Finally the time of year for what I think is the best smallmouth fishing you can do. Cooler temps help drive the bass to feed up for the winter, while the early fall afternoon temps keep their metabolism cranking for the top water bite. The morning bite has been strong underneath the surface. Black, olive, and white streamers are a must. Fluorocarbon leaders and tippet is key. Look for rip rap, boulders, and aquatic vegetation along the bank. Our staff is guiding anglers in the mornings up till around 2 and the bite is consistent. However, the evening time is the best due to the top water bite. Start around 4:30-5 and get those poppers and sliders out of the box. The smallies are aggressive especially where these is good cover and deep water. A couple hot flies right now are the swimmin jimmy, meat whistle, murdich minnow, morrish minnow to name a few.
The water levels on the rivers do vary a little bit right now due to the rains we had on Wed. The Mad River, Twin Creek, Wolf Creek, and upper Little Miami are in great shape with clear clarity and lower water levels. The Great Miami and Stillwater are also in good shape but the clarity is around 3-5ft depending on the sections you are fishing. The more North you go, the clearer. The team is getting on the water this weekend for a good float trip. Good luck this weekend and stop by the shop for all the local smallmouth flies. We do have some deals and steals happening for the local angler.
Guided trips are still happening for smallmouth until around mid October. Our crew will then switch over to the Mad River trout bite. Contact us with any questions. 937-434-8472.