Shallow Autumn Smallmouth
By: Nick Cousvis

Summer’s hot and humid days are behind us now, and the cold months are fast approaching. Seasonal change is in the wind, and all wild creatures are preparing for winter. For small mouth fishermen, change is at hand too. Lakes that were jammed with boats are mostly vacant. There are only a few boats on the weekends.
Anyone who has spent more than an hour with me knows how much I hate winter. Yet, when it comes to autumn and small mouth bass on my favorite lake, I forget how close I am to putting my fishing gear away and bringing out the shovel. If you’re looking for a change to catch a trophy small mouth, there’s no better time than the fall, it’s the time of year when the bass are on a feeding frenzy before the water gets too bold and freezes over. However, with all that I said, it still takes some understanding about what to look for and how to go about fishing if you intend on having a great day.

Location is the single most important factor when it comes to fishing with the wrong bait, but as long as you’re on fish you’ll still catch a few. The greatest misconception about fall fishing is that the fish are down deeper. This is actually far from the truth. As the cool nights approach, small mouth will move into the shallow areas, sometimes as shallow as two feet! I like to fish shallow when water temperatures are ranging from fifty-five to sixty five degrees. Once water temperatures drop below fifty degrees, bass usually move into deeper water where they’ll spend the winter. What I consider shallow depends on the lake I’m fishing. An example: If I were fishing a lake with an average depth of ten feet, I’d consider three to dour feet shallow. On the other hand, a lake with an average depth of thirty-five feet, my definition of shallow water would be considered as deep as fifteen feet.
My two favorite types of cover I look for when fall fishing is rocks and weeds. Let’s look at each one individually so you can gain an understanding, on how to go about fishing in each type of area. Day in and day out, rocks are the best cover for small mouth. Crayfish are the fish’s primary forage on almost any lake. It’s no wonder why tournament guys pick a rock pile and wait for small mouths to arrive sooner or later. The best way to find a rocky area is a graph. And by that I mean a simple graph with a grayline. Grayline is the single most important feature on any graph. What is a grayline? It distinguishes bottom content. It shows you whether the bottom is hard or soft. There is usually a thin back band showing you the bottom, underneath that black line there will be a band of gray. The thicker that grey band gets the harder the bottom is. If the graph shows a double echo, that’s rocks. This is especially important when searching for small rock piles. Spend some time in shallow water where you can see the bottom, once you gain an understanding of what rocks look like on the graph, you will soon become an expert at finding rocks.

Unfortunately not every rock pile will be productive; some are always better than others. You need to have the know-how on which site to pick. This experience will make the difference between not being successful and catching fish consistently. What I look for are rocks near steep drops. Another important factor is temperature drops caused by passing cold fronts. These are more severe in the fall months than in the summer. Small mouth bass will move up to shallow water to feed but will remain near deep water in order to have a quick escape route. The type of rocks can very important as well. Fist-sized rocks and boulders are by far the best place to find the bass consistently.

The last element of a great rock pile is the zebra mussel. That’s a right, zebra mussel. I wish I had an educated explanation as to why small mouths find these critters so important, but rock piles without them are not as appealing to the fish. At this time of year there are two baits I use in rocky areas most of the time. My first choice is jerk bait. The minnow like plugs seem to be the most lethal lure of choice whenever small mouths are shallow. They become an even bigger factor in the early fall because of the bait’s erratic action. If the weather has been consistent for a few days, crank bait can be absolutely deadly. There’s only one-way to fish these baits in shallow water and that’s fast. I use them on a slack line and constantly pop the rod so the bait moves in short twitches. Don’t pause to long in between twitches, you don’t want to give fish to much time to look at the bait. I find the more aggressive you are with the retrieve, the more strikes you’ll get. As far as color choices go, stick with bright color patterns like clown, gold and orange. There’s something about bright colors that drive small mouths crazy.

The rod of choice is a stiff six-foot medium action-spinning rod. You may lose a fish here or there due to the length and stiffness of the rod, but you won’t have to work as hard to make the bait dance side to side. Don’t waste your money on an expensive rod for jerk baits. Trying to detect a strike doesn’t come into play here. You’ll know when the fish tries to rip the rod from your hands. My second lure of choice is the Gitzit or tube bait. Overall I’ve caught more small mouths on these baits than any others. These baits will catch them when they’re active or inactive, deep or shallow. These baits are especially good on rocks.

There are many different ways to rig a tube, but overall I’ve found a lead head jug inserted almost to the top of the head is most productive. That gives the bait more of a spiral drop as it falls to the bottom. Just cast it out as far as you can and let it settle to the bottom. Then just crawl it back slowly. It’s really that simple. Sometimes I’ll just dead stick it like live bait until a bass comes and picks it up. Standard weight sizes are 1/8oz to 1/4oz; they should do the job most of the time. In extremely clear water where fish tend to be spooky you may want to go as light as 1/32oz or on windy days I’ve gone as heavy as 3/4oz. Like all plastics on the market, there are hundreds of different colors to choose from, and I use all at one time or another to catch fish. I like to keep things simple. I always have a good selection of natural colors. A few shades of greens and browns are all you need to catch small mouth anywhere they swim. I use a six and a half to seven foot spinning rod with a medium to medium/light action, which is perfect for the task at hand.

Weeds may be the most overlooked criteria for catching small mouth. Fishing weds for small mouth in the fall is a deadly pattern. Look for whatever green weeds are left and chances are it’ll be loaded with fish. Again, it is important to look for weeds on or near steep drop. Add some rock or sand into the mix and you’ll probably think you died and went to heaven. Two baits I favor around weeds are spinner baits and crank baits.
The spinner bait can be a great choice when you’re looking for fish. I like a 1/2oz to 3/4oz bait and I fish it fast. Just cast it over the weeds and burn it under the surface as fast as you can. Sometimes I like to pause it at the weed edge for a split second, that makes the blades flutter or change rotation and that can trigger a strike. Like the jerk bait, bright colors are the way to go. Whites, chartreuses and clowns are all great choices. A six and one half to seven foot bait caster in medium action is a good choice. I prefer a seven footer for longer casts, which is essential, particularly if you’re fishing clear waters. On days when fish aren’t responding to the fast retrieve, position your boat parallel to the weeds. Cast your spinner bait as close to the weeds as possible, let it flutter down a foot or so, then start a steady retrieve with the odd pause.

The crank bait is also great around the weeds, especially if the weed edge is scattered and doesn’t grow as high as the main weeds do. My favorite is Strike Pro’s medium diving crankee; there’s something about the action of this particular crank bait that’s irresistible to small mouth. I like casting it to the edge of the end of the high weeds and crank it down until it hits the scattered weed. I stop it and let it float back up for a second or two then reel it back down again. A lot of fishermen buy suspending models, but in this situation it is imperative that you use a floating model, otherwise you’ll be stuck in weeds all day long. Color choices are simple; just match the hatch. Silver/black, silver/gold, perch and crayfish patterns are all you need. Use the same type of rod I mentioned for the spinner bait, it works great for crank baits as well.

On a good fall day, when conditions are right, I’ve had incredible success fishing this way. So the next time you’re out fishing for small mouth bass, try some of the techniques I’ve discussed in this article. I have put a lot of fish in the boat using these tips. I’m sure it’ll do the same for you.