Fall is by far one of the best times to fish any smallmouth lake. This is a great time to catch your limit of big fish.

Smallies like to stock up ahead for winter, a time when they are not as likely to get a belly full of shad or whatever baitfish is available in that lake.

So, the key is to locate baitfish. That's where you will find the smallies.

Your focus in the fall will not be much different than in the spring. Set your sites on shallow shelves adjacent to deeper water (flats that drop sharply), also rocky humps and shoals with patches of grass mixed in.

Fish can be at any depth, but you will mostly want to look in 8 to 12 feet of water in the fall.

This is going to be a bit hit and miss because smallmouths gather in big schools of up to 50 fish. So if you don't find them quickly, move on.

The best baits for this method are spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and hard jerkbaits fished quickly. These allow you to cover a lot of water fast. Keep the lure just under the surface.

When you do nail one and suspect the

re are more to be had, but they have refused your original offer, try using a slower moving bait like a soft plastic tube.

Work the area slowly and completely. Follow-up is extremely important to catching the maximum amount of fish from an area.

Once you have found them, you don't want to leave any of them behind.

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