S8, Ep 69: Navigating the Transition: Captain Brian Shumaker on Smallmouth Behavior and Fishing Techniques
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On this Pennsylvania Smallmouth Report from The Articulate Fly fly fishing podcast, host Marvin Cash checks in with Captain Brian Shumaker of Susquehanna River Guides for an early fall conditions update as the smallmouth bite makes its seasonal shift from bugs to streamers. With surface temperatures dropping into the 60s ahead of an incoming rainy, cooler pattern, Shumaker explains why the region's smallmouth bass are moving off the shallow flats and staging in deeper pockets, and why the topwater bite has effectively shut down for now. The conversation centers on the tactical adjustments that come with this shoulder season transition: downsizing from a size 2 to a size 4 streamer, swapping an intermediate line for a floating line and nine-foot leader to slow the fly's descent, and building in a deliberate pause that triggers strikes. Shumaker also walks through proper streamer hook set mechanics, contrasting the trout set most anglers default to with the strip strike his smallmouth program demands, and explains how holding the rod at roughly a 45-degree angle off to the side keeps steady pressure on a hooked fish through the fight, which matters even more if barbless hooks are in play. Looking ahead, he outlines what an Indian summer warm-up could mean for a brief return of topwater action layered on top of an already dominant streamer bite.
Key Takeaways
- How to adjust streamer size and line choice as Pennsylvania smallmouth water temperatures drop into the fall shoulder season, downsizing to a size 4 streamer on a floating line and nine-foot leader for a slower presentation.
- Why building in deliberate pauses on the retrieve is critical to triggering strikes from bass that have shifted from a topwater bite to a slower, subsurface streamer bite.
- When to expect the smallmouth bite to shift decisively from topwater bugs to streamers as surface temperatures fall through the 60s and days shorten.
- How to execute a proper strip strike and why to hold the rod low and to the side at roughly a 45-degree angle to keep steady pressure on a hooked smallmouth through the fight.
- Why fishing barbless hooks requires maintaining constant line tension, since any slack lets a head shaking fish work the fly loose.
- When an Indian summer warm-up could bring bugs back into play alongside an already established streamer bite for the final weeks of the season.
Techniques & Gear Covered
Shumaker's fall program centers on downsizing streamers, dropping from a size 2 Clouser-style pattern to a size 4, fished on a floating line with a nine-foot leader instead of his usual intermediate setup to slow the fly's descent through the water column. The technique hinges on incorporating deliberate pauses into the retrieve. On the hook set, Shumaker teaches a strip strike with the rod held low, correcting anglers who default to a trout-style upward set that fails to bury the hook. Once a fish is on, he recommends fighting it with the rod at roughly a 45-degree angle off to the side rather than straight up, which keeps steady pressure on the fish and helps prevent it from throwing the hook, especially with barbless hooks that rely on tension rather than a barb to stay pinned. He also touches on a topwater approach for warmer stretches, working poppers slowly with a pop-and-dead-drift retrieve rather than constant motion.
Locations & Species
This Pennsylvania Smallmouth Report covers Captain Brian Shumaker's central Pennsylvania guide waters as they move through the early fall shoulder season. Surface temperatures have dropped into the 60s and are trending lower behind an incoming rainy, cooler weather pattern, pushing bass out of the shallows and into deeper pockets and slower moving water. The bug activity that defined the summer topwater bite has shut down with the falling temperatures, leaving streamers as the dominant presentation, though Shumaker notes that a stretch of Indian summer in the high 70s to low 80s could bring a brief return of topwater action.
FAQ / Key Questions Answered
When does Pennsylvania smallmouth fishing shift from a topwater bite to a streamer bite in the fall?
The shift happens as surface water temperatures drop through the 70s into the 60s and the days grow noticeably shorter. Bug activity falls off as the weather cools, and smallmouth bass move out of the shallows into deeper pockets, making streamers the dominant and most productive presentation. A stretch of Indian summer with highs in the 70s or low 80s can bring a temporary return of topwater action alongside the streamer bite.
What streamer size and line setup works best for Pennsylvania smallmouth during the fall transition?
Downsizing is key: Shumaker moves from a size 2 to a size 4 Clouser-style streamer. Rather than his usual intermediate line, he fishes a floating line with a nine-foot leader, which produces a slower fly descent that better matches the fish's mood. Deliberate pauses on the retrieve, rather than a steady retrieve, are what typically draw the strike.
How do you properly set the hook on a smallmouth bass streamer strike?
Shumaker teaches a strip strike rather than the upward trout set many anglers default to, keeping the rod tip low through the hook set. He notes that trout-style sets fail to drive the hook home on a streamer eat, and that switching to a proper strip strike immediately improves hookup rates for anglers used to trout tactics.
What rod angle should you use after hooking a smallmouth on a streamer?
After the strip strike, Shumaker recommends bringing the rod to roughly a 45-degree angle off to the side rather than straight up, keeping it between high and low as the fight develops. This keeps steady pressure on the fish and lets the rod absorb the fight, reducing the chance the fish throws the hook, particularly when it jumps or turns toward the boat.
Why does fishing barbless hooks change how you fight a smallmouth bass?
With the barb pinched down, any slack in the line lets a head shaking fish work the fly loose, so Shumaker emphasizes keeping constant pressure on the fish throughout the fight rather than giving it any give. He pinches barbs both for angler safety and to reduce harm to the fish, but that choice makes disciplined rod angle and steady tension especially important for keeping fish buttoned up.
Related Content
S8, Ep 39 - High Water Strategies: Captain Brian Shumaker's Pennsylvania Smallmouth Insights
S8, Ep 34 - Frog Patterns and Fishing Strategies: Brian Shumaker's Late Spring Smallmouth Report
S8, Ep 31 - Chasing Smallmouth: Brian Shumaker's Adaptations for Unpredictable Spring Weather
S8, Ep 27 - The Pre-Spawn Puzzle: Captain Brian Shumaker's Tips for Pennsylvania Smallmouth
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Hey, folks, it's Marvin Cash, the host of The Articulate Fly.And we're back with another Pennsylvania Smallmouth Report with the man himself, Captain Brian Shumaker.Brian, how are you doing?
Brian ShumakerI'm doing well, Marvin.How about yourself?
Marvin CashJust trying to stay out of trouble.You know, it's kind of funny.We were talking before we started recording, and you're kind of.You have the weather that we want here in the south, but you're like three weeks ahead of us.
Brian ShumakerYeah, yeah.This, this, this week here starting out well.It started end of last week.We've got a rainy pattern coming in.It's coming in off the coast, so we've been having rain mist and we're actually cool temperatures are cold, if you want to call it that way.We've been in the 60s the last couple days.Tomorrow we're going to have rain and in the 50s.So I got to bundle up and dress up, throwing the water.
Marvin CashYeah, sounds like no bugs either.
Brian ShumakerNo, we're not getting the bugs.The water temperatures drop down.We're at 70 degrees as of today, surface temperature.And with the cold rain and the cold temperatures, we're probably going to drop down into the 60s.
Marvin CashAnd so do you expect the bug fishing to come back if it warms up or you think you're probably pretty much done on that front?
Brian ShumakerNo, I think if we get, you know, we get the, what do they call it, Indian summer.If we get that Indian summer and we get the temperatures back up in the high 70s, low 80s, it'll warm back up and we'll be able to.We'll be able to throw some bugs and catch some fish.
Marvin CashGotcha.And you know, it's interesting too.We were also talking, you know, the days are noticeably shorter.You know, I suspect you're seeing the bass kind of moving around a little bit to different spots now, right?
Brian ShumakerYeah, absolutely.They're not, they're not really holding in the shallows much anymore.They're.They're kind of roaming around and moving into a little bit deeper water, into the pockets and stuff like that.Haven't really, it haven't really seen it yet as them schooling up like impacts that they do in the fall, but as the water temperature cools off some more, they'll start doing that.But yeah, they're.The majority of the fishing right now is pretty much is a streamer bite.
Marvin CashGotcha.So now you're not doing one guy on bugs and one guys on streamers.You're probably fishing two streamer rigs.Anything you kind of change up when you're kind of in this kind of funky shoulder season from kind of a tactics and approach.
Brian ShumakerYeah, it, right now it's kind of interesting.Instead of, I like throwing like size 2 streamers, clousers, what have you, but actually downsizing them to a size 4 right now has been very productive for us.And I like usually fishing an intermediate line, but we've been fishing them just straight on a floating line on a nine foot leader.Um, so it's like a slower descent.And you know, they want that pause.You gotta have that pause.And that's usually when they're getting bit real quick.The guy I had today is a single, single client.So I'm watching and I can see his line.When he gets a hit, it gets pulled.I said, you want to set the hook on that fish?He said, you see that?I said, buddy, I see everything.I said, I know when a fish hits that fly and then I know when your reaction's a little too slow.So I'll let you know when your reaction's a little too slow.He just laughs.
Marvin CashYeah, it's interesting.You know, I, you know, my experience with that is like watching white game changers disappear, right?And that's, you know, it's like, it's there, it's there, it's there and it's gone.You're like, what should I do?And you should, like, you should strip strike.
Brian ShumakerYeah, exactly.I had that, I had that on Friday.I had, I showed the guy how I fish a streamer and how I set the hook because he kept.And no offense to the trout fishermen, he's trout set on every one of them.I said, buddy, you got a strip strike and keep that rod rod low.And then once he started doing what I showed him, he says, man, this really works.I said, yeah, that's what I get paid for.
Marvin CashYeah, and so do you.You know what's the kind of.Cause one of the things I always seem to mess up when I'm streamer fishing is basically, you know, you got, you know, pretty heavy terminal tackle, right.So you can kind of pull them right on in.But I think I told you before we started recording, I was fishing in, in Tennessee, had a nice big brown on, and he jumped towards the boat and he was gone.You know, in terms of making that transition from the strip strike to basically getting the rod vertical and getting some tension on the, on the fish.
Brian ShumakerYeah, so what?Instead of once you do that strip strike?What I do is you strip strike at fly, but don't bring that Rod straight up.I come off to the side and kind of keep it, I don't know, be like a 45 degree angle and keep it between, like in the middle, between high and low.And just come up a little bit, but don't come up high with your rod.Just keep that and keep that pressure on them.And then if the fish decides he's going to turn or something, then you can take that rod and come over to the other side.But still try to keep that 45 degree angle and keep that pressure on the fish.
Marvin CashGot it.So you're really trying to keep that rod bent pretty deeply.Let that thing do the work.
Brian ShumakerRight, exactly.Let the rod do the work, you know, because I think the other.It's not really an issue, but I pinch all the barbs down on all my flies.Number one, it's for my safety, because I can't tell you how many times I've taken flies out of everywhere on my body.It's, it's for.And it also helps the fish to.Protects the fish.But if, if you give him a little bit of slack, you know, a little bit of give on that, they're down there shaking their head and eventually that fly is going to work loose.But if you can keep a little bit more pressure on that fish, it keeps that, you know, fly lodged in his mouth there.Even if he shakes.It's not that much like if you had a little bit of slack in your line where he gets more movement by, you know, shaking his head or swimming one way or the other.Because that fly, you know, will work loose with the barb pinched down.
Marvin CashGot it.And so, you know, how long, you know, Brian, do you kind of expect, you know, the arc?I know you're done at the end of October, but, you know, what are you looking for?If we get Indian summer and the bugs come back, what do you think the next kind of two to three weeks on the water look like in Pennsylvania?
Brian ShumakerYou know, we're going to have real good water flows.And like I said, it'll be, it'll be a streamer bite.We get some warmer days and stuff, we'll be able to still throw some, some top water bugs there and just kind of work them slow.Um, don't give them a lot of movement.You know, give it a little pop and just let it dead drift.And give it a little pop and let it dead drift.Um, so if we get that Indian summer, we could have a combination of a little bit of top water.It's definitely going to be a streamer bite then too, as well.
Marvin CashGot it.And so, you know, I know you're booked out for the rest of your smallmouth season and then you got a little bit of a break, you're gonna go do some redfishing.So that probably means, you know, if they're not in your boat and on your calendar, people won't see you till the 2027 show season.You want to let folks know where they can find you on the road during show season?
Brian ShumakerYeah, I'll be.I don't know.I can't give you the dates, but they can look it up.Be at the Virginia Fly and Wine festival.I'll be at the Edison Fly Fishing show.I'll be at the Lancaster Fly Fishing Show.And I'll be at the Maryland Fly Fishing Show.
Marvin CashWell, there you go.Well, folks, as I always say, you owe it yourself to get out there and catch a few tight lines, everybody.Tight lines, Brian.
Brian ShumakerTight lines.Marvin.
