Looking at the multi-day forecast that included plenty of rain, I suspected the already-on-the-rise Allegheny River would soon be blown out.

A perfect reason to squeeze in an impromptu afternoon visit. It was a good decision.

Joining me was my friend and skilled bass angler, Deron Eck. We plied a milk run of spots I knew to gather up fall smallmouth bass, catching good numbers of fish up to 18 inches.

A productive outing for sure, we made one last stop along a shallow gravel shoal to see if we could cap the day on a high note.

Deron noticed shiners jumping in the shallows as I approached the bank with the trolling motor. That’s a good sign as it often indicates smallmouth bass herding baitfish. My first cast with a finesse jig — the type I wrote about in last week’s column — resulted in a sharp tick.

Soon after the hookset, a 20-inch class smallmouth cleared the surface and rid itself of the annoying hook. But it was just the start of an intense 15 minutes. Before the water quieted, we’d landed three 19- to 20-inch smallmouth and lost another.

Outdoor writing and fishing-related social media posts are rich in overused expressions such as “putting on the fall feedbag” and “wolfpack,” the latter describing a group of foraging fish attacking, in concert, a school of baitfish. But I guess it would be fair to label last week’s last stop as encountering a wolfpack.

As far as “putting on the fall feedbag,” I’ve found that this generalization applies, but only to a certain degree. Much of today’s fishing knowledge — at least as it applies to warmwater/coolwater species like bass, walleyes, and muskies — is derived from the upper Midwest.

That’s not surprising since this region is abundant in both water and communicators willing to share their fishing knowledge. But when it comes to an increase in gamefish activity during the fall, one driven by fish’s need to fatten up for the coming winter, one must understand that in that part of the country, fall is shorter and winter is both longer and more severe.

Since the time span from summer to winter is shorter, I believe fish feed more intensely within this compressed period than around here. We still experience an increase in feeding activity, but I feel is drawn out over a longer period and hence less concentrated.

When I do see fall feeding frenzies, it’s usually on rivers rather than lakes. Part of the reason for this is that falling water temperatures in flowing water forces fish into confined areas where they can escape the force of the current.

As gamefish migrate into these types of areas, it’s common to find high numbers in relatively small spaces. When you factor in concentrations of gamefish coupled with their competitive nature, if you hit things right you can catch a bunch while barely moving the boat.

Which brings up another interesting scenario when it comes to feeding frenzies. Some species tend to get fired up when one of their kind is caught. I’ve witnessed this with smallmouth bass. When you’re sitting on a spot where you feel sure there are fish, catching that first one can put others on the bite.

I’d also put crappies in that category. I’ve pulled up on sunken trees and brush which the sonar unit confirms are loaded with fish, many of which I’m confident are crappies. It might take a few minutes, but if you stay on them long enough you can catch that first one and shake a bunch of others loose. Kind of like jumping on a brush pile to kick out a rabbit.

After that, the sonar will often show fish well above the wood cover, ones that are much more catchable. Recently, I put that observation to Joe Bright, a regular guide client and veteran crappie angler from northern Arkansas, and he confirmed that this does often happen.

Regardless of whether fish are feeding aggressively or not, fall is an exciting time to be on the water.

Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle