Fall smallmouth fishing - best water temps, depth & techniques?

[MainelySmallmouth]

As we move into the heart of fall smallmouth fishing here in the Northeast, I started to wonder what was the water temperature that smallmouth really get active feeding up for the winter, the depth of water you target these smallmouth and the techniques you use to catch big smallmouth in the fall here in the Northeast.?? I have watched a lot of YouTube content and have read a lot of different publications that talk about the best fall techniques being crankbaits (lipless & squarebill), paddle tail swimbaits, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, tubes and drop shot. I can't seem to get bites on anything but a drop shot this time of year and I can't seem to find fish in anything other than 30 ish feet of water. How about you??


I fished pretty hard the last three times out, water temps around 60 degrees, and the only consistent bite I was able to get was in 25 to 30 feet of water on a drop shot. I was finding schools of baitfish on my graphs, and then I would shut the motor off, drift past the mark on my graph, cast back to the area I believe the school was located and I would catch fish (and some really big fish). Seemed like any time I got the boat right on top of the fish, or the school of bait fish would swim under the boat, I couldn't get the fish to bite. But as soon as the school/fish were away from the boat, and I could cast my drop shot 20 yards or so around the boat, I would get bit.


I am just interested in what other anglers here in the Northeast are seeing when they hit the water now that air temps and water temps have started to fall and how they approach this time of year to get bites when they hit water chasing smallies. For us here in Maine, many of the waters around me will be closing down for the season September 30th, and honestly, water levels are so low right now, many boat launches will become unusable if the water levels drop any further. So I am trying to make the most of what is left of smallmouth fishing season 2020!. Look forward to hearing what others are seeing/doing.

[berwickbasser]

We were out this morning water temp 62 west wind blowing got a few smallies on rock piles 6 to 10 on rattle trap style baits

[basscat21]

Last night I caught quite a few on a Chuggbugg and a buzz bait near deep water, nothing above 2.5# but was a fun night. have not had a topwater bite all year till the last week.

[MainelySmallmouth]

Last night I caught quite a few on a Chuggbugg and a buzz bait near deep water, nothing above 2.5# but was a fun night. have not had a topwater bite all year till the last week.

What were your water temp? That is such a fun bite with smallies.

[basscat21]

What were your water temp? That is such a fun bite with smallies.

Truthfully never looked, last week in rain, I finally had the Top water bite on a different pond. Last night just put the chuggbugg, buzzbait on the deck and started, trucking on the TM. Going to see tonight too!

[bgibson]

Dude, only rivers and streams close at the end of September. Most all lakes are open to catch and release year round.

[MainelySmallmouth]

clearly you don't live in my neck of the woods, the entire northern zone, unless the state provides exceptions, are closed to fishing after Sept 30. There are very few smallmouth bodies of water in my neck of the woods that remain open from Oct 1 to December 30. Its important you know the rules/laws for the bodies of water you fish. Really important, unless you don't care about being fined.

[basscat21]

clearly you don't live in my neck of the woods, the entire northern zone, unless the state provides exceptions, are closed to fishing after Sept 30. There are very few smallmouth bodies of water in my neck of the woods that remain open from Oct 1 to December 30. Its important you know the rules/laws for the bodies of water you fish. Really important, unless you don't care about being fined.

That sucks, but why? Can see the spring cut off during spawn. But Fall?

[bassboat1]

That sucks, but why? Can see the spring cut off during spawn. But Fall?

Probably so the game wardens can shift to the hunt crowd? Wonder if Maine will let you buy booze on Sunday to make up for it?

[MainelySmallmouth]

That sucks, but why? Can see the spring cut off during spawn. But Fall?

There are so many lakes in the northern region of our state that are deemed cold water fisheries that support active and very vibrant populations of brook trout, Lake trout and landlocked salmon. So many of our fishing policies in the northern portion of the state are organized and intended to protect the cold water species and those fisheries from being overfished or fished too long and they do that by shutting down bodies of water in September because many of them do get some pretty intense pressure during the ice fishing season. so I think by design they're trying to create a natural break for those fish to not be pressured by open water and ice fishing all year round. It's unfortunate for me, because the small mouth that I like to chase coexist in these cold clear deep bodies of water and The rules don't separate the trout and salmon fishery from the bass fishery. Unfortunately in my neck of the woods and maybe in a good chunk of main and a lot of these cold water fisheries, people deem bass as trash fish and they actually put intentional bounties on fish to kill them by the hundreds to try to diminish the population of warm water fish in their cold water lakes. It's actually really disheartening and fairly disgusting to see fishing events put on where they encourage people to kill every fish that they catch in the warm water species, specifically smallmouth. Anybody that knows anything about smallmouth populations in terms of getting big large healthy fish, is it takes years to allow the fish to get to that size and to watch people just randomly and haphazardly kill them to try to protect the trout and salmon fishery is really kind of messed up. but those are the rules that we live with and that's the mentality and the environment we have with respect to protecting our cold water fisheries, it means that the warm water species typically get manhandled by really arcane and somewhat questionable practices.

[basscat21]

What were your water temp? That is such a fun bite with smallies.

62-61 tonight.

[MainelySmallmouth]

62-61 tonight.

Most of mine are now between 58 and 53. Going shut off around me soon.

[bgibson]

clearly you don't live in my neck of the woods, the entire northern zone, unless the state provides exceptions, are closed to fishing after Sept 30. There are very few smallmouth bodies of water in my neck of the woods that remain open from Oct 1 to December 30. Its important you know the rules/laws for the bodies of water you fish. Really important, unless you don't care about being fined.

My Bad, Your location says Bangor so I figured you really did live there... Which is in the SOUTHERN REGION. The southern region is extended through December 30. I do know the laws. Apparently you just don't know your location? That's where I fish and I go out until mid November!

[bgibson]

Most of mine are now between 58 and 53. Going shut off around me soon.

Best temps for late fall smallmouth are 45-55.

[MainelySmallmouth]

My Bad, Your location says Bangor so I figured you really did live there... Which is in the SOUTHERN REGION. The southern region is extended through December 30. I do know the laws. Apparently you just don't know your location? That's where I fish and I go out until mid November!

I do live in the Bangor area, but that isn't where I fish. Pretty much all of my preferred smallmouth waters are north of Bangor and you don't have to get too far north of Bangor to be out of the southern region and into the northern region. So I would say I know both the fish & game laws and where I live. That said, you must be fishing more largemouth if you are fishing the Bangor region bodies of water that are open through December. Almost all of the bodies of water I target smallmouth in this region are closed Sept 30 by special rule/law even though they are in the southern region.

[MainelySmallmouth]

I am headed out this today and tomorrow, so hopefully this proves to be true as I am certain the water temps will be between that range, ie 45 to 55. I am trying to get in every last hour on the boat possible before things freeze up or it gets too cold me to go. Tight Lines.

[plbass]

Good luck

[Murph44]

Been getting the deep.. one spot 18-22.. other spot is 24-30.. water temp now is
56... but like 45-50 or cooler .. use swim baits or spoons.. mainly but also get on deep cranks..
.. did my PB this past Saturday
just over 22# in. My local river .. with 2 over 5#..

E530A021-D86C-48FF-B369-0312897ED4BE.jpeg

[MainelySmallmouth]

Been getting the deep.. one spot 18-22.. other spot is 24-30.. water temp now is
56... but like 45-50 or cooler .. use swim baits or spoons.. mainly but also get on deep cranks..
.. did my PB this past Saturday
just over 22# in. My local river .. with 2 over 5#..

E530A021-D86C-48FF-B369-0312897ED4BE.jpeg

Those are two HOGS!!! I have never tried spoons, but I do have some blade baits I will be looking to try. I was out yesterday, and I would find pods of bait fish in the 30 to 40 of water, but I just couldn't get them to bite a drop shot. I never a threw a blade bait, probably should have tried, but my trolling motor was on the fritz yesterday, so I was drift fishing, which makes me appreciate having spot lock.... Sounds like I still have some fishing time left, as my water temps are in the mid 50s, just about every where. I will stay at it I think the one thing I am going to throw more of is some cranks, both deep and mid column cranks. Thanks for sharing. That is some GREAT stuff. Love smallie fishing!!

[Murph44]

Was out again today .. windy 15-20 ...cold .. water at 49..
again with a 22# bag in 28-31 ft...