One of the best times of the year for fishing smallmouth is happening right now. All of our rivers including the mighty Great Miami are low, clear, and in perfect fishable shape. The mornings are starting off cool, so the bite really starts around the mid morning 9-10am once the water temp rises a degree or two. Fish are very active for chasing baitfish and feeding up for the winter months. This is the time to scout new spots and find new accesses for the spring and early summer time when water levels are up.
The pro-staff this week floated the "downtown get down" ( the Great Miami stretch in downtown Dayton). Fish were eager to take an olive or white pattern. The technique was a quick aggressive jerk/strip with a longer than usual pause. The smallies were absolutely crushing the fly on the pause. Work the banks, vegetation, and larger boulders in the middle of the river. This is the time to get our your full intermediate or a sink tip in the 3-4 ips range.
Stop by the shop this Saturday, we just received a fresh batch of baitfish patterns that are effective. Good Luck this weekend.
We are still doing smallmouth guided trips till the end of October and then we will transition to trout fishing on the Mad River. Contact the pro-staff if you have any questions about hiring a guide for the Fall.