Fall Struggles 2024
Jeremy Coalter reply :
This has been my first fall that I have stayed committed to Bass fishing but it has been a struggle and am looking for any suggestions.
I did all of my homework and was very excited about what most people say about the fall bite, I have been throwing everything that resembles a baitfish(spinnerbaits, lipless cranks, topwater, crankbait, bama rig, ect) since September and the 70 degree water until now when the temps are around 58 degrees. I am in the Kansas City area and have mostly fished smaller lakes within an hour drive but went to Truman this past weekend(only one small bass).
I had one nice day back in early September where I caught about 10 fish, but since then I have only landed a couple small bass and on some days completely shut out.
Where is this fall bite I keep reading about, or what am I doing wrong?
I usually start my morning with a spinner and top water combo, moving to crankbaits and lipless later on. When I get completely desperate I pull out the Bama rig. I start going around the edges of the bank and hit the flats I am aware of on my lakes, its like the fish are nowhere to be found. I have also mixed in a jig and shakey head, and have caught a couple small fish.
Later on I will try to target fish I think are out on ledges and points, but can't get them to bite. While I"m no electronics expert I think I see fishing holding to balls of baitfish but I can't get them to bite. I tried to fish the creek channel targeting fish on my sonar, but couldn't get them to bite.
I'm hungrier than ever to figure this puzzle out, so any help would be greatly appreciated. Also, at what temperature to bass start holding to a winter pattern and get out of the fall pattern?
Jeremy
bigbill reply :
I throw a ritual of different lures and different colors. Till I get action. It's good to use a variety of lures and presentations. One problem you may have that I have too at times I rush to fish and end up not reading the water clarity correctly. Plus I end up fishing too fast too. I end up telling myself to calm down and slow it down. I haven't done that much late fall fishing but one word comes to mind it's swim baits. A dying minnow presentation by just snappy short twitch and let it do its on thing like a yum money minnow or something similair will do it.
Jeremy Coalter reply :
I have never tried a swimbait or a fluke, any suggestions?
AK-Jax86 reply :
On 11/5/2013 at 10:27 AM, Jeremy Coalter said:I have never tried a swimbait or a fluke, any suggestions?
zoom flukes are good and there are tons of swim baits that work. They have some cheap ones like Berkley, Tsunami, Storm (you usually get atleast 4 and they run around $5 or less per pack) or they have some expensive ones. I just ordered a Huddleston Weedless Shad I see a lot of people have success with them so I figured I'd try them out.
Try to match colors and patterns similar to the bait fish in your local spots
paul25 reply :
I fish a fluke just like i do a jerkbait , jerking and pausing flukes are good to use this time of year i've had good success with the albino zoom fluke in the past. This fall the fish im catching are deeper than in previous years comin in 10-15 ft of water just about every fish i've caught have come in that range with a jig or crawdad colored crankbait
michang5 reply :
I'm also totally missing out on this mythical Fall Bite, too. I've been skunked 7 of my last 10 times bank fishing two BOW.
It happens to coincide with my decision to try jigs, too. Hmm...
Jeremy Coalter reply :
With stained water and the water temp at 50-55 degrees what approac/lure do you suggest?
Bluebasser86 reply :
The fall bite has not happened for me or anyone around here really. I have a theory on why that I posted on another topic. Most of our lakes have gizzard shad in them that spawn during the late spring/early summer period and are then fed on heavily by everything all summer long. Those YOY shad are reaching prime bass forage size by fall and are supposed to be thinned out. Problem is we had an extremely cold spring, even snowed in early May this year and water temps stayed below 50 into May. So our shad spawned very late in the year and are still tiny (1-2 inches) and way more numerous than they're normally this late in the year. So now there's tons of food in the lakes while the fishes metabolism is slowing down and they don't need to eat as often. So basically they can sit around and wait for the food to come to them instead of having to fly around chasing bigger shad that are around in much smaller numbers.
This is just my theory that I've come up with and it's probably 100% wrong but it makes me feel better about my lack of productivity this fall 
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 11/5/2013 at 2:19 PM, Jeremy Coalter said:With stained water and the water temp at 50-55 degrees what approac/lure do you suggest?
Sounds like perfect conditions for a rattle trap to me. I like to parallel riprap or weed edges.
Bankbeater reply :
It slows down around here this time of year also. Try fishing around logs, or in grass. If your weather is unstable I would hold off going on the water until you get 2 or 3 days of the same type of weather.
BuckMaxx reply :
I throw a shad square bill almost exclusively during the fall up shallow. I also would rule out a buzz bait. I caght my biggest fish of the year on one about 3 weeks ago.
speed craw reply :
I don't know about everyone else but this time of year , but I am running and gunning , I to have had the same problem with finding bait but nothing happens . It can be very frustrating , with saything that I think you may have partially answered you question with using smaller finesse baits . Some times thats the difference in catching fish and not . When it gets tough I fall back on slowing way down and rethink my strategy . Now are you seeing certain water temps when you are catching fish compared to when you are not and what about the thermocline ? Also certain areas just about always I will find fish such as , rip rap , bluff walls or drop offs , humps etc . However when fish are on the move god only knows . Hope that helps anyways .
Didn't think of this till now but is your lake turning over , if so you might find fish in other areas depending on which of the lake it has started .
einscodek reply :
In my area its really late fall weather so the good part of early and mid fall just seems to have been passed over this year.
I never really ever got too excited about fall bite anyway.. with all the cold fronts going thru the fish get dormant for days after each front and this year there have been some wallopping fronts..
For me its just good to get out there and pull a fish here and there and work some lures which ordinarily dont work as well for me..
Spring is where its at and Iike fishing Summers too..
Dyerbassman reply :
Glad I'm not the only one having a tough time!
dreamertino reply :
On 11/5/2013 at 11:42 AM, michang5 said:I'm also totally missing out on this mythical Fall Bite, too. I've been skunked 7 of my last 10 times bank fishing two BOW.
It happens to coincide with my decision to try jigs, too. Hmm...
Same thing happened to me and I finally caught one today keep at it. I caught my second biggest bank fish from the lake.
BadBassWV reply :
Whew!!! I thought it was just me. I haven't caught a fish in my last 3 outings. Going tomorrow, just got my Matt Lures Bluegill Swimbaits. Hopefully I can at least get a bump. I usually fish from sunup to sundown so 24 hours of fishing and not even a hit. Like the O.P. I have thrown everything in the bag.
DelcoSol reply :
On 11/5/2013 at 2:26 PM, Bluebasser86 said:The fall bite has not happened for me or anyone around here really. I have a theory on why that I posted on another topic. Most of our lakes have gizzard shad in them that spawn during the late spring/early summer period and are then fed on heavily by everything all summer long. Those YOY shad are reaching prime bass forage size by fall and are supposed to be thinned out. Problem is we had an extremely cold spring, even snowed in early May this year and water temps stayed below 50 into May. So our shad spawned very late in the year and are still tiny (1-2 inches) and way more numerous than they're normally this late in the year. So now there's tons of food in the lakes while the fishes metabolism is slowing down and they don't need to eat as often. So basically they can sit around and wait for the food to come to them instead of having to fly around chasing bigger shad that are around in much smaller numbers.
This is just my theory that I've come up with and it's probably 100% wrong but it makes me feel better about my lack of productivity this fall
This really makes sense to me. Seems like the same issue I am having. It didn't really pick up for me until the first or second week of April this year. I did really well during the summer when it is usually tough. I don't think the water ever hit 80 degrese which is low for here. It usually gets to about 90 in July/August. Ever since September the fish here have just turned off. I am lucky to get one or two fish at best now.
erichthered reply :
I too, have had no luck at all this fall. My problem is that I haven't gotten out fishing enough.
michael68w reply :
I noticed you said it looks like bass are holding tight to schools of baitfish? Have you considered using a jigging spoon?
Bassguytom reply :
On 11/6/2013 at 10:42 AM, michael68w said:I noticed you said it looks like bass are holding tight to schools of baitfish? Have you considered using a jigging spoon?
This or a 1/4 oz. little Cleo. The blue and silver are working for me. With all the shad around I threw everything I had at them one day with no takers until I put this lure I never used on. I guess it is 50 + years old for a reason. They work.
michael68w reply :
yeah i rarely use a spoon but those exact conditions have happened to me once before and its what worked well for me.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 11/6/2013 at 10:42 AM, michael68w said:I noticed you said it looks like bass are holding tight to schools of baitfish? Have you considered using a jigging spoon?
The fish I'm chasing are mostly shallow and so are the baitfish. Several times this year I've seen this scenario play out, most recently last Wednesday. There's massive schools of baitfish that have been pushed up onto a big flat by wipers, whites, largemouth, and saugeye. Fish are blasting shad and swirling everywhere. I threw; 3 different 1/4oz traps, 2 different 1/2oz traps, shallow X-rap shad, 78 pointer, 95 Gunfish, Super spook Jr, Zara puppy, Zell Pop, 3" grub in 2 different colors, keitech swing impact, 1/2oz war eagle jigging spoon, 1/4oz Little Cleo, and a 3/8oz chatterbait. The results; 2 small bass, 1 small wiper, and 3 saugeye on a 1/4oz xcaliber one knocker and 1 big white bass on the little Cleo in 3 hours of casting into actively chasing fish. The school of shad was thick enough to walk on and probably covered an area close to a football field and all the shad were 2" or smaller and the flat is no deeper than 6' deep. I really believe that there is just so much food for them right now that if a bait doesn't about run into their mouth then they aren't going to bother with it.
pbrussell reply :
On 11/6/2013 at 2:12 PM, Bluebasser86 said:The fish I'm chasing are mostly shallow and so are the baitfish. Several times this year I've seen this scenario play out, most recently last Wednesday. There's massive schools of baitfish that have been pushed up onto a big flat by wipers, whites, largemouth, and saugeye. Fish are blasting shad and swirling everywhere. I threw; 3 different 1/4oz traps, 2 different 1/2oz traps, shallow X-rap shad, 78 pointer, 95 Gunfish, Super spook Jr, Zara puppy, Zell Pop, 3" grub in 2 different colors, keitech swing impact, 1/2oz war eagle jigging spoon, 1/4oz Little Cleo, and a 3/8oz chatterbait. The results; 2 small bass, 1 small wiper, and 3 saugeye on a 1/4oz xcaliber one knocker and 1 big white bass on the little Cleo in 3 hours of casting into actively chasing fish. The school of shad was thick enough to walk on and probably covered an area close to a football field and all the shad were 2" or smaller and the flat is no deeper than 6' deep. I really believe that there is just so much food for them right now that if a bait doesn't about run into their mouth then they aren't going to bother with it.
are you talking about la cygne up in the creek? Oh my goodness, you don't even want to know how thick the shad are there 
pbrussell reply :
I don't want to talk any more about how bad my fall fishing has been this year in the KC area. I'm thinking of putting the boat up and hitting the ponds before they freeze over, haha!
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 11/6/2013 at 3:37 PM, pbrussell said:are you talking about la cygne up in the creek? Oh my goodness, you don't even want to know how thick the shad are there
I have no doubt they are extremely thick in that river right now. We had this happen to us really bad at Lake of the Ozarks way up the Osage River, then it's happened to me a few times on Olathe since then. It's extremely frustrating to literally see fish eating shad (not really chasing hard, just looking like they're opening their mouths and swimming through the schools of shad) and not being able to get bit. I had to leave them alone at Olathe and get away from the shad and schooling fish. I started catching fish when I did that at least.
michang5 reply :
Finally broke my 6-trips-and-no-fish drought this morning. It was only 1.25 pounder, but it was a fish.
Looking at my fishing log, it's been rainy and/or cloudy 8 out of the last 10 trips. We just keep getting rained on in Central Texas this fall.
Required that I put down my new baitcaster, heavier Carolina Rig and jigs. Caught on my spinning setup with weightless wacky senko.
WRB reply :
Do you own ad use a sonar unit?
Step back and lets start at the beginning.
1. Look at the lake map you fish and locate where the water has a sharp break line into deeper water; 8' to 20'.
Now look for flat spot inbetween the 8'to 20' depth zone, mark those spots. Next look at long under points, humps, and any islands in or near that 8' to 20' depth zone.
2. Using your sonar unit, determine at what depth a thermocline may be and at what depth any baitfish or other fish are holding (suspended) at. This depth becomes the life zone where the majority of bass should be located. This is the depth you need to select lures to be used at.
3. If the lakes you fish have threadfin shad, the bass will be close by, find the shad. Shad hide under docks, in brush etc during low light periods and move out into open water during the day light to feed on phytoplankton.
Now we can think about where to fish and what lures to use from the information above.
Buzz baits work best when there a slight wind chop on the water.Sppoks etc are better in calmer water.
Crankbaits work good at specific depth zones, select them to run at the depth of the baitfish.
A-rigs work around large schools of baitfish, find the bait first.
Structure spoons work cast through baitfish.
Drop shoot, jigs etc work best near or on the bottom at the depth you meter bass.
Your sonar unit is just as important as your lures to find bass, use it.
Tom
PS, at 58 degree surface temps, you are into early winter, late fall transition, the bass should be deeper; 8' to 20'.
Catt reply :
Try the same feeding areas you did in the spring!
Bait fish will follow the same break lines in the fall that the bass used in the spring.
rippin-lips reply :
I too was excited about the fall bite but I've yet to find it. I've managed a few small ones on a 1.5 reeling very slow. Only other fish I found is where this culvert runs under the road to the other side of a smaller body of water. Just dropping a jig or wacky worm straight down. It feels like cheating though really. I did manage a 4lb out of there but nothing else really. I throw everything in my bag too.
Dave P reply :
Swimbaits that mimic the bait size. Right now, the 4 inchers seem to be working good. Don't be afraid to use the pre-rigged ones. Squarebills work for me in some lakes, others the crank bite is definitely off. Look stupid shallow first and cover water. You will not find big schools of bass (at least I haven't) but if you cover the water, you will bump into them and once you figure out what they are using, you can repeat it all over the lake. For example, last weekend it was all about rock. Not rip rap, not slab rock, not rock wall or concrete, rock about the size of your fist or smaller. Almost gravel. Nothing doing with wood unless it happened to be near the right rock. Find it and you would get bit. Ignore it and you are hauling water. Oh, and it had to be on the East side of the lake...Great bite until the wind picked up and muddied up the water along the bank and that killed it.
michang5 reply :
I was so excited to catch something this morning that I went back at lunch and caught another 1.75 pounder. Same wacky senko.
Then I pushed my luck and stopped by for 20 minutes on my way home. Skunked.
Desperation breeds obsession.
hoosierbass07 reply :
I haven't gotten any bites during the three times I banked fish (for about one hour each time) the last few days.
einscodek reply :
1 hr? Barely get any casts in.. esp finesse fishin
Insanity reply :
It's all about water temps and Barometric pressure this time of year. One of the best days I've every had was in Dec. I was fishing my favorite spring fed place. Spring water is 55 year round the rest of the lake was 49 at the time. I new they where stacked in the channel of warm water as I had been catching one here and there for a while. And you could feel the bait hit them there where so many in such a small area. But early one morning they turned on and I was landing three to five pounders every cast. If one came off another one would grab it before it went five ft. It started snowing and they bit for about another 20 mins and then it was over. Turned off like a lite switch. Couldn't figure out what had happened. Thought about it for a long while and finally ask on another forum. And a very knowledgeable fellow wrote that most likely I was fishing the front edge of a strong cold front. Yep that was it. I already new where the fish where and when the pressure dropped like a rock they went into a feeding frenzy.
Keep an eye on the weather you just have to be there at the rite time sometimes. Il call into work if things look like it's gonna be that good. Sometimes a rain during winter can be a few degrees warmer then the lake water. A rise of three degree will turn them on.
Jeremy Coalter reply :
Thanks for all of the great feedback. I'm going to try and slow it down tomorrow and see how I do, I plan on throwing a lot of football jig and Carolina rig. Also going to try a super fluke and jerk bait for the first time.
I'm also going to use my electronics and find out what depths the bait and fish are holding. How do I find the thermocline, I keep reading that?
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 11/9/2013 at 3:38 PM, Jeremy Coalter said:Thanks for all of the great feedback. I'm going to try and slow it down tomorrow and see how I do, I plan on throwing a lot of football jig and Carolina rig. Also going to try a super fluke and jerk bait for the first time.
I'm also going to use my electronics and find out what depths the bait and fish are holding. How do I find the thermocline, I keep reading that?
Doubtful there is still a thermocline if your water temps are cooled down like they should be by now. If there is one during the heat of the summer it's often where you'll see a majority of the fish over deeper water suspending.
Jeremy Coalter reply :
Good news I more than doubled my production from yesterday, bad news I only caught one small fish:)
I did get to use a fluke for the first time which I caught the on fish on, I really enjoyed it and can't wait to use it next spring and summer.
I saw a lot of bait fish schooled out in open water in 4-10ft from the surface, with suspended fish underneath. I threw everything I had but couldn't get them to bite(calm and sunny).
Ive been working learning to use my electronics and drop shot, I found one ledge that was holding some fish about 10ft deep I drop shotted to the point to where all of the fish left, I know I had to be hitting them with it.
It is my goal to get to the point to where I can find fish offshore with my electronics and catch them, haven't got there yet but I feel like I am understanding what I am looking at more.......maybe next weekend.
michang5 reply :
Went to a new pond this morning. Was very obvious where to throw -- there were a number of branches sticking out of the water at the far range of my casting distance.
I threw a buzzbait and a chatterbait and a grass jig to the submerged trees/brush. Nothing for almost 90 minutes.
As a last resort, I switched to my spinning setup and chunked a wacky senko to the same spot. Pulled out a 3 pounder, which ties my previous best! A bit later, I landed a one pounder on a different color senko.
In starting to think I should just leave everything else at home. 
Matthew Veillion reply :
Often during these times I finnese fish with dropshots and such or just slow fish plastics weightless. Here in Louisiana fall-winter is usually 35° outside at the lowest. No idea of water temps
Walleye2Bass reply :
Been pretty hard this fall for me as well. When i do go out I usually catch one or two in 3-4 hours and nothing of size. I think the worst insult I had was yesterday, I was throwing a very small white spinner bait around bait fish schools in very clear water (8' visibility). As a school passed I noticed a bass trailing my spinner bait, he literally came right up to the boat, followed the spinnerbait as I did a figure 8 with it trying to get him/her to bite. I swear he was giving me the bird before he paused and swam off. With water temps in the low to mid 60's you would think they would be shallow, but with the constant fronts passing through I think they just are turned off as a weekend angler my choice of days are limited. Looks like a front tomorrow will drop air temps from the 50-60's at night into the 20-40's! That ought to kill the fishing for this weekend...
Rudy1922 reply :
Today was the 7th day in a row without a single bite. I don't have a boat so I'm stuck on the bank. I stood there and watched the parade of Ducks, a few Seagulls and even 3 Pelicans feeding on bait fish. They were following them around the whole lake. So I guess that's where all the Bass are at.
I tried Spooks, Swimming Senkos, Spinnerbaits, Crankbaits, Carolina Rig, and Jigs. I really tested my new Dobyns 734C today and that thing can really do a lot of stuff.
There is no cover at my home lake, just some rocky parts here and there. I really don't know what to do next 
michang5 reply :
Wacky senko thrown toward any sort of grass, cattails, trees, shoreline. Wait 8-10 seconds for it to reach bottom. Reel up slack and sharp twitch up to start the shimmying-to-the-bottom all over again. Repeat. Totally lame and boring, but it's been working for me.
I'm hoping to head to the aforementioned pond at lunch and practice my side/roll casting with new Siebert jigs. I seriously doubt I'll get a bite. And I'll end my session with a few throws of the senko with my spinning gear and hook one.
On 11/13/2013 at 6:34 AM, Rudy1922 said:Today was the 7th day in a row without a single bite. I don't have a boat so I'm stuck on the bank. I stood there and watched the parade of Ducks, a few Seagulls and even 3 Pelicans feeding on bait fish. They were following them around the whole lake. So I guess that's where all the Bass are at.
I tried Spooks, Swimming Senkos, Spinnerbaits, Crankbaits, Carolina Rig, and Jigs. I really tested my new Dobyns 734C today and that thing can really do a lot of stuff.
There is no cover at my home lake, just some rocky parts here and there. I really don't know what to do next
Creekcrappie reply :
On 11/5/2013 at 10:15 AM, Jeremy Coalter said:This has been my first fall that I have stayed committed to Bass fishing but it has been a struggle and am looking for any suggestions.
I did all of my homework and was very excited about what most people say about the fall bite, I have been throwing everything that resembles a baitfish(spinnerbaits, lipless cranks, topwater, crankbait, bama rig, ect) since September and the 70 degree water until now when the temps are around 58 degrees. I am in the Kansas City area and have mostly fished smaller lakes within an hour drive but went to Truman this past weekend(only one small bass).
I had one nice day back in early September where I caught about 10 fish, but since then I have only landed a couple small bass and on some days completely shut out.
Where is this fall bite I keep reading about, or what am I doing wrong?
I usually start my morning with a spinner and top water combo, moving to crankbaits and lipless later on. When I get completely desperate I pull out the Bama rig. I start going around the edges of the bank and hit the flats I am aware of on my lakes, its like the fish are nowhere to be found. I have also mixed in a jig and shakey head, and have caught a couple small fish.
Later on I will try to target fish I think are out on ledges and points, but can't get them to bite. While I"m no electronics expert I think I see fishing holding to balls of baitfish but I can't get them to bite. I tried to fish the creek channel targeting fish on my sonar, but couldn't get them to bite.
I'm hungrier than ever to figure this puzzle out, so any help would be greatly appreciated. Also, at what temperature to bass start holding to a winter pattern and get out of the fall pattern?
Jeremy
In my area, the fall bite has apparently been skipped.
merc1997 reply :
listen to what tom posted, and learn seasonal patterns. understanding and learning where the food source is a great help in determining where to be fishing. also, remember that any lake that stratifies will have a turn over. while an area of the lake is turning over, catching can be very difficult.
bo
related General Bass Fishing Forum topic
previous topic
most viewed General Bass Fishing Forum topic
© 2024 - fishing.qciss.net. All Rights Reserved.