End of summer.... 2024
shiloh reply :
Well, it's Labor Day weekend, so summer is almost over...even hear the katydids warning about the first frost. :-/
So....
I wanted to start a thread about the change to "fall fishing"
During the hot days, we all fish deeper and slower, with C-rigs and other tools and techniques discussed hereabouts.
As the weather cools, what should we start doing differently?
And what should we expect to see as far as change in bass behavior (hoping for another excelllent post from Dr. Raul...)? What should we be watching for?
Let's hear it!
ernel reply :
Fall fishing as you have probably heard, can be some of the best fishing of the year. It can also be the hardest season to pattern at the beginning. Bass are definatly going to be trying to stock up on a layer of winter fat, but where will they be.
The simpilest way is to go on a reverse track of the post spawn to summer. If the water temps are still between 80-70 degrees, then I will be fishing from the mouths of the creeks to the first third of the tributaries. I will be throwing a lure that will look and act like a shad or some other form of baitfish. Seeing as this is the time of year when this years hatch is getting to be its biggest, I am not planning on downsizing my offerings. Spinnerbaits with #5 and #6 blades, and large cranks will normally fill the bill for me now. I will be fishing weeds that are near a form of structure that is near deeper water. If I dont have weeds in a lake, then I will be fishing the "tops" of laydowns that are near or on points or bluffs.
Once the water has dropped to 70-60 degrees I would have to be fishing more in the tributaries. Main concentration would be secondary point and channel bends. Also by now, alot of the weeds and grasses are starting to turn brown. This is where if you can find grass and weeds that are still green, you are more than likely find fish. Green weeds = oxygenated water. Dying weeds are the opposite. They will give off CO2 and cause the bass to find "greener pastures" so to speak. If I can't find any grass or weeds, then I will be targeting isolated wood. Pretty much using the same search baits as before. I have however slowed my retrieve a little in the early morning, and left the size about the same. Throw in a few topwaters when you can find schoolng bait fish. If the "schoolies" will not take a topwater, then a shad replica through and under the school will often draw the bite.
60-50 degree water is when things get interesting. I am going to be spending more time fishing shallow points that are near flats and coves in the backs of the creeks. With regrets, I am now forced to down size my presentation. Smaller cranks that have more wiggle rather than a wobble are key in presentation, as are slow rolled spinnerbaits near logs if there are any still in the water. All of my grass and weeds are dead or gone and wood is going to be my key form of cover. Bass may have started to change thier preference from shad to crawfish. IF a shad like offering is not getting the bite, then I will be throwing plenty of jigs. If I can find wood of any size that is not high and dry, I will throw a jig or t-rig at it. The smallest pieces of wood may hold a bass. Cold fronts are going to be pushing through more frequently now. Lakes are already well into yearly drawn down to winter pool for flood control in the coming spring. Not exactly your best to combinations for finding active fish. If you can find a twig that is still in the water, I suggest you fish it. If you don't get bit come back a little later with a different type of lure and try again.
If you are fishing post front, then you may be suprised to find bass still in the shallows. They will sometimes move up the day after the front passes due to the shallows being warmer due to the sun warming the rocks and muds near the shoreline than water that is at the first break. Hence a twig may hold a bass if it is still in the water.
Once the water has hit the 50 degree mark, I begin my return track back to the main lake where the bass will make their winter homes in the deep. Of course the there also some bass that will stay in the creeks. Mostly around the secondary points and into the first third.
One other thing that is also helpful, is if the fish are not actively chasing shad, then slow down your presentation. Grubs, jigs, and t-rigs worked down rock walls can be very productive. I have found this real helpful when trying to target smallies in the fall. Suspending jerkbaits are also very productive as well.
These are only my opinions and methods that have worked well for me. Others may have different techniques that work well for them. Try them all and see what works for you.
Max-in-Mn reply :
Great post ernel! thanks 
shiloh reply :
ernel,
Thanks!! Lots of good information there...advice to take us through the fall until it's too cold to sit in a boat ;D
CBedo reply :
It's never to cold to be in a boat fishing! Fall and early winter are some of my favorite fishing times, mainly because there is a ton less boat traffic as many have put up their rods and reels in favor of their shotguns and rifles.
Ernel's post sounds about dead on. If you wanted to shorten and completely oversimplify his entire post, it would be..........:
FOLLOW THE BAIT!
The schools of baitfish will begin a migration from the main lake towards the backs of the coves, before they begin to die out. The bass will follow.
BOONE reply :
i know my local lake was a mad house this weekend, it was crzy
Hawkeyes18 reply :
Great post, that info will help a lot.
5bass reply :
CBedo is right,find the bait,find the bass.Any creek feeding into the lake will be full of shad and the bass are always very close by.There will still be action on the main lake and docks and laydowns will be the main targets there as well as in the creeks.Bigger creeks will obviously hold more bait and more bass.
If you notice any "nothing" banks in the area,no visible cover,slightly sloped,this is a great place to catch fish real shallow if the shad get near it.In the fall,I have witnessed bass chasing the shad clear out of the water and up onto the bank.
My main baits for fall are spinnerbaits,crankbaits and jigs,in that order.
Raul reply :
Please don 't call me Dr.Raul, when I hear doctor I turn around to see if my father is around, call me Raul, we all are buddies here.
What happens to during the end of summer ?
Everything starts to cool down, the air temperature drops ( good for us ), water temperature begins to drop slowly ( good for the fish ), days begin to shorten, besides smaller forage fish are no longer smaller, they just about in the right size to make a very appetizing meal, bigger meals more energy to fill their stomach. The dog days of summer are almost gone.
For us it means: pack your bags, get your gear ready because, the fish are BITIN ' ! 
For us southern boyz it sure makes a change in "fishability", now instead of taking a 40 qt cooler stuffed with ice and cold beverages we no longer need it, a 20 qt cooler is more than enough no more "ice" fishing for us; hemorroids are no longer a problem your sit won 't burn your rear end for leaving it, no siree, we can downsize in sunscreen protection from tar to level 20, why do you think that by the age of 50 we look like as fresh as a 3,000 year old egyptian mummy ? well it ain 't the snow ya know ;D. Praised be the Lord, I no longer have to wake up before I go to sleep to get fishin, now I can sleep till "late". :
I can 't say that I 'm very knowledgeable about things like "fall" fishing because I 've never fished in the "fall", I fish every year in the AFTER SUMMER and things do change quite a bit besides the "other" reasons I mentioned one thing is for shure, bass are more active as the days shorten and the light availability decreases.
"Think like a fish" and you have walked half the road.
How do you feel in the middle of the summer ? like crap, for those up north it 's the time when everything is green and prutty, but let 's face it guys you are not southern guys, when the thermometer hits the 90 degree mark you start whining because it 's too HOT, man for us southern guys ( and probably I 'm the most southernmost member of the forum ) that 's barely when things start to "warm up". Well if you feel like crap fish will also feel like crap. Water temperature here in my neck of the woods can reach 85-90 degrees, air temperature can rise to soaring 120+ degrees and you don 't want 120 degree air blowing on youre face, definately much less comfortable. Bass are just like you, they have a comfort zone taking in consideration that northern strain bass are like you northern guys and that our southern bass ( and specially our Florida strain stocked bass ) are like us southern guys.
During the dog days of summer many things happen in the lake, the water is warm but warm water has it 's problems, first of all fish 's methabolism is ruled by the temperature of the water, they are NOT like us in that aspect, we mammals are "warm" ( the correct name is homeothermic ) blooded animals, our bodily temparture is constant all year long and our methabolism works at that speed, fish are "cold" ( the correct name is poikilothermic ) blooded animals, this doesn 't mean that their blood is cold, it means that the temperature of their body is equal to the temperature in the surrounding environment, if the water is at 80 degrees their body temperature is 80 degrees, opposed to us they don 't sweat or open their mouths to cool down, what they do is to move to areas where the temperature of the water is lower and their methabolism doesn 't burn out killing them. Also, at high temperature their energy intake doesn 't fatten them, they spend in practical terms almost as much energy as they ingest, young animals will grow fast, there 's plenty of bite size food to fuel their economy.
Also warm water holds less oxygen than cold water, poor oxygen levels are common in the summer, the only things that aleviate the situation when they happen are wind and rain, in the areas exposed to the wind and to the runoffs the water is colder and it holds more oxygen.
Thermoclines occur during the summer too, if the lake is deep enough to experience it, in a 20 ft deep lake a therocline is most unlikely to occur, it takes depths over 20 ft for the thermocline to occur keeping the fish in the shallows or as deep as the water contains enough oxygen to support them. Bass are not like carp and other bottom dwellers that can tolearte low levels of dissolved oxygen ( 3-4 PPM ) bass need more oxygenated water ( 5+ PPM ) so if you find a thermocline at 20 ft bass will most probably will be at 15 ft.
As I said, I can 't say much about fishing in colder climates, but I can tell you that right here right now those events I described are still happening, things haven 't changed much YET down here in the south.
Ernel gave a very detailed description but you have to adjust to your zone what he descibed, look for cooler water, fish shallow, increase the size of your baits, up north by now there 's not going to be much small baitfish to eat, the largest population of forage will be conformed by juveniles. Down here, specially in my neck of the woods juvenile bluegills are quite large but we have tilapia in our lakes so we still have smaller fish fish to feed smaller bass because down here tilapia spawns two or three times a year, bass here are always FAT and short because the water doesn 't cool enough to shut them down.
roadwarrior reply :
For me, this time of year is the beginning of smallmouth season. We put away our heavy striper rods and bring out the medium power spinnning rigs. The baitfish have grown to 3-4" and the numbers are staggering. To differenciate our bait from the forage we fish shiners on a split shot rig and a circle hook.
What we look for is structure and fast moving water on the Tennessee River. Autumn is the very best season for large smallmouth in this part of the country. The weather is generally calm and the water flow is consistant. Maybe this fall we'll find that 12 lb bronzeback we've been dreaming about.
Raul reply :
I would love to put my hands on one of them brown smalljaws specially on a real 12 lb monster like the one you 're talking about, meanwhile let me continue my efforts trying to catch a green bigmouth over 15 pounds. 
bassackwards reply :
thanks again for the great posts!
from what I have just learned about saltwater fishing in North Carolina. It sort of drowns out much bass fishing. however, that don't mean bass fishing is out of the picture, by a long shot.
lots of good advice I plan to take into account while the water cools in the next few months.
Nick reply :
Some good posts here. In fall in the Ozarks we can catch them 35 feet or 3.5 feet depending on the weather. One of the favored techniques is fishing a superfluke around deep docks in the wind. Swimming a jig can be good as can regular cranking around points and dropoffs and deep docks. Don't forget the football jig in the cuts (guts)off the main river arm from 20-35 feet either. No doubt the #1 rule is to find concentrations of bait first, then locate the bass on adjacent structures.
For whatever reason the worm seems to fall out of favor but the jig seems to come on strong from now until Christmas. Some anglers really like the vertical spoon as well as deep tube fishing using electronics to locate both bait balls and bass near them in Bull Shoals and Table Rock.
CBedo reply :
I love jig fishing in the fall! Spinnerbaits, topwaters, and cranks through fish driving schools of bait are more exciting, but the last couple of years, I have caught some of my biggest fishing, and more accurately, "swimming" a big white jig. I actually am looking forward to the end of the month trying out some of BooYah's swimming jigs. I haven't fished them in the past, but they should slay them!
Chris reply :
Yall been busy on this post ;D
bassackwards reply :
sure have, lol
I never knew how productive fishing was in the fall. anything you'd like to add? I'm all ears.....
Matt Fly reply :
great post ernel.
Just want to add a couple of thoughts. On my area lakes, the shad are in 100's of small pods (schools)during the summer. When I start seeing the pods growing, I know we are a very short time away from the massive migrations into the creeks. We are currently about 85 degrees on the surface, no cold fronts yet, but the shad schools have grown from last weekend to labor day. Temps and cold fronts don't always start the migrations. The days (sun light) are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer. I'm already finding fish moving in and out of the creeks, just not the shad. A Third of the way back is right on target. When the birds leave the main lake and are seen in the creeks, that a good sign also.
CBedo reply :
Speaking of fall fishing, Matt, I noticed the UT connection. I actually have orange blood as well (MBA Finance, 1994). I actually caught four fish between seven and nine pounds in a ten day period in the beginning of fall on Lake Austin! One of them was right under the Hula Hut on a fluke.
Another thing that being in Austin reminds me about fall fishing, as the water temps cool in most of our lakes, don't forget the POWER PLANT lakes. You should able to find whatever temps you need around Austin with the diversity of waters.
Madhouse27 reply :
Raul, I got a kick out of your comment about the northern guys whining in the heat. I'm in Maine and yes when it actually manages to hit in the 90s outside I either need to be submerged in the water or hanging out with the A/C on. I don't know how you southern boys can take those temperatures. As far was water temps go, my home fishing water topped out at 78 degrees at the peak of summer and it's actually still around 72. Another few degrees cooler and things will really start getting crazy. Some of the best bass fishing of the whole season is going to happen in the next four weeks and up here you'd be amazed at how few anglers are out taking advantage of it. I guess some shift over to fall Salmon/Trout fishing and others move right on to bear and bird season. Oh by the way Raul, why don't you swing up here in February for a little ice fishing and enjoy the robust 20 degrees below zero air. I'm sure my friends to the south would find it downright refreshing.
fishinfool reply :
Ok I've got a ?. So since the baitfish will be running big and in large numbers. Would cb, sb, and jerkbaits be great choices to throw near the baitfish? Not eliminating the need for plastics, but putting them on hold for these few weeks would seem to be the way to act on this pattern of "fall" fishing. I'm getting cold already down here, its like 60's in the mornings with a cool breeze, makes me want to grab the jacket before headin out the door.
bassackwards reply :
QuoteI don't know how you southern boys can take those temperatures.
the same way y'all take your freezing weather. lol
ernel reply :
Fishinfool, I would not say to put the plastics on hold, because you will be using them. It is just I have found that my cranks, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, and topwater will be my first choice to find out how active the fish are. As someone else mentioned, and I totally neglected to say anything about swimming a jig threw and under a school will be very productive at times, as will a jigging spoon cast and allowed to free fall through a school.
You will be using plastics for the simple fact that even in the fall, the fish are not going to be in feeding mode 24/7. There are still going to be times of in-activity where you will have to coax a bass into the bite. However, if he is hanging with a bunch of his buddies, then his one bite may trigger and activate the whole school. I really don't think I need to explain what that means.
Yes baitfish is the key. But not just any "pod", as it was decribed earlier, but certain types of schools of baitfish will be more productive than others. So now you ask which ones. The easiest way to explain it is the ones that are scared. Now how to tell the scared ones apart from the ones who are just out crusing around looking for food. If you use your electronics, you can pick up on the schools that are under attack.
This can be a little hard to do from the self disipline aspect at first. Reason being I am about to ask you to put your rod down for a few minutes and observe how a school behaves when it is "grazing". If you find a "grazing" school, you will notice that they are loosley grouped, and spread out over a long and area about the same depth. It may be right near the surface or it may be 10 or more feet deep. There will more than likely not be any arches near this school of baitfish that you can pick up on right off the bat. I assure you though the bass are near by, and more than likely already there.
Now take this same school of baitfish and watch them as they come under an all out assault. this once loosely grouped school is now very compact in size. You can also see the school being broken apart as the bass swim through them and herd the school into smaller sectoins. The baitfishes defense is the size of the school. The shear size of the school makes picking out one single target harder for the bass to do. The bass in turn break the schools down into a smaller more managable size in order to pick out an isolated target easier. Then they drive them toward the top or the bank where escape is even more difficult. By the way, if you haven't picked your rod up yet, has your heart stopped or something? Come on get with the program. LOL! You can see all of this on your electronics, and with your own eyes as it starts to happen at the surface level. If you are going to key on bait fish only, the scared schools are going to be the best bet.
Just remember though, bass are not feeding 24/7, but they will be active more often or for longer periods. When the L/M bass are not actively feeding, they will be relating to cover mostly and structure some just like any other time of the year. The smallies are more than likely relating to structure, or suspending near structure. IE: rock bluffs, channel bends, long deep points. Cover is more important to a largemouth, and structure to a smallie. Granted they both will use both, if the need arises. This is just a small generalization that I try to go by. I can;t even begin to tell you where to look for spots other than open water near deeper structure. Like under water humps and drop offs. That seems to be the only places I have ever caught spot.
Looks like I have rambeled on once again. I wish I could learn to give a more direct and to the point, put it in a nutshell response, but it just doesn't work out that way sometimes. So once again you have my methods and opinions. Give 'em a try if you like.
Matt Fly reply :
CBedo,
I left Austin late 2000 after my daughter graduated from John Conally High in Pfleugerville. Lake Austin has some of the best grass and big bass to be found. I usually only fish night or fall due to the wake boarders and pleasure craft on L. Austin. I fished Fayette alot, won alot of money out of Travis. I fished in a Buster Brown club (mostly UPS drivers) associated with honey hole. I fished the rest of the Highland lakes also. I have been living 45 minutes west of Lake Fork since 2003. Regardless of what is posted, Fork is coming back since the die off in 2000, I fish as much as possible, I'm off at 3pm and gone in a flash. You never see a late day post from me. I fished BassChamps at Travis this year with a guy from Nebraska whom I never met before. We caught 38 fish in the same holes I fished in 2000 prior. Just missed the money, no kicker. not bad for not being on what i still call my home water since 2000. I want to fish the 2 tournaments coming to Travis in 2006 on the central Trail of BassChamps. Know of any one willing to fish let me know. HOOK'em!!!!!
Raul reply :
Madhose here 's how two words mean completely different and opposite things.
ICE FISHING
Ice fishing in the NORTH: Drilling a hole through ice and freezing your rear end in the middle of the winter trying to catch FISH.
Ice fishing in the SOUTH: trying to catch ICE CUBES in the cooler while getting a tan in the middle of the winter.
Just imagine this.- a meat packing company in Canada made me a very good job offer: $50 can dollars/ hour, 8 hour shift, 5 days a week plus accomodations, meals, vehicle and health care; not bad at all, extra hours $75 can/hour, working on Saturdays and Sundays $100 can/hour; the reason, not only I 'm a vet but I speak Spanish and English, those packing companies hire every 6 moths a big bunch of mexicans and centroamericans to work there, I REJECTED the offer, no way I 'm going to move to Canada, it 's too dang cold for me.
CBedo reply :
with you Raul. I am from Texas and have lived in California and Las Vegas before moving to Denver. I used to say I would move anywhere for the right career opportunity, but now as I have gotten older (and lazier), quality of life has moved way up the scale. I say I won't move anywhere where the winter is worse than Denver's (For those of you that think Denver is icey all winter, think again. It snows, then the sun comes out melts everything off, and you can golf shortly thereafter. 300 days of sunshine.
My girlfriend, who is from Detroit and likes to ski, has a severe problem with anywhere I want to move. All of my cities are south and all of hers are north.
Madhouse27 reply :
Raul thats some pretty good cake you're turning down to work up in the great white north. I'm sure they throw in a couple of sets of long underwear and you'll hardly notice the cold. The only thing is I don't know how you'd survive in the land of no largemouth bass. The smallmouth would probably keep you pretty well occupied or maybe you'd become the master of the pike, muskie and walleye. I can see the post now, Raul when you are catching walleye how do you set up your lindy rig? LoL
basswest1 reply :
Raul, how old are you? Just curious.
related General Bass Fishing Forum topic
most viewed General Bass Fishing Forum topic
© 2024 - fishing.qciss.net. All Rights Reserved.