallmouth Bass

Later in the year, as you are fall fishing for Smallmouth Bass in late August and early September, many of the vegetative weed lines are dying off due to cooling water temperatures.

When the cover and plankton start to disperse out of the dying weeds that the bait fish have been using for cover and feed they usually move out to a little deeper water around rock piles or even the main lake and find submerged basins. As the baitfish move out, the small mouth will follow them.

Try varying depths as the smallies will vary there depth depending on where the bait fish are. Long, slender, diving crank baits that dive from 12-30′ are very good choices for fishing these deep smallies. Another way of finding these bass in our waters is trolling crank baits or deep divers.

Minnow colored or white crank baits work great also. Rapala Husky Jerks and larger Shad Raps are great baits also. Don’t be surprised to pick up a large northern pike or walleye while trolling this deep water as many species of fish forage on these schooling baitfish.

Best Smallmouth Bass Lures on Our Lakes:

  • Medium action rod with a 68# test line.
  • Bass spinner baits 1/8 to 1/4oz
  • Jig and twister tail 2″4″ long.
  • Shad Raps
  • Jerk Baits
  • Crank Baits
  • Rapalas Countdown
  • Rattle Traps
  • Beetle spinners Roadrunners
  • Mepps
  • Tube Jigs
  • Walleye Diver
  • Devil horses
  • Rapala Husky Jerk

Wherever possible, it is highly recommended that you use live bait when fall fishing for smallmouth bass – like minnows, leeches – but if you can get them, crawlers work the best.