Where are the smallies?

[Cody28]

I live on the central basin of Lake Erie and have been a long time largemouth fisherman, but am just now trying to figure out smallie fishing (I know its weird given my location). On a big lake like Erie where should I be looking this time of year? I hear fall is great smallie fishing, but I am honestly lost. Do they come back up river like the steelhead? Shallow off the piers like walleye? Backs of the creeks chasing bait like their green cousins? Somewhere else entirely? 

[OkiePapist]

I don't live up there, though I did grow up there. I have the same question here in OK. I'm sure I can learn from any answers you might get. 

[OkiePapist]

Well Cody, nobody knows I guess. 

[TnRiver46]

Where I live they are everywhere. The river is a few hundred yards across and there are smallmouth hiding behind every rock and log at some point. They can’t just leave and travel several miles like Lake Erie . I have never fish that lake but I would imagine they are still biting out deep somewhere between 15 and 25 feet. I would guess the only time of year where they stay pretty shallow in large numbers with consistency is in the spring. I bet there’s a few running shallow eating bait but I imagine the majority are slowly easing to the winter areas while following bait fish schools. Granted I have zero experience up there but I figured somebody should attempt an answer

[throttleplate]

they are hiding in the rocky sandy culverts here in minn. Caught this one inside the culvert on a fluke.

 

[gim]

I can’t speak exactly for the Great Lakes, but Mille Lacs is like a small version of Lake Erie. The brown bass are still in somewhat of a summer pattern because it’s been so warm. The water temps are still 65 which is very warm for mid October. Last year at this time it was 54 degrees and we got 6 inches of wet snow on Oct 20.

 

So while the calendar may say the middle of October, the weather says Labor Day.

[cyclops2]

SMB  are a SCHOOLING GROUP  of fish.  They act that way normally.  How ever The wacky weather this year has caused warmer shallows & SOME weed beds to cause erratic feeding patterns .  The Great lakes are massive areas to find & track / keep up with their food supplies.  Throttle plate is right. Loaners who can not keep up with the school of fish ?  DO act just like a LMB.  Stay put until death takes them. They become very structure minded.  I have ALWAYS caught the giant loan females in a perfect ambush spot with current going past her. It brings food to her. a quick lunge & she is fed.

 

Open water requires a bottom terrain map. Lots of driving around. And a CALENDER to record catches. My schools when moving to another spot. DO NOT stop to hit my lures.   I follow . Then connect when they stop and search.

[MickD]

It's much easier to find where they ain't.

 

Usually in big water like Erie they come in shallow in the fall, but the warm weather has kept the water too warm for the usual pattern, at least up here in MI.  In Lake St Clair they are mostly still deep.

 

In Saginaw Bay some were in the fall shallows a couple weeks ago, then the water warmed a few degrees, and now I don't know where they are again.    I'm looking for them again when the water cools to about 60.

 

Last year at about 50 degrees they were on a 7-9 foot rocky flat that rose abruptly from about 15 feet.

[cyclops2]

SMB & rocks.  For some reason.

[bulldog1935]

Pretty easy in Texas. 

In summer they're stacked in deep chutes both to breathe and feed. 

 

This month, October, finds them in riffles and shallow pocketwater - the fall feed is on, and they're trying to get every morsel. 

 

Winter, they hunker deep again to find earth-warm. 

This was January swinging streamers on a Teeny line, bottom bouncing 8'-deep gravel bar in the river to turn stripers.  Managed to haul up this little fellow at the bottom of the dolomite shelf I was wading 

[PaulVE64]

So,

 

Im primarily a river fisherman even though i live within 2 hr of 3 of the great lakes.

 

Ive been on the smallies all year but while ive caught less dinks ive also not caught anything over #3 25.

The other day i went pond fishing for LMB and caught 10 or so. Nothing big.

 

Reflecting on my day of fishing i thought - Thank the Lord i get to fish for Smallies!!!!

[MickD]

Monday on Saginaw Bay, good spots that have held fish before, 9 hours on the water, good clarity, moderate wind, ideal conditions, only 6 smallies.  When the fish are really in we would have taken at least 20.  Probably more.  Water temp 60-63, not yet cool enough for optimum smallie fishing.  Damned global warming!  

[Zachh Nute]

I cant speak for Erie, But I can speak for Ontario. They should both fish fairly similar. 

 

From my experience on Lake Ontario, smallmouth are extremely tough in the months of September and October. Fish are trying to adjust to the shorter days and cooler temperatures. In the summer these fish can be found anywhere from 25' to 50' in some cases. Whereas this time of year they will move shallower (5' - 20'). 

This time of year those smallies are looking for food to fatten up for winter. Im not exactly sure where on Erie you are, but on Ontario, Smallmouth like to winter on the Lake instead of in the rivers. Not to say there wont be fish in the rivers at all, but the majority of your wintering fish will be in the lake. Mainly due to forage. 

 

You can find these Smallies on steep breaks that lead into deep water, humps that come up to 15'-20' at the top and surrounded by deep water, boulder fields, Long extended points, etc.

 

The main thing is that you need to spend time finding them with side imaging. I don't stop and fish until I see 3 or 4 fish marked on my fish finder in a given area. 

 

Attached is an example of what I'm talking about and I circled the high percentage areas that I would scan. I would scan the whole thing, but I would spend more time of those three areas because they extend out into the main lake basin and they provide a good spot for a smallmouth to move up shallow or deep depending on the weather and forage. 

 

I hope this helps.
 

[PaulVE64]

I like it!

[PaulVE64]

today on the river they were laying under the bank amongst tree roots just catching some sun and waiting for my black hair jig.

[JWall14]

As a fellow Illinois wader they will pull out completely as far out as they can. I am coming back for thanksgiving break and hopefully will get on some toads but we’ll see.