Looked everywhere, still can't find it

[Preytorien]

I've seen a few in my same situation. We hear about this "hot fall bite" but seems like we never can find it. In my waters the fish have just simply shut off completely. We've had semi-cool days (50's-60's), and cool nights (30's-40's). Water temps are in the 60's. But the last 4 trips I've taken have resulted in one fish each, and those are on waters I can regularly pull 8-10hr on a bad day from. I can't find the bite. No bait, no technique, no location change has resulted in any different. Water is crystal clear, and I don't even see any fish at all, nothing cruising the banks, nothing busting baitfish. It's like they all packed up and moved south for the winter.

 

For you bank walkers like me, any ideas? Where's the fall bite?

[Wizzlebiz]

I spent about a week down at lake berryessa.  What I found from the bank is you need to find the coves where the bass have back the bait fish into. Once I found the water popping in these coves I began catchig fish. 

 

They were not cruising the banks that is for sure. 

[fishballer06]

Our bank bite here was HOT two weeks ago. But the last two weeks our highs have been between 50-60, with nights getting down in the mid to upper 30's. Now this week, we had two straight days of rain, followed by a solid 24 hours of rain three days after that rainfall. Now it seems like all our fish have left the bank/weeds and moved onto their offshore winter homes for the year. It's a sad day for walking the banks of bigger bodies of water. 

[WRB]

Not being a bank pounder from the shore or from a boat my suggestion is move to where the bass are located in deeper water. Unless you are fishing a natural lake there is a dam, fish that area.

Tom

[The Bassman]

I'm in your neck of the woods so maybe I can shed some light. I fish HOA lakes near my house on the SE side and around Carmel. What I'm finding is they're either on or off, little middle ground. After Saturday's rain I did real well (15 or so in a couple of hours with four around three lbs.) This afternoon I struggled to catch four 12-15 inchers. For me some wind really enhances the bite. I seem to do better this time of year with reaction baits like lipless cranks. Calm water means finesse tactics and sometimes can be painfully slow. I do much better when consistently cold weather kicks in. Hope this helps.

 

Had one afterthought. You mentioned a lack of activity. Your fish might be in a turnover mode if you deal with deeper water. The ponds I fish are mostly under ten ft. deep. My gut feeling is that after this weekend (we're going below freezing probably) we might have our usual Nov. warmup (trying to be positive here). Might kick off some great fishing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TnRiver46]

I can barely catch them from a boat right now. My photo archives suggest fall is normally good but somehow I did better in summer this year. Winter has always been best once I learned it was possible . 

[JediAmoeba]

The weather this fall has been awful in the northeast.  We went from 90's to 30's with rain and cold.  We didn't have enough stable weather patterns so the temps dropped like a rock.  

 

Most of the water temps are below 50 now when they were upper 70's a month ago. 

[Preytorien]

12 hours ago, The Bassman said:

I'm in your neck of the woods so maybe I can shed some light. I fish HOA lakes near my house on the SE side and around Carmel. What I'm finding is they're either on or off, little middle ground. After Saturday's rain I did real well (15 or so in a couple of hours with four around three lbs.) This afternoon I struggled to catch four 12-15 inchers. For me some wind really enhances the bite. I seem to do better this time of year with reaction baits like lipless cranks. Calm water means finesse tactics and sometimes can be painfully slow. I do much better when consistently cold weather kicks in. Hope this helps.

 

Had one afterthought. You mentioned a lack of activity. Your fish might be in a turnover mode if you deal with deeper water. The ponds I fish are mostly under ten ft. deep. My gut feeling is that after this weekend (we're going below freezing probably) we might have our usual Nov. warmup (trying to be positive here). Might kick off some great fishing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yep we're pretty close here. I'm going to give it a shot tonight. Wife's visiting her mother to plan Thanksgiving events, so I'm hitting their HOA pond for a while. I think we have some light wind and overcast skies in store, I'm going to give the lipless cranks a shot. Heck, I'll probably throw everything in my box at them until something clicks. Ha!

[The Bassman]

6 hours ago, Preytorien said:

Yep we're pretty close here. I'm going to give it a shot tonight. Wife's visiting her mother to plan Thanksgiving events, so I'm hitting their HOA pond for a while. I think we have some light wind and overcast skies in store, I'm going to give the lipless cranks a shot. Heck, I'll probably throw everything in my box at them until something clicks. Ha!

Pretty calm this afternoon. I just got home and will get out shortly. Gonna start with plastics unless the wind kicks up. Good luck.

[WRB]

Fall tournover turns the bite off about 2 weeks until the systems stabilizes. 

I didn't bring up the tournover because the OP stated the water was clear, a turnover creates a mess with bottom debris floating and smells like sulphur, it's usually obvious when it occurs.

Good point Bassman.

Tom

[Preytorien]

7 hours ago, The Bassman said:

Pretty calm this afternoon. I just got home and will get out shortly. Gonna start with plastics unless the wind kicks up. Good luck.

Well they made a liar out of me. Water was muddy from the rain and high but falling. Worked a number 2 gold bladed spinner and ended up catching exactly 20 fish in about 90 minutes. Nothing big enough to even break out my scale, but it was fun doing that. 
I wouldn’t say I’ve strung enough of these kinds of nights together enough to call it a trend, but it sure was fun.

[JustJames]

On 10/28/2019 at 4:11 PM, The Bassman said:

For me some wind really enhances the bite. I seem to do better this time of year with reaction baits like lipless cranks.

Totally agree, two days ago it got so windy here in SoCal, I went out with lipless crank, 1/4oz RES to be exact, and got about 6-7 hook up but land only 3.

 

Today got only one about 3 lb but I spent most of the time searching for crappie. On the way back to lamp, I saw a whole bunch of shad in middle of the lake and a bigger fish seem to be crappie around them.

[Sam]

Fishing ponds in Delaware while visiting my son and his family and so far:

Caught 9 along a grass bank in one pond on Senkos and YUM Dingers and caught just one along the grass bank of another pond on a Senko while waiting to pick up the kids from school and was fishing the pond next to the bus stop before the bus arrived.

 

Then caught three, with one being around 4 pounds, in a third pond, and yes, it was along the grass line on a YUM Dinger.

 

So if I go out again it will be Senkos or YUM Dingers along the grass lines until that bite stops.

 

Go out and hit the grass lines along the bank with your weedless plastics.

[Dens228]

Last year the fall bite for me started when the water temps got around 50 and the water was clear. 

I was out Saturday and the water was still 53 and still a bit murky.  Weather permitting I'm hoping this Saturday or Sunday is the day. 

 

My best fall day was November 8th last year........

[WRB]

When the core water temps go lower then 55 degrees the bass are in the cold water period or winter, it's your fall not theirs.

Tom

[5/0]

On 10/28/2019 at 12:48 PM, Wizzlebiz said:

I spent about a week down at lake berryessa.  What I found from the bank is you need to find the coves where the bass have back the bait fish into. Once I found the water popping in these coves I began catchig fish. 

 

They were not cruising the banks that is for sure. 

Looks like you spend a lot of time at Berryessa. Got a question for you. Where exactly is the area known as The Vineyard? I really should know this, but it's been years since I've fished there. 

[plawren53202]

Really glad to read this thread.  I have been experiencing this exact situation on my HOA pond that I fish all the time.  Fish hitting like gangbusters until the first really cold spell (highs in 40s, lows in upper 20s) hit about a week and a half ago.  Fished twice this weekend, couple hours each time, had maybe one or two bites and none caught.  I tried everything I could think of, wide range of baits, tactics and colors, both reaction and finesse tactics.

 

Makes sense that the bite may pick up a little after things stabilize.  This is the first year I have fished this pond so I don't have past seasons' experience to compare.  On top of the temperature change, it doesn't help that the only structure/cover in the pond, weeds at one end, are dying off.  Most of the pond is like a fishbowl, absolutely no weeds, cover or structure of any type.  Two or three weeks ago I was still catching a bunch of them by throwing a weightless Texas rigged fluke into the weeds, dragging it out and letting it drop at the edge.  But either the temperature change, the weeds dying or both put an end to that.

[The Bassman]

7 minutes ago, plawren53202 said:

Really glad to read this thread.  I have been experiencing this exact situation on my HOA pond that I fish all the time.  Fish hitting like gangbusters until the first really cold spell (highs in 40s, lows in upper 20s) hit about a week and a half ago.  Fished twice this weekend, couple hours each time, had maybe one or two bites and none caught.  I tried everything I could think of, wide range of baits, tactics and colors, both reaction and finesse tactics.

 

Makes sense that the bite may pick up a little after things stabilize.  This is the first year I have fished this pond so I don't have past seasons' experience to compare.  On top of the temperature change, it doesn't help that the only structure/cover in the pond, weeds at one end, are dying off.  Most of the pond is like a fishbowl, absolutely no weeds, cover or structure of any type.  Two or three weeks ago I was still catching a bunch of them by throwing a weightless Texas rigged fluke into the weeds, dragging it out and letting it drop at the edge.  But either the temperature change, the weeds dying or both put an end to that.

Welcome to the forums. Your weather description pretty closely matches the OP's and mine. Let us know where you are and that'll help us compare notes.

[plawren53202]

25 minutes ago, The Bassman said:

Welcome to the forums. Your weather description pretty closely matches the OP's and mine. Let us know where you are and that'll help us compare notes.

Missouri...so Midwest like you and the OP.

[The Bassman]

59 minutes ago, plawren53202 said:

Missouri...so Midwest like you and the OP.

I fish a lot of ponds like you described. Ned rig is very effective now and throughout the cold water period (Other times as well. Vegetation can be problematic unless you use a weedless slider type head then.)

[FishTank]

I live in central Indiana (Indianapolis) and the bite has been slow for me as well but the fish I have caught have been slow to bite and deep.  Instead of big hits, they have been slowly gulping lures.  The key I think is to get them to hold and set the hook as soon as you feel something.  I found the ned rig, senkos and big slow crankbaits have been the most effective but fished really slow, maybe a 2-3 minute cast.  

 

Out on the water there has been very little next to the bank.  I have been finding fish maybe 40-50 feet away from shore near channels and bridges and maybe 15-20 feet deep.  Tubes and deep crankbaits have been working.

 

 

[Wizzlebiz]

8 hours ago, 5/0 said:

Looks like you spend a lot of time at Berryessa. Got a question for you. Where exactly is the area known as The Vineyard? I really should know this, but it's been years since I've fished there. 

Tbh this is the 1st ive heard of it. I generally go to capel cove or oak shores. I will have to do some research and get back to you.