Boat Upgrades
How To
Southern Ontario Steelhead Fishing
March 31st, 2011
Shimano Baitcast Reel Maintenance Guide
January 23rd, 2013
Tharp Masters Bull Shoals & Norfolk
April 25th, 2016
MANSON WINS WALMART BFL BUCKEYE DIVISION EVENT ON OHIO RIVER
August 17th, 2015
BRP Introduces New Era In Outboard Engines
June 17th, 2014
Z-Man Project Z Chatterbait Product Review
July 13th, 2015
ICAST 2013 - New Matzuo Marianne Huskey Signature Series
August 2nd, 2013
Shimano Set to Launch the Curado I Reels
February 14th, 2014
2016 Bassmaster Classic Day 1 Standings
March 4th, 2016
My Fall Smallmouth Pattern
Related
Fall fishing is the best time of year. It’s when you can go out and catch your personal best just like I did this year. Cold weather, wind, rain, and even snow; if you haven’t put your boat away, you too have the chance to catch a fish of a lifetime!
In the fall, the fish tend to move up into the creeks and really just scatter as they can be in 3-ft or 60-ft of water. This can really make them hard to find. But once the fall really moves in, in mid October in Ontario, the bass tend to group up in deeper water about 15 to 30-ft. This is where you can pull in a big bag if you are a tournament angler. The Canadian record from the BPS Simcoe Open was held in late October of 31.55lbs by Joey Muszynski and Mark Moran in 2010, that’s an average weight of 6.31-lbs of smallmouth bass; WOW.
Being the Bassaholic that I am, you will find me on the water chasing those monster smallmouth. I would like to share with you some of my tools and tricks on catching some of these monster smallies.
Spinnerbaits and Jerkbaits – The Staples
I like to start with some moving baits; spinnerbait, and jerkbaits, looking for suspended fish. The jerkbait that I prefer is a Spro McStick. The McStick has great action and it comes in many different colors. Fish just plain eat em’. I like to fish them on a 6’6” medium with a Lews 6.2 to 1 baitcaster with 12-lb spiderwire floro.
Tubes are a must when fishing for giant fall smallmouth. The key with fishing tubes is not just the color, but the size of weight. You want a weight that is heavy enough to drag on bottom but light enough that it does not spook the fish. 3/8-oz is my usual go to weight, but I will increase or decrease depending on the wind and drift speed. As for color, just try to match what the fish are eating, crayfish or gobies.
My Ultimate Setup – The Drop shot
The dropshot is now my ultimate setup for deep water smallmouth. Smallies absolutely love this rig. You can cast it, drop it straight down or drag it. Any way you through it, it will put those big fish in the boat. I like to use spiderwire braid 10-lb for my main line and 6-lb spiderwire floro as my leader, tied together with a double uni knot. On a 6’9” medium light spinning rod, the Dropkick worm from Imperium baits is my bait of choice, giving me options of fishing it a couple of ways, I can wacky rig it, or nose hook it, either way works well you just need the fish to tell you what they want.
I hope this helps you uncover some fish in your lake and you get your personal best.
Take a picture of your best fall smallmouth and post it on the Angling Authority Facebook page!
About Author
More info about authorJeremy Baird
Jeremy is a talented multi-species angler. Jeremy's favorite target species is bass, where he has been very active in regional bass tournaments. A member of Barrie Bassmasters, Jeremy has most recently been nominated as the Director of Conservation at his bass club. The bass fishing fanatic is also an Ambassador for Imperium Baits.
More by Jeremy Baird
No Comments so far
Jump into a conversationNo Comments Yet!
You can be the one to start a conversation.