Bass will come into the shallows during warm days to feed and they will be active. If a cold spell hits, they will move out to nearby deeper water. Once
the water temperature is around 55 to 60 degrees, the bass begin to spawn. You can catch a lot of nice smallmouth bass along the shorelines while the
water warms from 50 to 60 degrees. They are shallow and remain active until they start spawning. When searching for these bass in shallow water,
target rocky shorelines, shallow flats with boulders, and dark-bottom bays because this water warms faster.
Summer
In summer, smallmouth bass go into deeper water. They can usually be found in 12 to 15 feet of water, but in some lakes, they are much deeper.
Finding smallmouth during the summer depends on the thermocline. The thermocline prevents fish from going too deep. The thermocline is a zone
where the water temperature changes rapidly. Below the thermocline is the deepest, coldest water, however, this water lacks oxygen. The upper layer is
the warmest, but provides plenty of oxygen for the fish. Smallmouth will hang out around the thermocline throughout the day and come shallower to feed
in the mornings, evenings and at night. The type of lake and maximum depth of the lake will dictate the depth of the thermocline. Smallmouth bass are
going to be feeding on two main food sources during the summer. They are bait fish and crayfish. If there are some good areas in 8 to 12 feet of water
with plenty of rocks, the smallmouth will be here during their major feeding times to feed on the crayfish. Smallmouth love crayfish. After they feed, they
will go into slightly deeper water. Some fishermen have certain spots where they can catch 8 to 10 smallmouth in a half hour and then not get another
bite there for hours. The bass came in to feed and then moved out. If they don't have any good areas to feed on crayfish, they will be moving farther to
find a meal. They have to follow the bait fish, so they can move in and out of shallow water, along points, drop-offs, weed lines, etc. This will make
fishing slightly more challenging, but they can be caught easily with fast-moving lures such as crankbaits.
Fall / Winter
In early to mid-fall, fishing for smallmouth bass gets very exciting again. You can find fish in the shallows just like you did during the spring. With cooler
temperatures and a lower sun angler, they can move comfortably in the shallows. Try the same areas that you fished in the spring and you will have
success.
As it gets into late fall, the turnover will move the bass out of the shallows. Fishing gets extremely tough as bass are spread out all over the place in
deeper water. They will stay in deeper water through the winter and be very hard to catch. Some anglers say that they catch their biggest smallmouth of
the year just before winter. They usually catch these fish in deep water with slow presentations. These anglers also mention that they don't catch very
many fish during this time of year. One fishing guide told us that his smallmouth average 3 to 4.5 pounds in late October and November, but he only
catches a couple of fish per trip.
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