Heavy winds and cooling water push smallmouth to deep rock

What anglers are reporting The last solid reports from the lake were back in late summer. With the recent weather, tournament traffic has died down. We are relying on seasonal patterns and current conditions to track the fish as we move deep into November.

This week's outlook Air temperatures are dropping from the 50s into the 40s, and water temperatures should be sitting in the upper 40s to low 50s. The big story this week is the wind. We have sustained northwest and west winds blowing 25 to 30 mph through Wednesday, which will make the main lake and the Inland Sea extremely rough. A heavy rain system moves in on Thursday, followed by a cold front on Sunday.

Where to start If you can get out safely, smallmouth are grouping up on main-lake rock, deep ledges, and causeway openings where the wind creates current. Look for them in 15 to 30 feet of water, feeding heavily on alewives. For largemouth, head to the southern end or sheltered areas like Malletts Bay and Missisquoi Bay. Focus on the last remaining green weed edges and dying milfoil beds in 5 to 12 feet.

Bait box

• Blade baits (silver or gold)
• Jerkbaits (alewife or smelt patterns)
• Drop shot rigs with minnow plastics
• Heavy jigs (black and blue for largemouth)
• Swimbaits (3 to 4 inch, natural colors)

This weekend Saturday offers a brief window of lighter west winds before a cold front pushes through on Sunday. The pre-front conditions on Saturday should trigger a solid feeding window for smallmouth on the rocky shoals. By Sunday, expect post-front bluebird conditions to push fish tighter to cover and slow down the bite. Slow down your presentations, lean on the drop shot, and fish tight to the bottom.