Is My Fishing Season Over?

[BuffaloBass716]

The last week or so, it has been raining and cooling down into the 40's during the day and into the low 30's at night, it has also been rather windy.  I haven't been out fishing in over a week and the other day I went out despite the poor conditions.  After about 20-30 minutes, my hands were numb and couldn't feel anything in the water. I didn't catch anything, I don't even know if the fish would still be shallow where I was fishing. With this said, the weather probably wont get substantially warmer and the days are getting shorter.

 

Anyone else having the same conditions?

[swagkid300]

my fishing season is done, I've been skunked 4 out of 5 days i went fishing this month.

it's way too cold to fish. it's low 30's in my area.

[AK-Jax86]

You guys need to take a trip to FL plane or car fishing year round... I feel your pain though I grew up in NJ

[Felix77]

Around my area I have been skunked a few times already.  Last weekend I had the chance to head to a private lake in PA and was able to get into some nice fish on one day.  On that same lake it got windy and colder overnight and as a result was skunked on day 2.  If this lake doesn't produce then it's OVER.

 

Sucks but that's the way it is up north.            

[Bruce424]

I live in pa. I agree. Its been so cold over the past couple weeks. Funny thing is last year I got to fish until the end of november.

[Fishes in trees]

The fish are still in the water, as long as the water isn't frozen over, you can go, in my opinion.  You might want to carry several sets of gloves.   Me, I have a pair of neoprene gloves, a pair of fingerless neoprene gloves, a pair of polar fleece gloves and a pair of wool fingerless gloves.  You might want a heavy duty pair of mittens for when you're driving the boat.  Hand warmers come in handy.  The point is, a long as the water isn't frozen over, you can fish.  Just gear up appropriately.

[BaconStealer303]

Yeah the highs are mid 40's here in Illinois. I was planning to fish the drop shot in some ponds in the coming weeks. Usually produces. Or throw a sponnerbait

[KritterGitter]

Same here, nothin over the past week outta the ponds, think after this week Ill call it a season and start in on the rockfish and whitetails....

[KevO]

^{I'm sure glad I can fish year round.  Sure it gets tougher as the water cools, but should be able to catch fish until it ices over up there.} 

[hoosierbass07]

Ever since it's really cooled down I've not caught anything either. I hope to get out this weekend if the weather

becomes stable. I've not caught a bass over a month and I hate the feeling. lol.

[einscodek]

You guys must be from the NE

Yes the temperature has been brutal.

I caught 1 spinnerbait fish the other day and thats it..

The fronts which went thru the past several weeks have taken our temps down from 60s to 50s then another front yet again to near 40s.

I'm afraid the fish are likely adjusting and sluggish right now and we may need to resort to jig and worm worked real slow.

No not the real exciting action any more.. but the fish need to feed more for winter so if a warm front comes back thru Im out there again..

[travis23]

I haven't had the chance to get out as much as I normally would because I have a new baby in the NICU.  I have been out about twice a week to my nearby pond and I noticed it has slowed down.  I normally catch 20 a day in this pond and I've been coming out with about 5 to 6.  I caught most with a jig and a zoom brush hog.  I'll continue to go until it freezes over, but I might not stay as long because of the cold.

[wnybassman]

The next month can be the best time of the year.

[Bruce424]

Just seems like it went from very erly fall to late late fall. No prime time fall fishing.

[Grizzn N Bassin]

Fishing is slow youll get skunked a lot... just comes with the cold... no reason to stop you can catch some serious fish this time of year.... I just got back fished 4 hours no fish...

[vikingbear8]

Unless it is iced over im on the water. It is going to be 28 tomorrow morning even here in NC and I am still going dont let the cold stop you it is some of the best fishing of the year if you know what you are doing. (oh btw I am from PA so I dont want to hear about me not knowing "real" cold or winter)

[Smokinal]

Are you kiddin! I, too, fish until the water gets too hard to launch the boat. Actually, we have had to break through ice around the edges to get out before. Last Sunday, water was 58-59, next time I can get out is Nov 3rd and I expect water to be 54-55. This will be prime red craw trap water and jerkbait water. In the 5-6 hrs I'll fish both mornings I should boat between 15-25. I may throw a Rage Space Monkey on a football head and that will get me a few as well. From there, as water temps fall, the monkey, jig and jerk will be the baits until ice in...and fish will still be caught up until then!

Get out there! You just gotta fish slow and try a lot of different presentations until you find what works. And a jerkbait is quite possibly the best cold water bait you could throw.

[coryn h. fishowl]

Around my area I have been skunked a few times already.  Last weekend I had the chance to head to a private lake in PA and was able to get into some nice fish on one day.  On that same lake it got windy and colder overnight and as a result was skunked on day 2.  If this lake doesn't produce then it's OVER.

 

Sucks but that's the way it is up north.        

EXCELLENT USE OF EMOTICOMS!!!

              

My fishing season ended when I lost the mail box key and therefore had all my stuff confiscated by my mom....even though I found the key the next day.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Year before last, a buddy and I caught a boat load of smallies on Dec 10th on jerkbaits and spoons.

[CPBassFishing]

I catch fish when part of the ponds are iced over. Just dress accordingly and fish reaaaaaaalllly slow. Dropshots, shaky heads, and jerkbaits. I wear the following when its 20 degrees outside.

Long underwear

Compression shorts

Pajamas

Jeans

Two pairs of socks

Waterproof boots (very warm)

A t-shirt

A sweatshirt

A heavy coat

Thin fingertipless neoprene gloves

Heavy gloves

Handwarmers in the coat pockets

I usually don't wear the heavy gloves while fishing, only when my hands get numb. I stick other handwarmers in the neoprene gloves on the back of my hands under them.

[BuffaloBass716]

To me, its not so much the cold as it is the wind, it just makes fishing miserable in a constant brisk wind.  Its just not worth spending the time while your hands and face are numb, it get very uncomfortable, and the fact that I usually ride my bike to my fishing spots makes you feel numb before I even get there.

[SudburyBasser]

Bank beating at this time of the year in northern Ontario is generally a fool's errand. So fishing is essentially over for me until next spring. It's going to be a very long winter...

[Koofy Smacker]

Man, the fall bite just really turned on for me here. Few days ago I had 13 fish in 4 hrs with the biggest over 6lbs.. Jigs and cranks jigs and cranks. And yes the water temp was in the 50's and I was pretty freaking cold out there but nothing makes you forget about that more than feeling a jig bite

[Bluebasser86]

When it gets cold you just have to abandon the shallow areas with no deep water close by (unless it's a warm, sunny day) and slow down your presentation. I've caught bass shore fishing all year long, even with ice on portions of the lake. A couple factors that are always present when I catch fish during cold months (water temps less than 45 degrees) from shore, rocky shoreline and drop offs. Doesn't need to be a big drop, a foot or two will hold fish at times. With the rocky shorelines it seems like chunk rock is best a lot of the time. Jerkbaits twitched slowly along the drop and rocks, shad rap or wiggle warts slowly retrieved over the rocks, jigs or small plastics pulled slowly through the rocks are my main presentations.

 

Don't give up on them though. The numbers may go away but the cold months are usually the best times for me to catch some of my biggest fish of the year. Just this year I had a 7.51 and a 5.88 on the same cold, rainy day in January that never made it above 40 degrees. Then the first week of March I caught the 7.76 in my avatar. 

[Montanaro]

this time of year has opened up the begetation enough for me to bank fish from steep dropoffs. the hill goes straight down into maybe 12-15 feet of water with green hrass and standing timber. figure this will be my best spot on the mini lake i fish. problem is.casting distance is limited and if i slip ill slide into water...