Mille Lacs is a premier smallmouth bass fishery renowned for producing numbers of fish and quality fish.
Throughout the year, Mille Lacs smallmouth receive significant angling pressure but if there is one time
of year to see Mille Lacs at its very best, guide Matt Klug argues that October is prime time. Smallmouth
typically school up in the fall and often seem more aggressive as these fish attempt to bulk up before
winter. Klug argues that the fall fishing can be much more consistent with much less angling pressure.
Typically, earlier in the fall during September, smallmouth will be scattered and roaming scattered eel
grass and weeds in six to eight feet of water but as fall progresses, many of these fish will slide out
deeper and the key is deep boulders. These deep boulders will often peak come mid to late October.
“There is no magic size the boulder has to be. What I like to look for is the biggest rocks in a general
area. I find that these fish will just stack up and relate to the very biggest rocks or boulders on a spot,”
stresses Klug. Many of these locations are in depths between fifteen and twenty-five feet. Klug looks
for these rocks with his side imaging. “Honestly, I just spend a lot of time driving around with my
electronics. If we catch fish off a boulder on a spot, I often just drive around and try to find more big
boulders in that general depth range where I am catching fish,” adds Klug. Size is relative, just look for
the largest rocks on a location and some of these individual rocks can hold a lot of fish where it is not
unusual to pull ten fish off one particular rock.
Klug likes to use both drop shot rigs and Ned Rigs on these boulders and stresses the importance of
fishing slow and keeping the rig in one place for longer periods of time. Think slow and methodical.
“Typically, I will start away from the boulder and cast into the boulder and just work my way in closer
with the boat. There are many times when we catch fish by sitting right over the top of the rock with
the boat,” explains Klug. Mille Lacs smallmouths often prefer darker and natural colors like green
pumpkin and Klug’s favorite overall color is green pumpkin with purple flake. Top plastics for drop
shotting include the Strike King Half Shell Dream Shot and the Berkley Max Scent Flat Worm.
Klug does note that this smallmouth bite can slow down when the water temps get below forty-five
degrees and there will just be slower days mixed in particularly with inclement weather, but early
November can produce some of the biggest fish.
