Another Year, Still No "fall Bite"

[Preytorien]

I'm beginning to think our lakes, ponds, and rivers don't read BR or any other fishing media available.

 

I've been fishing for about 5 years seriously now, and I still have yet to see a year where my list of fishing bodies of water experience this mythical "fall bite" that's so hot you might as well re-string with piano wire or it'll melt your line.

 

I will go out and maybe catch a few dinks with lipless cranks, some flukes, maybe a buzz, heck I'll try the whole tackle box, but I usually come home with no bites at all. The water is about 50F +/- 2F and I simply have no luck whatsoever.

 

Where are these guys fishing, what are they using, and heck....does it even apply to Indiana? I've noticed these articles tend to be written in regards to waters more south than me.

[Catch and Grease]

Seems like I have the best luck around here when the water is 60-63°, Not very often do I go out and fish are jumping in my boat haha....

[WRB]

I'm beginning to think our lakes, ponds, and rivers don't read BR or any other fishing media available.

 

I've been fishing for about 5 years seriously now, and I still have yet to see a year where my list of fishing bodies of water experience this mythical "fall bite" that's so hot you might as well re-string with piano wire or it'll melt your line.

 

I will go out and maybe catch a few dinks with lipless cranks, some flukes, maybe a buzz, heck I'll try the whole tackle box, but I usually come home with no bites at all. The water is about 50F +/- 2F and I simply have no luck whatsoever.

 

Where are these guys fishing, what are they using, and heck....does it even apply to Indiana? I've noticed these articles tend to be written in regards to waters more south than me.

50 degree water is mid winter to LMB, take a look at my Cosmic Clock and Bass Calendar, it should help you.

Tom

[Preytorien]

Where's the Cosmic Clock and Bass Calendar Tom? Can you put up a link to it?

[jbw252]

http://www.thecasterschronicle.com/resources/the-cosmic-clock-and-bass-behavior/

 

or

 

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/144620-cosmic-clock/

[Choporoz]

......I will go out and maybe catch a few dinks with lipless cranks, some flukes, maybe a buzz, heck I'll try the whole tackle box, but I usually come home with no bites at all. The water is about 50F +/- 2F and I simply have no luck whatsoever.

 

Different waters ..... different fishing, absolutely....but, the three lures you listed would have been low on the list of what I'm going to be throwing between now and 50 degree surface temps.....I expect that this weekend, I'm starting out with med and deep cranks, squarebills, jigs, blades and swim baits.....and then, if slow, I'll probably breakout flukes and the rest....  lol

[hatrix]

You should try a jerkbait with very long pauses. My waters are very cold right now.

[deep]

Man, I can't stop laughing. You're trying to catch fall bass in 50 degree water? (If you think I'm a heartless moron, yes, you're right.) Did you see any surface activity from bass feeding on baitfish? When that stopped, the water turned cold, and the bass went deep.

 

I do have a question though. How exactly are you measuring the water temperature? If you're measuring just the surface temp, acquire a thermometer with a probe, and stuff the probe down the gullet of the next bass you catch to know the temp at the depth the bass are.

 

I also have a suggestion. If the water is really below 55F (where the bass are), then it's winter, and maybe you should concentrate more on the main lake structures (not cover) in the lower third (the third closer to the dam) of the reservoir.

 

Good luck.

[Bluebasser86]

We had a 21.18lb 5 fish limit on jigs, bladed jigs, and sqarebills yesterday. Not lots of fish but great quality. The shot at big fish is why I like the fall. Our biggest fish was my biggest of the year so far at 5.89.

[Chris S]

We had a 21.18lb 5 fish limit on jigs, bladed jigs, and sqarebills yesterday. Not lots of fish but great quality. The shot at big fish is why I like the fall. Our biggest fish was my biggest of the year so far at 5.89.

Nice to see the bite at Hillsdale pick up!!!! LOL  

[Bluebasser86]

Nice to see the bite at Hillsdale pick up!!!! LOL

I've been there 5 times this year and caught 3 bass. Already waved the white flag to that lake for the year.

[Sam]

Suggestions:

1.  Slow down.

2.  Fish on the bottom.

3.  Throw plastics as the bass are not in a mood to chase a moving bait.

4.  Throw to one target many times, with 10 casts from one direction the minimum.

5.  Try to "slim down" your baits.

6.  If "slimming down your baits" does not work try to "bulk up your baits."

7.  Remember, the bass want the food to come to them; not them going to the food.

8.  Try a  green pumpkin 1/4 or 3/8 jig with a small trailer in green pumpkin. Move it like a crawfish. Move it s-l-o-w.

9.  Try a Carolina Rig with a lizard or brush hog. Drag it s-l-o-w on the bottom and let it sit between drags for about 15 to 20 seconds.

10. Hit all structure you can find, even a stickup.

11. Fish deeper. Back off the bank and fish the ends of the points, rocks, grass lines, humps and drop-offs.

 

Let us know how you do.

[Comfortably Numb]

I also have always failed in the fall. Problem is finding the fish. I am a bank beater and they wont be there (well some will always be shallow but usually small bass).

 

I try where others say they should be in deeper water. creek channels, points, humps, etc up to 25'. I can mark fish but try everything in my box with no luck. I even video game fish and put drop shots, spoons, blades, jigs, etc on their nose. 

[Chris S]

I've been there 5 times this year and caught 3 bass. Already waved the white flag to that lake for the year.

Whats funny is I use to fish there all the time for Whites and Walleye, we didnt go there once this year.

[Preytorien]

I think it mostly amounts to how I need to up my game. I'm at that point in my fishing addiction where I've got to start taking it to the next level and figuring out how to catch fish in more than just spring and summer.

 

Add to the fact that it's already getting cold here, and that I'm usually bank restricted about 80% of the time, it's more than frusturating trying to figure out where to get em

[GANGGREEN]

I agree with the others.  In my experience, the really great shallow water fishing that occurs during early fall is very short-lived and I usually miss it because I'm busy at this time of year.  What follows can last quite a bit longer but it's much harder to find in my waters as the bass begin schooling and going deep.  I prefer fishing for smallmouth over largemouth in the fall of the year but I've had days where I absolutely pounded one big smallie after another.  The problem is that you may go hours without a bite before finally zooming in, finding them and then catching a bunch of them.  Good luck in your quest.

[Paul Roberts]

GANGGREEN says it well.

 

The fall turn-on is a result of falling water temps that bring lots of prey fish into the shallows and activate bass. In shad-based fisheries, shad tend to come up into the cooling creek arms at this time. Seems the hotter the late summer the better the cool down bite. It happens when it happens. I've seen "summer" stretch well into September.

 

Then... as temps cool further, preyfish and bass move back out. In vegetated waters shallow weeds die back and bass will collect at remaining green weeds out deeper. One of the best times of year for large bass since they are now exposed and collected up. But finding consolidating fish is your first order of business.

 

As you can imagine, lure types change across this time.

[WRB]

Lake classification is another factor to consider, you can't fish in the back of creek arms if the lake doesn't have them! Can't find the shad if the lake doesn't have them.

Most of what is published relates to mid west hill land and high land impoundments that have creek arms and shad. Natural lakes and most smaller reservoirs don't have creek arms and if it's cold enough to snow most of these lake don't have a shad population.

The fall is also signaled by shorter days and vegetation turning green to brown. When you see vegetation shift in color, the critters that live there leave...bass are predators that eat critters, no food they leave.

Divide the main lake basin into 1/3rd, fish the middle area and work towards the deepest areas toward a dam if the lake has one.

Determine what the bass are eating and use lures that work good at the depth the bass and prey are located.

Trial and error, fast or slow, just go fishing and enjoy the challenge.

Tom

[hoosierbass07]

I'm beginning to think our lakes, ponds, and rivers don't read BR or any other fishing media available.

 

I've been fishing for about 5 years seriously now, and I still have yet to see a year where my list of fishing bodies of water experience this mythical "fall bite" that's so hot you might as well re-string with piano wire or it'll melt your line.

 

I will go out and maybe catch a few dinks with lipless cranks, some flukes, maybe a buzz, heck I'll try the whole tackle box, but I usually come home with no bites at all. The water is about 50F +/- 2F and I simply have no luck whatsoever.

 

Where are these guys fishing, what are they using, and heck....does it even apply to Indiana? I've noticed these articles tend to be written in regards to waters more south than me.

 

 

 

  I'm with you on this.  I'm starting to think this "fall bite" is a fishing consumer myth - created just to keep us fisherman buying lures, etc...   I watch Youtube videos of fall fishing but they seem all recorded in October and on great fisheries.  I worked nearly all days during October with only Sundays off because of overtime so I didn't get out much.  But when I did I didn't find any increase of bass.  In fact it seems worse than summer.  Now it's November and now the national news first story is another cold weather blast hitting the mid west this weekend.  Oh, I'm sure if you go to a great fishery then there might be a fall bite.  But what about your every day small pond/strip pit pond/small lake?  

[Comfortably Numb]

Prob in my Virginia lake is the small shad are eaten up and only 12"+ are left

[gulfcaptain]

Just got back home from working in the Gulf of Mexico for a month and found surface temps here in S.Cal ponds I fish in the high 60's/low 70's (afternoon).  Guess we just had our first cold weather front come thru last weekend, but the fall topwater bite is on now.  Be it later in the afternoon (brite sunny days in the 80's) and in the dying shallow grass.  Fish are all over the frog in the afternoon, and managed to pick a nice fish up on the punch jig in the earlier days fishing the grass that is still green and heathy.  Need to watch temp's to target the fall feed pattern. Watch the temps, when the water drops from summer time temps say 76-85 down to 65-70 the fish will turn on.  I'll throw a topwater up until the water hits the low 60's. One of the most useful tools you can have fishing is a thermometer.  I fish ponds from shore and always have one on me to check water temps just to get a good idea what activity level the fish may be in.

[Paul Roberts]

Lake classification is another factor to consider, you can't fish in the back of creek arms if the lake doesn't have them! Can't find the shad if the lake doesn't have them.

Most of what is published relates to mid west hill land and high land impoundments that have creek arms and shad. Natural lakes and most smaller reservoirs don't have creek arms and if it's cold enough to snow most of these lake don't have a shad population.

...

The fall turn-on occurs on my bluegill-based waters too. These waters also lack creek arms. But there is a strong shallow bite that appears to be associated with the fall in temps. These fish can be very shallow. Buzzbaits, topwaters, lipless, swimjigs are all favorites. I keep a rod dedicated to a buzzbait at that time. Sun angle is low enough by then that I don't need a surface ripple.

 

It's no myth. But... you gotta be there. As GG mentioned, it (the initial cool-down) can be short-lived.

 

Later in the fall, when things have cooled further, I've done well around dead vegetation by gliding swim jigs on the outside edges in shallow vegetated ponds. Interestingly, through the summer the bass would be IN and over those beds, and SBs and plastics ruled. After the weeds died, and turned brown and slimy, the bass would drop to the outside edge and suspend there. It appeared that bluegills were exposed due to the dying weeds and bass were making good. With the cooler and open water, swim jigs fished in glides and falls worked great. It was a strong pattern. On larger deeper waters, the bass and ‘gills, and anglers too, move out with stable water and live weeds.

 

Stuff to chew on. Keep at it.

[Missourifishin]

My problem is wondering what the hell happened to fall?? Last year I was still doing well this time of year, and even several weeks later. I wasn't catching a ton of fish, but I was catching enough, and more importantly a high percentage of them were quality fish.

This year I got really busy around late August and I'm just now getting time to get out here and there. Problem is that we seem to have gone from summer to winter in the blink of an eye. And the few decent days we have are never the days I have time to fish. I had high hopes to get out for a couple hours this afternoon, but the wind was insane.

[Preytorien]

My problem is wondering what the hell happened to fall?? Last year I was still doing well this time of year, and even several weeks later. I wasn't catching a ton of fish, but I was catching enough, and more importantly a high percentage of them were quality fish.

This year I got really busy around late August and I'm just now getting time to get out here and there. Problem is that we seem to have gone from summer to winter in the blink of an eye. And the few decent days we have are never the days I have time to fish. I had high hopes to get out for a couple hours this afternoon, but the wind was insane.

 

That's true too, it went from decent temps to awful in a short period of time. Let's just hope the same will apply in March....straight from the 40's to 60's!

[mrmacwvu1]

Get in a treestand with a bow. Bring up bass resource and read about fishing while you wait on a deer.