What type of bait works best when fishing for Smallmouth Bass in the Fall?

The answer to this question involves several factors. Some of what we need to keep in mind is available prey, temperature, time of year, available cover, and even the area. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass have ideal preferences, but they are very quick to override these preferences to get the most amount of food with the least amount of energy possible, and safely. Largemouth bass are generally more tolerant of warmer weather than smallmouth bass, and smallmouth are going to feed off as many small things as they can from the bottom. Largemouth can be satisfied with anything near the surface and out of the current. An exception here is if there is a prime spot for either to receive constant food coming in from the current, such as a large rock in the middle of a stream just before an opening when the current has picked up recently. A good thing to keep in mind is other activity in the area. Largemouth will and do feed off of insects and smaller creatures, but they love larger catches just as much as we do. The less energy a largemouth has to expend for a meal the better. Your best bet here, typically, will be somewhere out of the way of the current that acts as a pit stop for any stray small fish and crawdads. Weeds and stumps work well. Smallmouth like things small and fast, and will usually be near any rocks right out in the middle of big current. In reservoirs, try the channels for either the largemouth or the smallmouth, as well as the thermocline anywhere the shore goes under at about a 45 degree angle. The real question should be what about where you are fishing at do the fish find appealing and what do they find uncomfortable.