Dave Wolak
The Sun-Rock Sum
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
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Photo: BassFan
Dave Wolak says that big fall smallmouths can be in water as shallow as 3 feet.
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Much of the north has enjoyed a fall to remember so far this year – unusually warm temperatures, and lots of sun. There's been an overall lack of water, but for natural lakes that receive their fill from beneath the earth, sustained quality fishing – especially for smallmouths – has been remarkable.
The news gets even better, because when nights begin to cool significantly, smallmouths become easier to pattern. The big specimens that spent the summer offshore – often suspended – make their way to shallower haunts.
When that happens, the search for big brown fish gets a whole lot easier.
Hard Rock Haunts
Smallmouths prefer cooler water to begin with (which is why they're considered more of a coolwater species than largemouths). And sort of like reptiles, they cling to elements that create warmth in an otherwise cool or cold surrounding.
So during fall, when the water cools, you'll find smallmouths gathered around identifiable cover that absorbs warmth from the sun.
Bassmaster Elite Series pro Dave Wolak lives in North Carolina now, but until last year lived in Pennsylvania. And much of his competitive growth came via New York's Finger Lakes, which are deep, cold, and clear – similar to many lakes throughout most of the north and Upper Midwest.
He said that this time of year – late September through October – is when BassFans want to tap into the shallow smallmouth migration.
"Most of the natural lakes up north have milfoil or some sort of grass," he noted. "Smallmouths that suspended deep most of the summer in extremely warm water temps – or those that were buried deep in the grass – start to migrate to hard spots within the grass.
"Especially on sunny days, they'll be right in the holes in the grass where there's rock. And you can get them really shallow. These are the fish that suspended all summer and were almost uncatchable, so they're really sizable, and they're right there in the holes."
Hit the Openings
Grass will be in various stages of dieback during fall, depending on water temperature, depth, clarity, and sunlight.
Wolak noted a few distinctions that are important.
He looks for grass, and grass openings, that are over a rock bottom, as opposed to sand.
In clearer water, a lot of the grass holes will be submerged, so it takes electronics to find them. "I look for the classic double-echo, which shows two bottoms on the screen," he said. "That's a good rock bottom. Just zigzag along the grass, and where you find a nice bald spot, turn around and run a football jig or jerkbait through there. If they don't bite that, try a tube."
Smallmouths gather in groups this time of year, so it's not uncommon to find 20 or more fish on a single grass hole, especially if there's a large boulder there. "Things like boulders are even more important when the nights get really cold. The sun warms the boulder and the water around it, and since the fish need to feed up for winter, it puts them in a hyperactive mood."
For some of the biggest bites, look shallower than you'd expect. "You'll be surprised – in October there'll be big fish sunning themselves in 3 feet of water."
Don't overlook bare rock areas that lack grass. Green stuff creates a concentrating effect, but boulders on a bare rocky point, or a rockpile surrounded by sand, can function the same way.
Other Pattern Details
The great thing about this smallmouth/grass/rock pattern is it's usually at its best in the afternoons. So there's no big rush to get out on the water.
But cloudy or overcast conditions don't spell doom. The fish will still relate to the same holes in the grass – they'll just be more loosely related to it, Wolak said.
"They're going to stay around the double-echo rock-bottom areas. That's when a big willow-leaf spinnerbait can call them up. If it's rainy or windy, you can do that, or just sweep the whole general area with a jerkbait."
If it's a spinnerbait day, that's when you want to create the classic snag-and-pull presentation, Wolak added. Run your spinnerbait or work your tube through the grass, and when it hangs, don't pull. Instead, snap it off to generate reaction strikes.
This overall shallow-smallmouth pattern endures long into fall, until either the grass turns entirely brown and begins to starve out available oxygen, or icy conditions approach and the smallmouths depart for their deep winter haunts.
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