Fall topwater and jig season is the bite to plan around

What's biting

What's next

If the cooling trend holds over the next two to three days, the topwater window should stay open. Tactical Bassin calls this the final topwater bite of the year and says consistency comes from adjusting cadence and retrieve. Plan for first and last light, when baitfish movement tends to concentrate fish near the surface.

Fishing the Midwest's fall guidance is to find green, living weeds. As water cools, weeds die, oxygen drops, and baitfish and gamefish relocate to whatever cover stays green. Work weed edges near deeper water, and bring a few jigs for dock pilings, laid-down trees and rock, which Tactical Bassin says hold fall fish in predictable positions.

Context

Early October in the Potomac and Shenandoah region typically marks the start of the fall feed, when smallmouth move from summer haunts toward rock, riffle edges and shallow structure as the water cools. That puts the season on schedule rather than early or late, though exact timing shifts with each cool front. Smallmouth feeding usually builds through October as baitfish gather, so the window tends to improve over the month rather than fade.