Help Figuring It Out

[HEEF]

Alright, so I need some help figuring a fall pattern out at my favorite mountain lake  in the hills of North Central WV. We're having an Indian summer right now and I'm trying to squeeze the last good fishing days out best I can. I drug my kayak up to the lake last night and started fishing with a white willow leaf spinner bait, square bill crankbait and a green pumpkin tube. I headed to the north west end of the lake where the creek lets in. I was trolling with the squarebill out one side and spinner bait out the other. Long story short I only ended up catching one 13 1/2" on spinnerbait and 9" on square. I went up the creek and tried the tube and then a worm. I could see the fish but they weren't having it.

 

What I also did see was lizards/knutes swimming in the water. The weren't eating those either.

 

I need help figuring out how to target these fish for the fall. The water temp is low 50's right now. There are steep drop offs on the east side and tall grass/cattails all around the lake. All spring and summer I was killing them on rubber worm t-rig and top water. Can you give me some ideas please!!!

[Bluebasser86]

Low 50 degree temps and it sounds like the water is clear if you can see them, I'd be fishing a suspending jerkbait. 

[Catch and Grease]

Maybe try working a jig slow

[HEEF]

Thanks for the suggestions fellas. I really appreciate it. Not a huge fan of the jig. I'd rather slow roll a spinnerbait, but I need to learn the jig fishing better.

 

Keep the suggestions coming please.

[Sam]

Water temp in the 50's means they are getting set for winter and probably don't want to expend a lot of energy for a meal.

 

All I can suggest to add to the above posts is to fish plastics s-l-o-w on the bottom. Even throw a Carolina rig with a lizard, brush hog or a trick worm.

 

Senkos may work, too.

 

Are you fishing the sunny side of the lake?  The bass will go to the sunny side (north and west) for the warmer water.

 

The jig suggestion is excellent. Start throwing a jig and make notes every time you use it so you can note when and where the bass hit it and all the conditions surrounding the strike.

 

And the jerkbait idea is also a good one.  You may want to move the jerkbait fast but let it sit for a few seconds before moving it again.

 

Shaky head presentations with a Zoom Trick Worm may also produce some positive results.

 

The problem you will face is finding the bait and presentation of the day.

 

Wish I could give you one definite answer but we are discussing bass fishing and those little green devils can drive you crazy.

[kikstand454]

I agree with all of the above and I personally would be throwing a suspending jerkbait most of the day and a jig the rest.

[HEEF]

I'll be heading out to the lake in a few hours. I'll for sure be tying on an X-rap and a jig and posting up on the sunny side of the lake to see how it goes. Its 77 degrees here today, so maybe that'll get the fish more excited. Thanks for the help so far guys. I'll let you know what happens

[primetime]

I think the key to Clear water fishing and also cold/fall fishing with all the above mentioned techniques is the Line you are using. I try to avoid using straight braid in the fall and if I use braid, I use a long Flurocarbon leader and I try to use Fluoro as light as possible, and I use my spinning rods and reels more than any other time and if I can use 6-8lb test I find I get alot more strikes.....Especially when fishing a tube or worm as fish are line shy and will often strike a bait presented on 8lb fluoro when they pass on 12lb test....

 

Also, covering water is a great idea as you mentioned with trolling, and another good way is to chuck and fish a lipless crankbait fast to find active fish, and color seems to matter more than usuall in the fall, and gold or chrome is a good start, and so is size. Often a 3/4 oz matches forrage better in the fall as shad and panfish are larger as they matured all year, so a larger size is a good lure to try and it will cast further, and rip through weeds easier and I would try one that is silent as well if your favorite lipless cranks are not getting bit...

 

Once you find the fish, and that is half the battle, slow down with the split shot rig and a small 4" worm or a tube like you mentioned as I find the tube is a great bait all year round and sometimes an unpegged light 3/16 oz weight helps trigger reaction strikes on the fall as it spirals...Experiment with color and size, but if you don't like fluorocarbon, then I would go with a clear nylon monofilament or copoly and P-line CXX is kind of translucent under water with the fluoro coating compared to others, but I have not tried them all, but that line as well as 4lb yo-zuri Hybrid in clear is a good choice as 4lb is really 10lb in breaking strength..

 

Here in Florida, I rarely go lighter than 15lb test on casting gear, or 50lb braid during spring and summer,but in fall I will drop down to spinning gear and will go 8lb fluoro if I feel I have open water as I am convinced downsizing line is often the key to catching and not catching and have had fish turn down my lures on 10lb test, only to put the same lure on 8lb test and start getting bit...Worth a try, but if in heavy cover, I still would take 17-20lb fluoro over any braid in clear water, or even 20lb mono in clear. I know their is debate on color vs. diameter, but unless fishing slow in stained water, I am convinced fluoro or if you just don't like fluoro (I hated it until this year) I always did well with triple fish camo line which is green/brown/purple colored and it is tough for fish to see in any water color, and they make a good reliable line that is inexpensive as they are an OEM which makes alot of the lines we all use anyhow, kind of like Pinnacle or Silstar which used to be primarily an OEM for other Companies and never marketed their own products...Triple Fish is very inexpensive and when I first heard about it as it is popular here in the Tampa FLorida area for saltwater guys, I was scared to use it as it is a fraction of the price of other lines, but you can trust it to be reliable and Camo line is also a good  leader choice.

[primetime]

If you find hard bottom, football jig and zoom critter craw or 4" grub or twin tai grub fished slow....If you have steep drop offs, fish may be suspended and if you do not have any electronics on your Kayak, and I don't have any on mine, I will rig my favorite finesse worms on a darter head jig as the darter head is a great jighead instead of a standard ballhead for soft baits when fish suspend.....

[roadwarrior]

Topwater

Jerkbaits

Square bill crankbaits

Rage Structure Bug

[gulfcaptain]

I would look for the steep walls/banks that have deep water close by.  The fish don't have to move much except up or down and a 1/4 to 3/8 oz finesse jig with a small trailer.  I like the tiny paca chunks for 1/4 oz and the next size up for the other jigs.  Jerkbaits in the same area would more then likely produce.  Look for transitions on the bank...small rock to bigger, brush to rock.  And note where each fish you catch come from.  And I would probably look into late morning/afternoon and fish the sunny side where they can move up and sun themselves.  Also late afternoon you may get a topwater bite.  Had a great topwater bite in a pond one year in OK on Thanksgiving during an indian summer.  Also, look for the baitfish, if you find them odds are the bass and other predators aren't far behind.

[Montanaro]

What lake? Mason? I'm from morgantown.