Simplified: Fall Smallmouth Fly Fishing
Fall smallmouth fishing can feel a little complicated. The water is cooling, the weeds are disappearing, baitfish are moving around, and the smallmouth seem to be packing up their summer homes and slowly heading toward their winter bunkers.
Luckily, we don’t need to overthink it.
I like to simplify fall smallmouth fishing by focusing on three things: water temperature, depth, and food. As the water cools, smallies generally move from shallow feeding areas, to transition zones, and eventually into deeper wintering holes. Our job is basically to follow them downhill.
The flies don’t need to get overly complicated either. A few good baitfish patterns, a couple crayfish flies, and the ability to fish different depths will cover most situations.
In this guide, we’ll break down when fall really starts, where smallmouth tend to go as temperatures drop, and how to keep your fly selection simple while still putting fish in the net.
Simplified: Fall Smallmouth Fishing
Fall smallmouth fishing is all about following the fish as the water cools. Early in the fall, focus on shallow flats where smallmouth are feeding heavily on baitfish, then shift toward transition areas as temperatures drop, and eventually target deep, slow pools once the water gets really cold.
Keep fly selection simple with a few confidence baitfish and crayfish patterns in different weights, and adjust your depth and retrieve based on how active the fish are. If you remember one thing, it’s this: start shallow, work deeper as fall progresses, and don’t overcomplicate it.
When Does Fall Smallmouth Start?
With the crisp air, cool mornings, and changing leaves, smallmouth begin to transition to their fall patterning. In terms of water temperature, once we get to the mid-60s and all the way down to the low-50s, fall smallmouth is well underway.
While there’s no strict definition and local conditions play a factor, that range of water temps is really when things start to change. The heat of the summer has dissipated and like your favorite “Game of Thrones” character, smallmouth start to sense that winter is coming.
Another indicator of fall fishing really taking hold is the loss of aquatic grass. In my local rivers, the grass takes over during the warm summer months and as the temps cool, it quickly dies off. When I see less of that grass, I know it’s fall and tactics will begin to change. Your local waters may be similar and if you see those types of things, you’ll know it’s the start of the fall smallmouth season.
Where to Catch Fall Smallmouth
In general, during the fall smallmouth will feed heavily and begin to transition to their deeper wintering holes. As the fall season starts, they’ll often start shallow to feed and then progressively get deeper and deeper as it gets colder.
One other important note during the fall is the tendency of fish to school up. There’s safety in numbers and it’s very common for fish to stack up with one another. So as you fish and you hook a smallie, stay in that spot and really pick it apart. More than likely, there’s more fish in that area.
If I were to break down where to catch smallmouth in the fall, I’d start here:
- Early Fall: Shallow Flats
- Mid-Fall: Transition Points
- Late Fall: Deep Pools
It can be as simple as that. Digging a little further, here’s how I like to think about targeting smallies, starting at the beginning of the fall and progressing to late fall:
Shallow Flats
At the beginning of the fall, smallmouth really want to feed. Baitfish are schooling up in the shallows and smallies will cruise these areas for easy pickin’s.
I like to target these areas right as the water temps get to the low 60s. I’ve found that that’s the ideal range where smallies are most active and willing to chase down bait. They’ll find isolated pieces of cover in these shallow areas to ambush their prey- making simple targets for us to throw flies.
As the fall season starts, target these shallower areas first. If you see baitfish swimming around you’ll know you’re in a good spot. Another good indicator is hunting birds- when I see them perched up on the shorelines, I know they’re looking for baitfish and smallies in turn will be around.
Transition Points
As the temps start to cool down further, smallmouth will begin to search out deeper water. In those mid to high 50s water temps, fish will start searching deeper trenches to stack up for the winter.
This is where transition points become vital. Simply put, transition areas are places where fish have access to both shallow and deep water. I like to think of them as areas where the water “transitions” from shallow to deep water. These can be points, ledges, river bends, drop-offs or tailouts.
These transition points become very important as the fall progresses because it quickly gives us an indication on the mood of the fish. If you find an area like this and have more success in the shallow spots, fish are still aggressively feeding. If those shallow spots are not producing, we know that fish are probably beginning to hunker down in the deeper spots for the winter.
In the video here, I talk about Transition Areas for the spring, but the same logic applies to the fall (just in reverse).
Deeper Pools
When it really gets cold, smallies will go as deep as they can. Once those water temps get below 50 degrees, fish will likely be in the thickest, slowest part of the river.
This late fall period can be a little sluggish for both the fish and the angler. But, it’s also a great time to hook into a big ole’ lunker. Some of the biggest fish I’ve caught have been in those cold, grey, almost-winter conditions. The fish may not be as active, but if you put a fly in front of their nose they can’t resist a big meal before the real cold sets in.
Find the deepest pools you can as the weather gets really chilly. Fish are hunkering down in their wintering holes trying to conserve as much energy as they can. Deeper water is also warmer water, so they’re most comfortable slumbering up in deep, slow moving spots.
Fall Smallmouth Flies
Put away your topwaters and dry flies and bring out the streamers for fall smallmouth flies.
A variety of baitfish and crayfish patterns are my personal go-tos during the fall.
In general, I’ll have a range of sizes and colors and let the fish dictate what they want that day. If they’re in the skinny stuff, I’ll be prepared for that along with heavier flies to reach the deep stuff.
You don’t need 20 different patterns. A few baitfish and crayfish patterns in sizes and colors you have confidence in are the core of your box. Don’t overthink it!
Here’s how I think about fly selection:
Baitfish
When I think of fall smallmouth flies, I think baitfish.
Baitfish are congregating in packs as the temperature drops and smallies feed heavily on them. For me, baitfish are the key prey item that we use during the fall. Plus, baitfish patterns are just fun to fish.
When choosing baitfish patterns, go with your confidence patterns. For me, that’s Clouser Minnows, Roamers, Kreelex and GameChangers.
The biggest adjustments to fly selection come down to weight and color. I don’t get too caught up in the exact patterning of each fly, but rather focus on the profile and where I’m fishing them in the water column.
Clousers and Kreelex patterns are fantastic for getting flies down deep- the weighted head and jigging action are ideal for reaching those deeper spots. Roamers and GameChangers are more ideal for shallow and mid-depths, especially on a sinking line.
As far as choosing the profile, I read the water and let the fish dictate what works. I’ll start with a 2-3 inch fly and adjust from there. If I’m getting action, I’ll stick with that size. If not, I’ll start to size up or down. Fall is a great time to experiment with bigger baitfish flies- smallies are feeding heavily and I’ve found bigger patterns (in the 4-5 inch range) can really trigger some aggressive strikes from fish wanting a big meal.
Crayfish
Crayfish are another staple in a smallmouth’s diet during the fall. When they begin to get a little sluggish as the temps drop, they’ll be less willing to chase down baitfish but more than happy to stare down at the bottom and pick apart crayfish.
Similar to baitfish patterns, I stick with crayfish patterns in which I have confidence. For me, that means an assortment of Wooly Buggers and Clawdads. I’ll certainly mess around with the cool looking crayfish patterns I see on the internet, but it’s hard to beat a Bugger and Clawdad.
These flies become most important as the water gets really cold. I’ll put on a heavily weighted fly and chuck it into deep spots and crawl it along the bottom. I try not to fish these very aggressively, rather targeting those fish that are looking for an easy meal. It may take several casts into the same spots to get it in front of sluggish fish. But if you get your fly in front of a fish’s nose, they’ll probably suck it down and the fight is on.
Conclusion
Fall smallmouth fishing doesn’t need to get overly complicated. As the water cools, start shallow, move toward transition areas, and eventually work your way into the deeper pools. Let the temperature and the fish tell you when it’s time to make that move.
Fly selection can stay pretty simple too. Start with baitfish patterns while the fish are active and willing to chase, then slow things down with crayfish patterns as the water gets colder.
That’s really the whole game: follow the fish deeper, adjust your presentation, and keep putting flies in good-looking water. Fall can be one of the best times of year to catch a big smallmouth, and you don’t need a hundred flies or a complicated system to do it.