HOT FISHING IN THE FALL
By Bob Jensen
We
often think of fall fishing as being a cold weather deal, but in the past
several years, warm weather has extended deep into the autumn. I remember
fishing in shirt sleeves in central Minnesota in November just a couple
of years ago. Something to keep in mind is that when the weather is warm
in the fall, the fishing can be hot!
Different species of fish react differently in the fall. Some stay deep, others move shallow. Deep or shallow, they will often bite, but they need to be approached differently.
Let’s say it’s a warm day in October or early November and we want to catch largemouth bass. Select a good bass lake and concentrate your efforts on weedbeds, reeds, or other cover that is near deep water. The bass will hang out in the deeper stuff until they get ready to feed, then move shallow. When they move shallow, be ready! A great presentation is a Reed-Runner spinnerbait with a large blade. Add a Gulp! trailer of some sort to bulk the bait up even more. Bulky baits catch the biggest fish in the fall.
The bass will spend more time in the shallows on warm overcast
days. If you get a few warm bright days, then a warm overcast day, action
can be memorable.
Walleyes will bite aggressively on a warm fall day as well. You need some
cold weather to get the warm temperatures to fall. The lower water temps
trigger something in the fish that makes them willing to get more aggressive,
but the warmer weather after the cold stuff gets them to bite longer and
often even more aggressively.
Walleyes will usually be somewhat deeper than the bass, but on some bodies of water, when the conditions are right, they can be found on shorelines in two feet of water and willing to bite. Expect to find the walleyes the most aggressive on windblown rocky shorelines. Throwing a sixteenth Fire-Ball jig tipped with a minnow or a Mimic Minnow head with a three inch Power Grub will catch those shallow walleyes.
Some sonar work is always advised in the fall months. Check out the deeper water areas. If you see fish, try to catch them. However, if the deeper structures are void of fish, you can bet they will be shallower. Check the deep stuff periodically throughout the day. At times the fish will be shallow, other times they will be deeper. The new Humminbird Matrix color units do a great job of revealing fish as well as changes in the bottom content.
Whatever specie of fish you choose to chase, you can bet
that if you get a few warm days in the fall, there will be some biters.
Don’t get locked in to one particular area: Keep moving around until
you find the fish, and when you do, the memories will get you through the
winter into the next open water fishing season.
For more fish-catching information, visit fishingthemidwest.com
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