Frustrating Couple Of Weeks

[BooyahMan]

I was rather excited for September to come this year as last September was when I started to CONSISTENTLY hit frog fish (my favourite type of bass fishing!), and it just got better through October. However, it has been everything but so far. Up until this week I was at least getting strikes every trip on the frog but didn't connect with anything really worth mentioning. I thought it would get better the later into the year it got but this week I've been skunked on both of my trips, and not just with hollow-body frogs. I threw weedless swimbaits, swimming frogs, jigs, worms, buzzbaits...and nothing. I can totally understand not catching fish on a frog; I fish them way more than I should and do get skunked with them more than I care to admit, but the waters just felt empty even after throwing everything I could at them. I'm shore-bound so I'm stuck with fishing (receding) lily pads in 1-5 feet of water, and thus for now I'm stuck with weedless rigs. All my usual haunts aren't producing even though, as I said, they were pretty consistent last year at this time.

 

I'm really hoping it's just a few off days and not indicative of what the Fall bite is going to be like. Not going to lie...I'm a little envious of everyone having a good Fall bite right now haha. 

[Bass newb]

Ive been skunked 5 of 7 of my last trips. Nothing is biting my lines this week or last.

[WIGuide]

Are the water temps similar to last year or are they warmer or cooler? Has the lake been productive the rest of the year? What's the primary forage?

[BooyahMan]

Are the water temps similar to last year or are they warmer or cooler? Has the lake been productive the rest of the year? What's the primary forage?

I don't know for sure as I haven't taken any water temperatures but this year has been a little bit colder than last year. As for the rest of the year, it was decently consistent except for a cold streak I had in June. The only other things in the lake besides the bass are carp, rainbow/cutthroat trout, pumpkinseed, bullhead, and crayfish, so I'm assuming they're feeding on at least one of those right now?

[WIGuide]

I don't know for sure as I haven't taken any water temperatures but this year has been a little bit colder than last year. As for the rest of the year, it was decently consistent except for a cold streak I had in June. The only other things in the lake besides the bass are carp, rainbow/cutthroat trout, pumpkinseed, bullhead, and crayfish, so I'm assuming they're feeding on at least one of those right now?

It's possible that last year there was a bigger hatch of one of those species you listed, and the bass were feeding heavily on those, but this year they aren't as prevalent and their feeding on something else. If the bait isn't hanging around where you are, it's possible that the bass aren't either. It's hard to say for sure though.  

[einscodek]

I really see fall as the #3 season to fish behind Spring and Summer.. esp for bank fishermen.

The fish are all over and change their minds constantly.