Smallmouth Movement in Shallow Creeks in the Fall

[AJ Hauser]

Hey fellas,

I've been fishing several local creeks that flow into the rivers near me this year and been having great luck on smallmouth bass. They tend to roam all over but definitely like to stack up on the outside bends with big chunk rock. 10 days ago we got about 3-4" of rain here in Illinois and the nighttime temperatures have dropped into the low 30's. The water level within the creeks has risen quite a bit and washed out a bunch of the timber and shoreline, and the temperature has dropped dramatically. I went back yesterday after waiting for the current to slow, and I came across just 1 smallmouth bass near the back of a pool in a 4 hour walk & fish session. I was using small swimbaits, then dragging a small plastic worm. 

 

Where did they go? We're talking hundreds of smallmouth all around on a warm summer morning, and now I can't find them in the holes that have been productive or anywhere else for that matter. The further up the creek I go the more current there is, but do they empty out into the river for the winter?

 

If that is the case... do they return to spawn in the spring, and what triggers that?

 

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. I think I have to hang it up for the year but I want to start planning for next. This was such a fun way to fish and I have had many great conversations about creek fishing with my grandpa that we both enjoy as a bonus. 

 

Thanks all, talk soon. 

[A-Jay]

The seasonal movement for the majority of smallies is most likely to vacate the shallower creeks and winter out in the deeper river. Might be some of that going on.

A-Jay

[PaulVE64]

Those cold nights send them looking for deeper more stable waters. They'll likely make their way in fits and starts to the deeper holes in the river. 

 

Water temperature will dictate when they abandon their summer haunts.

[TnRiver46]

Small freestone streams around here are also not good fishing once it gets cold. Tailwaters with stable temps remain good fishing, leading me to believe the drastic drop in water temp  shuts them down 

 

smallies will eat like sharks in 47-49 degree water but they will pretty much sit still below 40 degrees 

[Scott F]

If there are no dams to block migration, they will move to the larger rivers to their usual wintering areas. A friend of mine has good luck at the convergence of the smaller river and the larger one. 

[AJ Hauser]

@Scott F, @TnRiver46, @PaulVE64 and @A-Jay these are all helpful tips - thank you! The creek is way, way colder than the river based on my thermometer. AKA my feet. 

 

 

It dies connect to a very large river though, so I bet they went out... I haven't been able to find any deep holes with fish in them over a 3 mile stretch. 

 

Thoughts on when they might move back in the creek?

 

Thanks!

[cyclops2]

The creeks & shallows are controlled by angle of the sun & duration of it.  

Bye bye creek life. They know where the underwater winter grass & food are.  

 

I know of 1 year around 50 F spring in the Delaware river.  So do th 2 otters as they munch on fish all winter.

[OldManLure]

If they have actually left creek for their winter spot in nearby river, they’ll be back in Spring when water temps move towards 50s, and sun is in sky a little longer.

[PaulVE64]

Yep, they're moving to winter holes.

They'll eventually be schooled up in the deepest holes for winter.

[throttleplate]

3 hours ago, cyclops2 said:

I know of 1 year around 50 F spring in the Delaware river.  So do th 2 otters as they munch on fish all winter.

funny you mention otters catching fish. The day at the dam there was an otter on the other side sitting on a rock and would jump into the water and head straight for the dam face where we couldnt reach by casting.

 

Otter dove and would come up with a fish and go to his rock and eat. I said to the wife i am going to the otters side and fish so i did. When i got over there the otters fish, half eaten was stuck between 2 rocks for safe keeping.

 

It was a huge catfish with the head the size of a cantalope. So now i was standing on otters flat rock next to his catfish and he swam by me looking at me and started to chatter at me as for sure telling me to find my own rock.

[AJ Hauser]

Got it - thank you so much @throttleplate, @PaulVE64, @OldManLure and @cyclops2 - looks like it's time for me to do some hook sharpening and gear assessment as I wait for warmer weather & greener pastures. I just got back from a trip to Bull Shoals and we absolutely hammered fish chasing shad over deep water (45 to 70 feet was the sweet spot this time), so I can't think of a better way to end my season...

 

Although it is bittersweet, to say the least...

 

Ah well... if it was simply always available, I wouldn't appreciate it as much. 

 

Godspeed fellas! 

[Cranks4fun]

I've wondered about this too. We fish Elk River in Missouri that flows into Grand Lake (of Bassmaster Classic fame) just over the Oklahoma line. When I fish and talk to others who are fishing I find that no one seems to catch smallmouth in Grand Lake. The state biologists tell us that the Neosho subspecies of smallmouth (those in Elk River) hate and avoid deep still water. They are different than the smallies in the Great lakes and in Tennessee lakes and even in Missouri's Stocton and Table Rock lakes. If that is so, where do they go? I can see the smallies in the gin clear river here and there in the summer but I see none of them in the winter. Maybe they are there and almost totally inactive and therefore invisible (?). I did catch a nice one on a craw colored rattle trap bounced on the rocky bottom of Elk River two winters back. Just one. I caught another on a suspended jerkbait in a creek tributary off the Elk river three years back (pictured below), but again just one! Maybe it is just super SLOOOOW fishing winter creeks in our area. It is frustrating when compared to spring and summer for sure.

[MGF]

Same here...they vacate my part of the river and head down toward the reservoir. But...it's hard to tell when they're going to leave. I've had years when I caught good numbers of bass into December and years when they seem to vanish in October.

[AJ Hauser]

Hey @Cranks4fun - that's cool, I'll have to check that river out. We're going to be moving to Arkansas in '23 provided the country doesn't go up in flames before then. I feel it could go either way at this point... 

 

Any leads on the Neosho? Do you think they head to areas with higher current if they hate still water? 

 

@MGF are you talking about "regular" smallmouth taking off or the Neosho that Cranks was mentioning above?

 

Thanks guys, back to hook sharpening...

 

 

 

[roadwarrior]

Bull Shoals is my recommendation in AR.  I have a trip planned the first week of June.

 

[AJ Hauser]

7 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

Bull Shoals is my recommendation in AR.  I have a trip planned the first week of June.

 

Interesting you say that because we're looking at that exact area (well, that area is huge so that "general area" I guess). Went down to fish it in November with Del Colvin and had two great days vertical jigging largies, smallmouth & kentucks. Absolutely awesome! 

 

What are you planning to fish (and how) when you go?

[roadwarrior]

Big Sister and Little Sister have been very productive. I like jerkbaits, but the Baby Diaper

color Gitzit RULES!

 

[MGF]

On 1/31/2022 at 10:19 AM, AJ Hauser said:

Hey @Cranks4fun - that's cool, I'll have to check that river out. We're going to be moving to Arkansas in '23 provided the country doesn't go up in flames before then. I feel it could go either way at this point... 

 

Any leads on the Neosho? Do you think they head to areas with higher current if they hate still water? 

 

@MGF are you talking about "regular" smallmouth taking off or the Neosho that Cranks was mentioning above?

 

Thanks guys, back to hook sharpening...

 

 

 

I was talking about the smallmouth in north east Indiana Tippecanoe river smallmouth.

[AJ Hauser]

5 hours ago, MGF said:

I was talking about the smallmouth in north east Indiana Tippecanoe river smallmouth.

 

10-4

[Cranks4fun]

Bull Shoals is a great Lake for LM, spots, and SM bass. however, the Smallmouth in Bull Shoals are a different subspecies than the "Neoshos" that inhabit Elk River, Indian Creek, and the clear creeks in the western Ozarks. The lake variety gets bigger and tend to be more prevalent in deeper water. Stockton lake and Table Rock are the big smallmouth spots on the Missouri side. Stockton was the home of our last state record smallmouth.

   If you like wading and clear creek smallmouth fishing for smallies, with ultralights or fly rods, the lakes are the wrong choice. The lakes actually offer the chance at bigger fish but it is more like largemoth fishing which is fine and fun too. I like both but I get in the mood for the quiet, clear creeks as a preference at certain times of the year (mid-summer-early fall).

MGF, I used to live in Starke County Indiana (7 years) and I still go back occasionally. I know the Tippecanoe River and the park and the whole area. I really miss fishing for steelhead, Cohos, and Brown trout on Lake Michigan too! And those northern Indiana whitetail bucks ....oooh ....aaah. Monster Bucks! 

On 1/30/2022 at 6:41 AM, MGF said:

Same here...they vacate my part of the river and head down toward the reservoir. But...it's hard to tell when they're going to leave. I've had years when I caught good numbers of bass into December and years when they seem to vanish in October.

MGF, I lived in Starke County Indiana for 7 years. Tippecanoe was close as was Bass Lake in Knox IN and Lake Michigan. You live in a honey hole!!

 

[Drew03cmc]

On 1/29/2022 at 7:28 PM, Cranks4fun said:

I've wondered about this too. We fish Elk River in Missouri that flows into Grand Lake (of Bassmaster Classic fame) just over the Oklahoma line. When I fish and talk to others who are fishing I find that no one seems to catch smallmouth in Grand Lake. The state biologists tell us that the Neosho subspecies of smallmouth (those in Elk River) hate and avoid deep still water. They are different than the smallies in the Great lakes and in Tennessee lakes and even in Missouri's Stocton and Table Rock lakes. If that is so, where do they go? I can see the smallies in the gin clear river here and there in the summer but I see none of them in the winter. Maybe they are there and almost totally inactive and therefore invisible (?). I did catch a nice one on a craw colored rattle trap bounced on the rocky bottom of Elk River two winters back. Just one. I caught another on a suspended jerkbait in a creek tributary off the Elk river three years back (pictured below), but again just one! Maybe it is just super SLOOOOW fishing winter creeks in our area. It is frustrating when compared to spring and summer for sure.

The Neosho cannot biologically persist in lakes. They require current and will be found in slow, seemingly almost still water all winter long. They are resilient fish and my favorite fish. I fish the Elk system a couple times a year from my kayak and absolutely love the spring, prespawn bite, along with the mid summer topwater bite. I need to get on the river around Noel in February or early March to see about some bigguns.

[AJ Hauser]

Nice, thanks guys. @Cranks4fun what are some good stream / creek locations around the Bull Shoals area - do you happen to know of anything worth checking out or that is public access? I'd love to have some options so I can do different types of fishing on different days.

[flyfisher]

On 11/11/2021 at 11:05 PM, PaulVE64 said:

Yep, they're moving to winter holes.

They'll eventually be schooled up in the deepest holes for winter.

Doesn't have to be deepest at all, it has to have the right factors for a wintering hole and while depth is a factor it is not the only or even most important one.

[AJ Hauser]

19 hours ago, flyfisher said:

[...] it has to have the right factors for a wintering hole and while depth is a factor it is not the only or even most important one.

 

This begs the question: what are the most important factors for a quality wintering location?

 

Thanks!

 

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, AJ Hauser said:

 

This begs the question: what are the most important factors for a quality wintering location?

 

Thanks!

 

No clue! 

I just fish around 

 

if it’s a free stone stream/river, I avoid it all together in winter