signs of fall

Hi folks, Guided smallmouth bass last night from canoes with spin gear for smallmouth bass.  Pretty incredible but you can start to see the red maples starting to turn a bit.  Probably a result of all of the dry weather.  We did receive 1/4" of rain at my house in Stowe last night.  Last night we had dead calm conditions with over cast skies.  The surface water temperature was 72 degrees.  We worked the surface bite and the fish wanted to play.  Terrestrials all over the surface from bees to hoppers, to ants, to weird looking beetles.  We cast floating perch and black/silver rapalas.  Patience was the key as we let the plugs sit still and undisturbed until all of the ripples had settled down from the cast.  All of our strikes came the moment the lure was twitched.  Fun to watch the smallmouth emerge to the surface to eat.  The fish were holding on wood last night and in fairly shallow water.  We caught all of our bass in less than 12' of water.  Landed 10 smallmouth and missed another 10.  The biggest fish of the day was a solid 3lb smallie that fought really well.  True tail walker.  This summer has forced my hand to chase bass due to the water conditions.  I have been fishing smallmouth since I was a kid and love to tug on these powerful fish.  Trust me a 2lb smallmouth will out fight any stressed out trout that is currently holding in any of our streams and brooks.  Guiding bass for the next couple of days.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy