Fall Fishing, Grass Edge or in the Thick of it

[dtag31]

Living in the Pennsylvania, the fall transition is upon us as we head into the fall fishing season. I've done historically average on a season that is supposed to be incredible for fall bass feeding up before winter. I feel like everything I watch is moving baits and fast action, but I have not had much luck on my pressured lake with a very limited number of "creek channels."

 

My lake has a good amount of grass that grows to 5ft (1-1.5ft of water visibility). In general, do you catch the majority of your fall bass chasing baitfish in the the middle of grass flats, flipping into the thick of it. Or, are you running quicker baits and flipping the very outside of grass edges? I am struggling to understand if I should be tearing down grass edges, or plunking into the middle of thick grass. 

[@reelChris]

I'm starting to learn that whatever the youtube superstars say, the opposite generally works better on pressured lakes.  If I were you I'd stick to what worked a few weeks ago.  

[TcRoc]

lol.. watching a YouTube video on fall transition now. I’m pa too. Ultimately it’s about the bait fish.. find them you’ll find the bass.  If god graces me to hit my main I fish in next week .. I know where I’m going .. shallow schooled up bait fish .. tossing a frog … A Lot. 
Just Hoping I get out 

[WRB]

What is your water temps about 3’-5’ below the surface? 

Fall to bass isn’t about fall to humans. It’s about the core water temps dropping below 68 degrees. Green aquatic plant growth changing from green to shades of brown. Bait Fish leaving to aquatic growth and migrating. This is fall transition to bass.

Tom

[ironbjorn]

The next 4 days in my area of Indiana is 85*F, 90*F, 90*F, and 89*F. 

 

Philly shows 88, 88, 88, 91, 87...

 

What fall transition?

[Tatsu Dave]

I fish as water temps drop into and thru the sixties with established structure and current breaks, watch for fish activity pushing baitfish schools. Fish along whats left of pad line edges or floating large mats of break free weed masses (can be real productive, floating cover and shade). Our best and most consistent success now is rocky bottom area as the bass feed heavy on crawfish LM and SM both are hitting them hard. The algae is going and washing away now so areas that were choked out are now open and allowing crawfish baits to be seen. 

We have a stretch we call SM alley, unfishable during summer with algae but now open and producing school size smalley's steady (up to 2 1/2lbs). Larger SM are there but keyed on wood-stickups-logs-and even rock outcroppings that provide ambush spots(larger solitary fish) these are my favorites to go after. They don't move constantly like the schools. Monday and tuesday should be good fishing up here if you can get out.   Good Fishing 

[scaleface]

Lakes are different and so is vegetation . I can only comment about the stuff I encountered .

 

  Its just like the rest of the year . One day its all about the edges and the next time they are in the  thick of it . Some times both . Its not a very far swim from the edge to inside .

[GaryH]

5 hours ago, ironbjorn said:

The next 4 days in my area of Indiana is 85*F, 90*F, 90*F, and 89*F. 

 

Philly shows 88, 88, 88, 91, 87...

 

What fall transition?

All depends what part of Pa he’s in. It’s 46* at my place right now. But the vegetation is still green.  Our change over is still a couple weeks away. 

[WRB]

Bass are cold blooded, it’s water temps not air.

Tom

[Captain Phil]

Here in Central Florida, what we call Fall comes in two parts.  September and October are mostly an extension of Summer.  It's the rainy season and the lakes are high.  This puts the fish deep into cover making flipping productive.  Some of the biggest bass I have caught have been caught flipping in late August and September. As soon as the first significant cool front comes through, everything changes.   Bait fish school up and bass start to feed more actively.  This is spinnerbait and rattle trap time.  This continues until early December when there is a pause just before the spawn.  The timing may be different, but your patterns should be similar.  

[GetFishorDieTryin]

11 hours ago, ironbjorn said:

The next 4 days in my area of Indiana is 85*F, 90*F, 90*F, and 89*F. 

 

Philly shows 88, 88, 88, 91, 87...

 

What fall transition?

It was 53 last night, which is probably the coolest its been in since May.  Night time temps and shorter days is what gets the fish to transition here.  It usually starts late August or early Sept and really starts to pick up as the nights get cooler.

[GetFishorDieTryin]

It seems like the majority of fish around here start to favor hard cover as the amount of healthy grass decreases.  You can still catch fish in grass, but dont waste too much time dying grass look for the brighter colored healthy grass.  I usually fish the outside of it from a distance with a moving bait that wont snag up and blow the spot out like a swim jig.  As I work my way closer Ill pick it apart from the outside first with a T rig or flipping jig.  

[TcRoc]

13 hours ago, ironbjorn said:

The next 4 days in my area of Indiana is 85*F, 90*F, 90*F, and 89*F. 

 

Philly shows 88, 88, 88, 91, 87...

 

What fall transition?

There has been a water temp change here.. past week was mid 70’s high temps and low 50’s at night.. couple nights upper 40’s .. sure it’s warming Back this week but still dropping to the 60’s at night.. fall transition is starting here . 

[Bankbeater]

Water temps here are still in the upper 70's.  It cooled down a little earlier in the week and then heated right back up.  The slight cool down really didn't do that much to the water temps.  Bass are either in the vegetation or cruising around it looking for a meal.

[keagbassr]

Punch it til its gone. 

[papajoe222]

I take two things into consideration in the fall, which doesn't officially arrive here for a couple of weeks. The first is water temp. as the off shore fish don't begin the move to shallow structure until the water temps drop into the 60's. More importantly, to the OP's question, is the weeds. Green weeds give off oxygen and as long as they stay green, the fish will be in, or around them. In that situation, conditions will dictate whether to fish the edges for active fish, or to dive into the mats for neutral or negative fish. 

If the weeds are brown, both the baitfish and the bass will abandon them in search for other cover. Dead weeds use oxygen rather than produce it which can deplete the oxygen to levels too low for active fish. We either search out weeds that are still green and will hold baitfish, or follow the baitfish which will likely seek out brush, wood, or rocks.

[padon]

im in PA also but fish mostly northern maryland. anyway the fish can be on the edges or buried in. its different every day and throughout the day. generally in low light you can fish faster baits on the edges.The more sun and less wind you get the more likely the fish are to be IN the grass, flip punch etc. also as always look for the greener healthier grass. also i dont find thet the fish really start to push baitfish hard until the water gets below 65 or so.

[Catt]

21 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

Dead weeds use oxygen rather than produce it which can deplete the oxygen to levels too low for active fish.

 

This is absolutely true & it's a little early to think about winter.

 

Once the grass is completley 

It will hold heat & attract bass.

[HookInMouth]

Southwest PA here. Home lake is 68*. 

[Bankc]

Follow the baitfish is how I fish in the fall.  Wherever they go, I go.  Unlike the rest of the year, in the fall I'm not looking at depth, structure, cover, etc.  I'm just looking for baitfish.  If they're deep in the weeds, I'm deep in the weeds.  If they're in the middle of the lake in open water, I'm in the middle of the lake in open water.  I watch my graph, the birds, and the surface of the water.  

 

[gunsinger]

Same as above.  I'm really not looking at structure or depth (other than hunting bait balls).  Wherever I see baitfish schooling is where I am going to fish.  Feeding birds are a great indicator for me.

[PressuredFishing]

On 9/10/2021 at 6:33 PM, dtag31 said:

Living in the Pennsylvania, the fall transition is upon us as we head into the fall fishing season. I've done historically average on a season that is supposed to be incredible for fall bass feeding up before winter. I feel like everything I watch is moving baits and fast action, but I have not had much luck on my pressured lake with a very limited number of "creek channels."

 

My lake has a good amount of grass that grows to 5ft (1-1.5ft of water visibility). In general, do you catch the majority of your fall bass chasing baitfish in the the middle of grass flats, flipping into the thick of it. Or, are you running quicker baits and flipping the very outside of grass edges? I am struggling to understand if I should be tearing down grass edges, or plunking into the middle of thick grass. 

 

Depends on the lake, here in socal it's still basically summer, however up in Pennsylvania it may be different. Water temp? Also is grass dying, if so Look for the lively grass patches, if nothing has changed fish the summer pattern, if your struggling to find healthy grass and its already pretty cold fish hard structure like Bush piles, wood, and rock. 

[Captain Phil]

On Monday, Harris Chain water was 84 degrees with air temps in the low 90s.  Can't wait for some cooler air....  ?

[Spankey]

On 9/11/2021 at 2:05 AM, ironbjorn said:

The next 4 days in my area of Indiana is 85*F, 90*F, 90*F, and 89*F. 

 

Philly shows 88, 88, 88, 91, 87...

 

What fall transition?

Surface water temps Sat. & Sun. 75 deg at 6:00 am. 
 

Transition may be on. Don’t know. Caught fish at 7-8 feet of water Saturday. Yesterday was brutal wind. Mother Nature got the best of me yesterday. I can’t fish in that. And She knows it. 
 

We have more rain moving back in this week. No idea how much. Cooler temps to follow. Most likely not enough to nose dive water temps. Can’t talk transitions or turnovers because I don’t know much about them. I just try to hunt them and fish for them. Grass and Lilly pads have not been the ticket for me. I’m fishing stone drop offs. 

[the reel ess]

I'm noticing far fewer bass in the weeds. Where I am catching a few in the weeds, they're very near deep water. I suspect they're dying out, even if they don't look like it yet. Thus, I suspect they aren't putting off oxygen at the same rate. 'The weeds" to me is lilies. That's what we have.