Fishing during the fall on the St. Joe River is one of the most productive times to catch monster smallmouth bass.  When everyone else is chasing around giant southwest Michigan whitetails, I'm slaying enormous smallies.  When the water temperature drops below 65 degrees smallmouth bass start feeding on shad because winter is right around the corner.  Smallmouth become very easy to catch during the fall months.  The difficult task is finding a school of big fish, that are active.  Fishing in the St. Joe River this time of year can be either a feast or famine.

During the fall,when baitfish are present, I rely on power fishing and covering a lot of water.  I target shallow sandbars that have some weed growth and are close to deeper water (I have found fish in less than 1 ft of water).  The weed growth gives baitfish a place to hide.  I have systematically chosen ten spots like this where giant smallmouth will school up.  My ten spots are not the same spots that I would fish in the spring, summer, or winter.  I found these spots through many hours of observation.  I fish these fall spots in a different order every time I go out fishing.

When I have a day to spend on the water my goal is to learn something new.  I take into account recent and approaching weather patterns, water temperature, moon phase, and most important the seasonal pattern of the fish.  I fish my favorite ten spots in a different order each time I hit the river.  I have began to notice how the fish in the St. Joe River react to changing conditions.  Cold fronts produce the best situation to catch a big sack of river smallies in the fall.  St. Joe River smallmouth can be nomads, here one day gone the next.  I never spend more than 30 minutes in a spot if I don’t get any strikes.  Days can turn into famine if you try to force feed fish that aren’t there.  The key to a successful day is finding a school and figuring out how aggressive they are.  I can usually tell by my first bite what kind of mood the fish are in.

This time of year I usually have six different baits tied onto separate rods.  I tie on a Rattle Trap, Spinnerbait, Silver Buddy, Spook, Jerkbait, and an Erie Darter.  I usually start with the fastest technique (Burning a Rattle Trap) and work towards slower techniques.  Once I find what the fish prefer I don’t switch.  The water temperature usually dictates what the fish will chase.
 

Once I locate a school of smallmouth it's hard not to spook them.  The school will disappear if your boat happens to scare them.  This makes boat positioning very important.  Never float down stream with the current.  Always use your trolling motor to move up current.  Another important factor is fishing calmly.  In one circumstance last fall I found a school of smallies actively feeding on a sandbar.  My heart started racing, I got excited and I artistically created the world’s biggest backlash.  With my lure 20 ft from the boat and fish feeding everywhere I made a cast with a different rod.  I successfully caught a fish but it got tangled in my other line that was still out.  The fish ended up breaking off and spooking the entire school.  My potential feast turned into famine. 

Fall fishing in the St. Joe River has produce great fishing experiences in my life.  There is nothing like landing, back-to-back-to-back, 4.5 lb smallmouth or seeing your fishing partner’s face as she/he lands a toad bronzeback.  I hope your next fishing trip turns into a feast.