Fall Struggles

[michang5]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

 I haven't gotten any bites during the three times I banked fish (for about one hour each time) the last few days.  

[einscodek]

1 hr?  Barely get any casts in.. esp finesse fishin

[Insanity]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

 

 

 

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]

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]

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