Fall

[TnRiver46]

10 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Absolutely, and I was trying to find a guide last year as I sold my big bass boat a few years back.   I used to fish below wheeler dam with live threadfin, HOLY COW you'd have you arm broken by either a huge Smallie, or Drum seemingly every drift.   

 

Know any good guides?

 

As for what I look forward to or associate the fall with fishing with.......absolute world class Alabama Bass fishing in the finger creeks off Lay Lake.    The big old spots will submerge themselves in the fallen leaves, and then ambush rattling rouges.     Not uncommon to catch a half dozen or more 5lb + Spots in a day.    Then again you can do that most times of the year at Lay Lake.  It's a special lake if you like mean aggressive Spots 

Nathan Martin. There was another named Dave something but I think he is in bad health. He is apparently the man below wheeler

[AlabamaSpothunter]

10 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Nathan Martin. There was another named Dave something but I think he is in bad health. He is apparently the man below wheeler

Awesome, and thanks.     Yeah the guy I went with was named Joe Smith, pretty sure he was legend around those local circles.     Spent a weekend fishing with him and another friend, one of those weekends/fishing trips that gets seared into your very soul.     I remember catching fish I had no idea were in Alabama like Sauger.    Magical fishing place North AL/South TN is.

 

ETA:  just checked out his FB page, holy cow he catches MONSTERS.  Yeah he's the man I need to contact 

[Spankey]

I’ve had many many memorable Columbus Days fishing. Was able to put my dad and father-in-law some nice fish over the years. Both have passed. That’s as cool as catching it yourself.
 

Was never a paid holiday for us. Called in sick every year except if weather had to put it off. More than once I’d be calling in and the freight train would be rolling down the tracks along the river in the back ground. I never missed much time but I had priorities also. 

[Kongming]

IDK, I'm kinda liking summer right now.  Having a lot of success so far, caught over 60 bass this year.  For reference, I only caught 22 last year as a noobie bass angler.  The weather in Chicago has been pretty mild as well.  

[GreenPig]

I'M READY! My wife is ready for me to return to my diurnal state.

[Columbia Craw]

September and October!  As the days get progressively shorter the bite gets better.  On the mid Columbia I throw top water, sometimes all day.  On another deep impoundment, cranking from 10 to 22 feet is really consistent.  Cooling water concentrate bait and bass in the tidal sloughs.  Rip rap time.  Fall is nice.

[Mobasser]

Yep. I love fall. Here in Missouri it's around mid Sept thru Oct, depending on things. I like those " light jacket" days.

[TnRiver46]

I guess I’m on the same weather pattern as @Catt, I won’t need a jacket until Halloween, sometimes not til Christmas 

 

then it’s usually 6-8 inches of snow and zero degrees by new year 

[Jar11591]

Fall bassin always gets me excited. The bass become much more predictable in the lakes I fish, and my average size always goes up in September and October. Not to mention fall means sharing the lake with fewer pleasure boaters. 

[Mobasser]

Another reason why I like fall is that some baits you've tried through the summer without much success can become hot. Good time to try some new things also.

[padon]

11 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Fall is usually one of my toughest times of the year until the water really starts to get cold. 

fall is tricky for me too until the water gets to about 60. from there down to about 50 or so the rattle bait and jerkbait bite can be real good. problem is thats usually about the time the whitetail rut starts heating up.ive tried to not hunt and fish all fall but when those leaves are all turned and we get cold nights and that deacying leaf smell.....i cant help it i have to go to the woods. its almost beyond my control.

[DitchPanda]

Listen I appreciate the cool down and the uptick in bites as much as the next guy...but fall more and winter is close. Up here where I'm at that means 3-5 months of ice lockdown = depression and copious amounts of alcohol plus a bait buying habit that can't be tamed.

[TriStateBassin106]

I'm not ready for fall just yet, but I'm craving that mid September to Mid October bite, I absolutely crush them on the transition period, the bite shuts down though once we get into late october and early november here. The latest in the year I've caught a bass in NJ was a week before Thanksgiving. 

[Catt]

5 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

I guess I’m on the same weather pattern as @Catt, I won’t need a jacket until Halloween, sometimes not til Christmas 

 

then it’s usually 6-8 inches of snow and zero degrees by new year 

 

Jacket for Halloween, back to shorts & a tee shirt for Thanksgiving & a coin toss for Christmas. 

 

Our nastiest weather is January & February.

[TnRiver46]

Just now, Catt said:

 

Jacket for Halloween, back to shorts & a tee shirt for Thanksgiving & a coin toss for Christmas. 

 

Our nastiest weather is January & February.

Yes sir, same here most years. That nastiest weather is when I love fishing the most 

[Catt]

1 minute ago, TnRiver46 said:

Yes sir, same here most years. That nastiest weather is when I love fishing the most 

 

Early pre-spawn ?

[TriStateBassin106]

2 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

Jacket for Halloween, back to shorts & a tee shirt for Thanksgiving & a coin toss for Christmas. 

 

Our nastiest weather is January & February.

February and January are awful here in the northeast, once fishing season ends for me I enjoy the holidays, footballs etc but that two month period after Christmas is just pure dread! 

[TnRiver46]

1 minute ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

February and January are awful here in the northeast, once fishing season ends for me I enjoy the holidays, footballs etc but that two month period after Christmas is just pure dread! 

I was in NYC at Christmas once. Christmas Eve 72 degrees and raining, sweated up a storm walking thru town. Christmas Day, 24 degrees, sunny, and windy. It cut right thru me 

[TriStateBassin106]

33 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I was in NYC at Christmas once. Christmas Eve 72 degrees and raining, sweated up a storm walking thru town. Christmas Day, 24 degrees, sunny, and windy. It cut right thru me 

We always seem to have that one 70 degree day in like January or February up here every year, I remember right before covid 19 hit we had a 72 degree day in mid February 2020, never thought I would be bank fishing a half frozen pond in shorts! 

[roadwarrior]

16 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Know any good guides?

 

https://www.davidallenfishing.com/

[TnRiver46]

27 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

 

https://www.davidallenfishing.com/

Maybe that’s the David I was thinking of 

[MickD]

19 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Fortunately, during a mid-day, super high sun, lunch time RECON mission, I happen to get lucky, real lucky. 

A-Jay, do you remember what the water temp was?  And had it moved from the mid-summer high?  thanks,

[A-Jay]

11 minutes ago, MickD said:

A-Jay, do you remember what the water temp was?  And had it moved from the mid-summer high?  thanks,

For that specific fish, I actually do not. I usually mention it in video because it plays some role. But I was so caught off guard I didn't.  I will say that subsequent trips during that same mid August time frame, have seen temps vary from high 60's to mid 70s.   Weed die back is key as once it starts, bait becomes more vulnerable. 

A-Rig sees a lot of action.

A-Jay 

[Mobasser]

I'm getting excited about fall now, especially after reading through this post.                             

[padlin]

Falls the best for me, temps and water cool off, better bite, stay in bed later, and all my biggest fish have been in the fall. Between fishing, football, the trees, and no bugs, fall is my favorite season, always has been.

 

The down side is I only have till sometime late October before it's too cold for my hands, and the grand kids are back in school and sports start up so they are not available to go.