Fall fishing just isn't happening for me...

[Chris W.]

Hey guys. I'm just not doing well this fall. I normally don't fish in the fall, but i wanted to try it this year. I go to this pond which is probably 70 yards or so long, and maybe 50 yards wide. Just guessing. It's probably 12 feet deep. Lots of largemouth in it. The lillypads are starting to die off and the water level dropped over a foot since a few months ago. Some cat tails are no longer in the water. It's a private pond so i know people haven't taken any fish out, if anything, more were put in. What should i use for lures? The temp has been around 60 during the day here, it's full sunshine at the pond most of the day. I don't even really see any sunfish on the side like normal. Should i just give up on the spot for the year, or keep trying? Topwater? Spinnerbaits? Help!

[OHIO]

I am experiencing some of the same things here at the ponds I fish.

I am throwing swim jigs and spinnerbaits parallel to the bank a lot and having some success.

I am throwing football jigs and dragging them across rocky bottoms and having some success.

I have also recently gotten into using shaky heads, but I'm not as well as I am with other lures.

What lures do you normally throw at the pond? How long has it been since the bite turned off?

I am finding out that it is getting a lot harder to catch fish now than any time before where I live.

It seems as if a lot of fish just aren't biting and the fish that are are all dinks.

Just stay persistent at it and throw lures that you have confidence in.

[Chris W.]

I usually start off with topwater. I'll throw a frog or mouse for a while into the areas the pads normally are. if nothing hits i'll switch to a toad and try it as a buzz on the top or as a swim everywhere. If that doesn't work i switch to spinnerbaits, trying different blades and colors. If those don't work i'll switch back to a topwater like a buzz bait or something. Still then if that doesn't work i'll switch to a rapala or similar mid water, or a lipless crank. Then i'll just throw a bunch of plastics. That's pretty much my box lol.

[cmatthews6485]

lipless cranks have been working best for me this fall i havent fished that much but when i go i only go for 1-2 hours and catch between 4-8 fish ranging from 1.5lbs to 4.5lbs

[hitchhiker]

How about bouncing the bottom with a lipped crankbait.  Put it close enough to some fish you may be able to pick off some of the aggressive fish. 

[Jason Penn]

I haven't really been catching much this fall either.  1 of the lakes I have been fishing the most is roughly 300 acres and just completely loaded up with shad.  It's also got so much cover with stumps and cypress trees that it's hard for me to locate fish 

I have been trying to get the hang of fishing hard swimbaits and have not got a single bite.  I don't know if it's because there is an abundance of shad or what.  The few fish I have been catching is either on a 10" worm or baby brush hog.

[OHIO]

I haven't really been catching much this fall either. 1 of the lakes I have been fishing the most is roughly 300 acres and just completely loaded up with shad. It's also got so much cover with stumps and cypress trees that it's hard for me to locate fish

I have been trying to get the hang of fishing hard swimbaits and have not got a single bite. I don't know if it's because there is an abundance of shad or what. The few fish I have been catching is either on a 10" worm or baby brush hog.

No such thing as too much cover.

[Gangley]

most everything you mentioned is top water with the exception of a few mid level lures.  With a high of 60 degrees in a body of water that small, the water has probably cooled off a lot and the fish may be starting to shut down and stay deep. 

Basically, I would be fishing the bottom and slowly.

Lures:

Large Jig and Large Trailer worked slowly

Large Worm (10+)worked slowly

Creature Bait worked slowly

If none of those work, I will generally go in the opposite direction and downsize.  Go with a smaller compact jig and trailer, or a finesse worm on a shakey head.  Again, both worked slowly.

[kLuo]

most everything you mentioned is top water with the exception of a few mid level lures. With a high of 60 degrees in a body of water that small, the water has probably cooled off a lot and the fish may be starting to shut down and stay deep.

Basically, I would be fishing the bottom and slowly.

Lures:

Large Jig and Large Trailer worked slowly

Large Worm (10+)worked slowly

Creature Bait worked slowly

If none of those work, I will generally go in the opposite direction and downsize. Go with a smaller compact jig and trailer, or a finesse worm on a shakey head. Again, both worked slowly.

Gangley said it perfectly.

[Jason Penn]

No such thing as too much cover.

I didn't say there was too much, so much. The best way I cant think to describe it is like looking for a certain gang in Manhattan. You know they're there, but there's so many buildings, streets and alleys that it makes them very hard to find!

[Carrington]

try finnesse techniques like drop shotting and shakeyhead.

[senile1]

From your description of this very small pond the baitfish of choice is probably Bluegill or sunfish. You can bet they feed on crayfish also. If your highs are only hitting 60 regularly the water is probably cool, possibly in the high 40s to 50s depending on how cool it is getting at night. I would fish much slower using cranks, jerkbaits, and spinnerbaits with bluegill colors or chartreuse and blue. I would start at the cuts and points in the pads or weeds and then work my way out to deeper water. If you're not getting bit within 30 minutes, I would be trying a slower presentation like a jig and RageTail craw. Throw it into the cuts and points and let it sit for 10 - 30 seconds. Shake it in place and crawl it, letting it sit for a few seconds now and then between shakes and crawls. Watch your line very closely, because you will often see it moving off without feeling much of anything.  Work your way out to deeper water if there are no bites near the weeds. 

[OHIO]

No such thing as too much cover.

I didn't say there was too much, so much. The best way I cant think to describe it is like looking for a certain gang in Manhattan. You know they're there, but there's so many buildings, streets and alleys that it makes them very hard to find!

Oh my mistake. I like your analogy though.  ;D

[Chris W.]

Got one :-) Slowly with a spinnerbait today a few inches off the bottom. one is good enough for me.

[TrippyJai]

Got one :-) Slowly with a spinnerbait today a few inches off the bottom. one is good enough for me.

You can also try a lipless crankbait fished on the bottom, again as other mentioned, slowest retrieve possible.

[brushhoggin]

  Are you letting your plastics sink and sit? You gotta cast (preferably a bama bug game hog ), then allow it to fall straight down. Crawl that thing slowly along the bottom. Two or three inch increments, and every now and again give it a gentle pop with your wrist.  Be as tedious as your patience will allow.  It should take you five minutes to reel it all the way in. i promise, you'll catch em if you're casting where they are.