Smallmouth Bass - Location By Season

Spring Smallmouthsbecomes the same. This makes it tough fishing as
Smallmouth bass remain nearly dormant until waterbass can be found at various depths.
temperatures approach 50° F. At this time, bassIn rivers, smallmouth feed more as the water cools in
will start to move to their spawning areas. In streams,the fall.
bass may begin migrating to spawn at earlyLate Fall & Winter
temperatures.Smallmouth fishing becomes difficult this time of year
Fishing is difficult after spawning, because bass aren'tas they move out of shallows into deeper water.
more concentrated. The females, after recuperating,Sometimes you can find densely packed schools, but
move to deeper waters. Males move deeper afterthe bite is likely to be poor.
abandoning the fry. If there is deep water near theSmallmouth in streams may move to deeper pools for
spawning are, bass will move there.winter when their mid-fall locations are too shallow.
SummerFishing remains good as they continue to feed until
Smallmouth bass areas are the most predictable thiswater temperatures drop in to the low 40's.
time of year. Bass may remain in the same place forTips to Catching Smallmouth
several months once they take up residence in a· Fishermen should fish using patterns that imitate
certain pool or around a particular structure.key items in the diet of the smallmouth bus (crayfish,
Smallmouth bass love crayfish and crayfish are linkeddragonflies, minnows, etc.)
to specific locations. Crayfish need rocks for protection· Shoreline structures, such as docks, drop-offs,
and cannot move very far.rocks, and logs, are worth fishing for smallmouth.
Smallmouth must move around in waters where· Fly-fishing is advantageous in areas where
baitfish is the primary food.standard gear doesn't work.
The depth that smallmouth bass retreat to depends on· Noise often attracts the attention of bass.
surface temperatures and direct sunlight. The type of· Be patient - Let the bug sit still for a period of as
water also determines how deep you'll find them.much 30 seconds, give it a twitch. If that isn't working,
Smallmouth may stay as deep as 25 feet in cleartry "popping" it with a sharp jerk or an erratic
water, shallower than 12 feet in murky lakes due tostop-and-go retrieve. For streamers and other
oxygen levels, and in pools less than four feet in smallsub-surface flies, you should use the strip and stop, or
streams.a steady retrieve.
Early Fall to Mid-Fall Smallmouth Bas· Catching bass in still waters generally requires
Smallmouth begin to spend more time to shallowerwatching and waiting for surface action, then getting
waters. The lower angle of the sun and cooler surfacethe fly into feeding frenzies in a hurry.
temperatures allow them to venture into shallower· Experiment to see what works best.
areas where food is more plentiful.The greatest success is found by following the
As the lake surface continues to cool, it eventuallyseasonal behavior of bass, replicating their feeding
reaches the same temperature as the water belowpreference, and finding good structure.
the thermo cline. The temperature from top to bottom