I have fished the BWCA in both the spring and summer and know the general pattern: smallies are deep at ice out, start to move shallow as water warms and spawning commences, head deeper as water warms in summer (but will get shallower at night).

My question is what are their movements in the fall? As the water cools do they return to the shallows full time. I realize as ice up approaches they will go deep again to spend the winter.

Thanks for any advice, looking forward to trying some fall fishing in the BWCA!

They stay deep during the day. I've caught them shallow at night.

Thanks Jim!

we have 2 threads going on fall smallmouth fishing , i've found them around islands , especially if islands are close to deep open water. and they can be stack at times in the fall and cooperate nicely :)

shock: "we have 2 threads going on fall smallmouth fishing , i've found them around islands , especially if islands are close to deep open water. and they can be stack at times in the fall and cooperate nicely :)"

Depends on how late. I've been in Late August up through Mid September, and never really caught them as good as I thought I would have.

The Fall feed I bet starts later in September, and October.

I know for a FACT, I murder them in the Late fall and winter at places like KY and Dale HOllow, but I have not fished late enough in the BWCA to actually find a decent fall pattern.

I one day hope to :)

GeoFisher: "

shock: "we have 2 threads going on fall smallmouth fishing , i've found them around islands , especially if islands are close to deep open water. and they can be stack at times in the fall and cooperate nicely :)"

Depends on how late. I've been in Late August up through Mid September, and never really caught them as good as I thought I would have.


The Fall feed I bet starts later in September, and October.


I know for a FACT, I murder them in the Late fall and winter at places like KY and Dale HOllow, but I have not fished late enough in the BWCA to actually find a decent fall pattern.


I one day hope to :) GEO i do agree with what say ,
late sept. in Kentucky is definitely different than northern Mn at the same time , i've shared this before , i've had great success with lake trout early sept. and couldnt find them in late sept. sometimes it is a matter of timing . and as u stated , hard to get a pattern when you dont live there and be able to learn from year to year.
but i'm still not going to over think it. i'm going to target any down structure / areas with large sparse boulders and edges of islands close to deeper water.



"

The latest I've fished for bass in northwestern Ontario, which is Canadian Shield like the BWCA, is mid-October. The fishing was fantastic. It was also different than summer fishing, where the bass congregated in the same spots each morning and evening, typically bays and tight to shorelines. In the summer, when we trolled while traveling to one spot or another, we hardly EVER caught smallmouth, but in the fall, trolling lures or drifting willy-nilly with bait was very productive. The bass were here and there and everywhere. They still related to islands, but not tight to shorelines, more like ten to fifty yards off-shore. They were slow to feed in the early morning and late evening. Mid-day, utterly unlike the summer, was a fine time to catch them.

Great stuff everyone, thanks, I appreciate it!

AmarilloJim: "They stay deep during the day. I've caught them shallow at night."

Yep

Figure out a Fall walleye pattern... you can catch those small mouth then.