While anytime you can go fishing is a good time the summer to fall transition is our least favourite time to target bass. The summer to fall transition is huge upset to the environment of the water body. It's initiated by the first cold snap following the summer where conditions are stable and overnight temperatures remain high. You'll probably recognize when this period begins if you spend time camping as there will be a heavy dew in the morning and you'll wake up talking about how cold it was sleeping in the tent!
Smallmouth are a warmer water species (when compared to pike but not to largemouth) and so the cooling surface temperatures don't offer any benefit to them. Some may prefer to stay deep, some to move shallow, and others to be anywhere in between; there's nothing holding them back or pushing them either direction! Now bring in the bait factor. If bait can be anywhere in the water column so can the fish that are eating them! For smallmouth this increases the randomness of where they can be found. Let's not forget that they are also on their way towards very few wintering areas.
How to fish the transition?
Expectations
- Manage expectations. This is not the time of year to catch 100 fish. Give it a few weeks and numbers should go up but until then this is not a numbers game.
Start at wintering areas
- Its better to fish where fish are going to show up than where they were yesterday! Start from known wintering areas and move back towards summer haunts to intercept them rather than chase them
Fish Fast
- Smallies are always on the move so if you don't get bites or see fish move on fast.
Cover all areas of the water column
- bait is everywhere so the fish can also be. Be sure to work the surface, middle of water column, and bottom
- Target vertical structures connecting shallow to deep flats. This gives you best access to all areas the fish on the move could be!
Match The Hatch, Live bait, & Scents
- Smallmouth will start to feed on specific forages. If you can't match this the bites go away. Scents as well as live bait can help trick hesitant fish until you figure out exactly what forage to imitate.
To experience a day of fishing on the water with us be sure to check out our YouTube channel at the link below. This 10 fish day will be up in the coming weeks:
If you or someone you know is looking to get into fishing or you just want to become a more successful angler be sure to check out our "Zero To Hero Fishing Masterclass" for courses on everything fishing! The masterclass is built to help you learn how to find and catch fish like the pro's by providing all the information you need and a clear development path! Don't miss out check it out now at www.newwavefishingacademy.com/zero-to-hero
Have you ever wondered why lures don't come with instructions and wanted to know how to fish them? Look no further than our "How To Fish" series where you will learn what each bait is, how to use it, when and where it excels over other baits, our preferred setup to use it on, and the common mistakes anglers make when using it. www.newwavefishingacademy.com/how-to-fish