Ohio River smallmouth and walleye ease into fall patterns

What's biting

What's next

Expect the cooler, lower-flow stretches to fire first. Gauge 03240000 at 57°F and about 80 cfs is the kind of clear, stable water where smallmouth bass and walleye tend to feed more aggressively through midday, while the warmer 64 to 68°F readings suggest fish there will stay active but may favor low-light windows.

Fishing the Midwest points to a simple bottom bouncer with a plain snell and nightcrawler as a dependable fall walleye rig, since it catches fish in cooling water. Tactical Bassin's October video advice for bass is to work shallow cover with jigs, soft jerkbaits and topwater, and to add a blade to a swimbait when bass are chasing baitfish.

With the First Quarter moon, evening light carries into the first part of the night. Plan dawn and dusk sessions, and shift to midday when the sun warms the shallows. Re-check the gauges before you go, because a rain bump on the 1,840 cfs stretch would push flows up and muddy the water.

Context

Mid-October typically marks the shift from summer patterns to fall feeding in this part of Ohio. Falling water temperatures usually push baitfish, and the gamefish following them, into predictable edges, and Wired 2 Fish notes lake-run brown trout are in their autumn spawning run in Ontario feeder streams, a reminder that the season is moving along on schedule. Check state regulations before harvesting.