Vertical Jigging for Fall Smallmouth
By Andrew Ragas Fall fishing success is usually determined by location rather than presentation. Lake smallmouth are deep structurally oriented fish in fall. By now 90% of the entire lake’s bass population is living in 10% of the lake, in and around wintering locations. The best peak period of autumn occurs after the completion of turnover when fish have moved into wintering areas, making them concentrated, easier to locate and catch. Years of trial and error, knowing my lake’s bass fishery history, and experience idling around lakes with my Lowrance HDS units has helped me identify and find these wintering bass communities. Identifying deep structure and likely wintering locations with updated Navionics lake charts, and marking schools of smallmouth on side imaging, down imaging, fish reveal, and chirp sonar has enabled me to pursue them deep into the fall season. Our electronics doesn’t lie. Knowing how to interpret fish marks and the lake bottom pays off.
Position Fishing - Park and Mark
Autumn season smallmouth are best approached by position fishing and vertical presentation. Down deep, active smallmouth hover a foot or two off the bottom and ap