Autumn Jig Fishing

[*Hootie]

Just got into jig fishing this year. I noticed that lately, my jig bite seems to have fallen off. Are jigs not a good choice this time of year? Should I be using bigger jigs, smaller jigs, or no jigs at all right now.

Hootie

[rockchalk06]

When the cooler weather hit here, my bite started to fall too. I switched to more green colored jigs/trailers and the bite picked back up some.

[Bluebasser86]

It's kind of the fall transition period right now which means lots of scattered out fish. You'll have some still in summer areas and some already moving into pockets and coves chasing shad. So it may be the fish are just spread out in your body of water and you need to cover more water. I've been using a homemade 1/2oz brush jig so I can get to the bottom fast and move it quickly so I can cover lots of water. You can really cover a lot of water and hit a lot of good pieces of structure/cover like this.

[WRB]

Location, location, location. You can't carch bass if they are not there. We could debate how many different seasonal periods; winter, pre spawn, spawn, post spawn, summer and fall. Autumn would be the fall seasonal period. Water temperatures are dropping into the 60's, the aquatic vegetation is dying back and the prey the bass feed on that live in the shallow vegetation must relocate, depending how cold the water gets during winter. If you live far enough north where the trees turn autumn colors, the prey and bass go deeper. If the lakes you fish have threadfin shad, then the bass tend follow the shad schools. If your jigs are crawdad imitators, the crawdads also move into deeper water where they can dig into clay banks or hide in rocky crevices or wood like trees and brush.

Look for any green weeds near deeper water breaks, same with clay banks near rocky areas, ant brush or tress in deeper water. Jig colors are a trail and error until you find what the bass in your area prefer.

Tom

PS; if haven't already read the horizontal jigging post, take a look, casting jigs during the fall is very effective.

[mikey5string]

I fish more baitfish imitating baits than anything this time of year. The bass are feeding on pelagic baitfish and move around and suspend more than tucking up into cover and waiting like in the summer.

Flukes, chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, lipless and square bill cranks have been good. Swim jigs would be a good bet. You can "swim" any jig. Just keep it off the bottom and "pump" the rod to make the bait pulse in the water. Weed flats are the best spot for me, especially when they are near deep water and/or flowing water like the mouths of creeks.

In the early afternoon I will sometimes switch to jigs to pick up fish off the bottom but I only do this when the action has stopped with moving baits. As it gets cooler and the bass get a little more lethargic I think the slow moving jig bite will pick up.

[Goose21]

Have a question for you all. This year I started fishing again after taking about a 10 year break. Live in Missouri near Columbia. The lake I fish the majority of the time is around 250 acres, and I'm thinking it's very much in the process of "turning over". In just a week's time the water went from a summer stain to muddy to very muddy in some spots especially along the bank. Silt and other gunk was evident. Nights have turned cool here (40's even s couple of nights.) Those of you in the Midwest are you seeing some of the same in your lakes?

Just so happened that yesterday also was my first day on that water with some new Costa polarized shades so I'm questioning whether the lakes usually that dirty and I just don't see it, but Im doubting that's the case.

Had the slowest day I've had on that lake yesterday since dropping my boat there early this spring. I've been reading a lot of different things online about the turnover.

How long does it typically take before things "settle"?

Took some time off wed, thurs, fri off next week so I'm hoping conditions improve .

[WRB]

The fall turnover is always a tough 2 week period before everything settles down. You can usually smell a turnover, a mild ssulpher smell due to the decaying bottom debris floating to the surface. Wind usually helps to remix the water. LMB don't slow down a lot until the water column is below 50 degrees and the active verses inactive periods are about the same. Shoreline bass are there to feed on dermasil prey and palegic bait fish that may hide in shoreline cover, like shad.

I prefer the early afternoon time period for fall jig fishing, you usually have the water to yourself and can pick and choose where you want to fish.

Tom

[Goose21]

Thanks, I picked a hell of a time to take some time off! Will be interesting to see if there is any change by wed.

[Vinny Chase]

I will throw a jig that flairs out more when it is on the bottom, stands upward, and has a bulkier profile, which gives it a slower gliding fall that the bass cannot stand.

The NorthStar Black Series has been doing very well for me so far - http://www.northstarbaits.com/black_series.html

[merc1997]

Have a question for you all. This year I started fishing again after taking about a 10 year break. Live in Missouri near Columbia. The lake I fish the majority of the time is around 250 acres, and I'm thinking it's very much in the process of "turning over". In just a week's time the water went from a summer stain to muddy to very muddy in some spots especially along the bank. Silt and other gunk was evident. Nights have turned cool here (40's even s couple of nights.) Those of you in the Midwest are you seeing some of the same in your lakes?

Just so happened that yesterday also was my first day on that water with some new Costa polarized shades so I'm questioning whether the lakes usually that dirty and I just don't see it, but Im doubting that's the case.

Had the slowest day I've had on that lake yesterday since dropping my boat there early this spring. I've been reading a lot of different things online about the turnover.

How long does it typically take before things "settle"?

Took some time off wed, thurs, fri off next week so I'm hoping conditions improve .

hey are you fishing dixie lake?? i used to fish it when i was in school at missouri. i am guessing the lake turned over. will take about two weeks for things to settle back down. back of pocket will turn first. current will help if the lake has a feeder creek. jigs can be a good bait to be throwing during the fall. sometimes it might not be the best bait to be throwing depending on your particular lake, and exactly what the fish are doing. but, i have found very few times that i could not catch something on a jig.

bo

[Goose21]

Hey Bo, not fishing little Dixie I've only heard of it. Lake is a private lake called Holiday acres lake up near Macon/Cairo about 40 miles north of Columbia. You may or may not have heard of it.

Anyway I went out again today to take a look, same deal, kinda bumming.

[River Rat316]

Turnover is not happening yet, water temps are around 50 degrees when actual turnover starts. I am guessing that your fish are in transition and a little scattered. I personally fish something faster like a spinnerbait until I locate 1 then slow down with a jig to figure out if he had friends with him!.

I am guessing that the green gunk you are seeing is some type of dieing algae from colder water temps, if your fish are weed oriented finding green weeds this time of year can be key

[Goose21]

Interesting and I have read that the 50* mark is key, I would guess the water temp is mid to upper 60's. I still can't explain the sudden change in water color. We've had no large amounts of rain fall since the remnants of Isaac rolled through.

I'm still fishing though. Man have rod break out the crappie gear

Thanks for the input

[papajoe222]

Concerning the jig bite, I'd change your presentation to more of a swimming type than a drop or hopping style. You can combine it with a traditional jigging style and let the fish tell you what they prefer on any given day. Just give the reel handle a turn or two at the top of your lift. If they start hitting on the fall, stick with a straight jigging style, but if they hit while you're turning the reel handle........well, you know what to do.

Here in the midwest I've found that the forage fish tend to move shallow before they move to their deeper winter haunts, so don't rule out those areas like beaches or spawning flats close to the deep water.

If they're ignoring your craw colors, switch to a white jig. On the lakes and pits by me, that's my number one jig color once the temp drops into the 60's and below.

[merc1997]

Interesting and I have read that the 50* mark is key, I would guess the water temp is mid to upper 60's. I still can't explain the sudden change in water color. We've had no large amounts of rain fall since the remnants of Isaac rolled through.

I'm still fishing though. Man have rod break out the crappie gear

Thanks for the input

hey goose, dispite what has been said about the 50 degree mark, in our part of the world, turnoever happens more often between 60 to 65. since you mentioned seeing other sediments and clumps floating, i think you are on the right track that at least some turnoever is occuring. if you get out while the lake is slick before the wind picks up, do you notice lots of bubbles coming up all over?? you will also notice it on an lcd screen. you will see diagnol lines extending from the bottom to the top. this is from your electronics showing the bubbles coming to the surface. one way to tell for sure is to measure the oxygen content from top to bottom, and water temps. i am already seeing turnover starting in the back ends of coves here on table rock. the upper reaches of kings river was bubbling all over this afternoon. the water was very off color, clumps of sewer slime floating all over, and not one bait fish of any kind present. pretty good sign turnover is occuring.

bo

[Aluma-Bass]

hey goose, dispite what has been said about the 50 degree mark, in our part of the world, turnoever happens more often between 60 to 65. since you mentioned seeing other sediments and clumps floating, i think you are on the right track that at least some turnoever is occuring. if you get out while the lake is slick before the wind picks up, do you notice lots of bubbles coming up all over?? you will also notice it on an lcd screen. you will see diagnol lines extending from the bottom to the top. this is from your electronics showing the bubbles coming to the surface. one way to tell for sure is to measure the oxygen content from top to bottom, and water temps. i am already seeing turnover starting in the back ends of coves here on table rock. the upper reaches of kings river was bubbling all over this afternoon. the water was very off color, clumps of sewer slime floating all over, and not one bait fish of any kind present. pretty good sign turnover is occuring.

bo

last weekend i did notice alot of bubbles...cool to know why.

[Goose21]

Bo that's exactly what I'm seeing. With basically very little action of any kind regarding the fish. Will be on the water again wed. I'll check in again.

[*Hootie]

What has happened to my post??? Seems to have gone way off course. C'MON guys!!!

Autumn jig fishing, autumn jig fihing!!!!

Hootie!!!

[merc1997]

What has happened to my post??? Seems to have gone way off course. C'MON guys!!!

Autumn jig fishing, autumn jig fihing!!!!

Hootie!!!

hi hootie

if you are referencing the comments about turnover, turnover does play a major factor in success rate during fall fishing in many areas. you stated in your beginning post that your success with jigs had fallen off. a number of factors could be having an affect on your success rate going down. on most bigger resevoirs as the water starts to cool down from its summer peak, bass tend to scatter from there summer locations. that in itself makes them much harder to catch. many of these bass will suspend and begin to chase shad and herd them up into bigger shad schools. this usually occurs out in the main lake and the bass will then begin to drive them to the mouths of creeks or coves. the bass that are doing this can be very difficult to catch on a jig. many other baits can be a better choice to catch these shad chasing bass. now there will be some bass that seem to just hang shallow. these are the ones more prone to catching on a jig. but, in fall we do have to contend with turnover. when turnover occurs on a stratified lake, the bottom layer of the lake comes to the top and it diminishes the o2 content of the water. sometimes turnover will occur over a period of two to three weeks. it depends on the weather. if we have some cold spells followed by warm weather for an extended period of time again, the process takes longer. as long as turnover is going on it makes fish catching much more difficult to deal with. so you see, turnover does have an affect on your fall jig fishing. here are some things you can do to deal with turnover. fish an area of the lake that turnover is not occuring. fish the very back of pockets and creeks, as they will be the first to turnover. fish where there is current, as current will mix the water and you will not have stratification of the water column to begin with. hope this makes sense and will help you with your fall fishing. i fish table rock lake most of the time, and we will begin to have a great jig bite for small mouth beginning anytime. but, you have to figure out where to find them when turnover starts, as it will move them to different locations. good luck.

bo