when is fall mode over

[darren]

love fishing but with 2 kids dont get out as much as i would like.. got a trip planned on Oct 15 to a strip pit in southern il... my question is at what water temp do you guys generally believe the bass will not be as active like they are in the fall.. the weeklong temps here will be in the mid 60's but mid to upper 40's at night... should l think fall still or slown down and go deep?  thaks...darren

[Grey Wolf]

The water temperature should dictate how you fish. Don't be afraid to throw a crank.

It still should be fall like conditions.

[steezy]

The water temperature should dictate how you fish. Don't be afraid to throw a crank.

It still should be fall like conditions.

It was cool this morning (56 degrees) and I was skeptical about throwing a crank but did it anyway and caught several 2-3 #'ders in 6-8 feet of water.  Cranking also kept me from getting cold but I dont think the fish liked the cold air.  :'(

[tnhiker44]

I would forget all about temperatures and just go fish. Really. I almost always start out first thing in the morning searching the shallows. In all three seasons (hot, warm and cool). But my weather is different than yours... the surface temperatures here are near the 80 degree mark and our low today was 59 degrees. You guys up there actually get four seasons. And ice. And snow. And sub zero wind chills. Brrrrr

Bottom line, I would let the fish dictate your fishing, not the thermometer. If they are not in the shallows then fish deeper. If they won't chase something fast then slow down.

[fishfordollars]

Not sure why you are worried about the slow down in the fall with the water temps in the low 60s. The fish here will kill a trap in 55-57* water. You can't crank it fast enough to get it away from them.

We consider mid 50s water to be prime crankbait(Trap) tempertaure.

Another thing for you guys up north. If you get an early snow with the water temps still on the warmer side try a buzzbait. They will jump all over one when it happens here. I've had it work up in North Alabama to.

Ya'll are worrying way to much about forcing a season.

We have literally killed them at first ice out in the spring to. Break the ice at the ramp and go find an area that allows you to throw a crankbait up at the edge of the ice and you will get bit.

Good luck

[timothy_spain]

yeah, i'm not getting any bites ... been throwing out spinners and cranks too

[RoLo]

In lakes that form a thermocline, the winter period begins after the fall-turnover,

when water temperatures continue falling en masse below 55 degrees.

By mid-winter there's usually a thin layer of water lying on the hypolimnion

that "always" ranges in temperature between 38 and 33 deg F.

Fish behavior is more stable in winter, but unless you live in Florida, you'd wish it were fall again.

Bass in winter eat considerably less, are typically deeper that at any other time of year,

and move considerably slower.

Roger

[Big Phish]

I would forget all about temperatures and just go fish. Really. I almost always start out first thing in the morning searching the shallows. In all three seasons (hot, warm and cool). But my weather is different than yours... the surface temperatures here are near the 80 degree mark and our low today was 59 degrees. You guys up there actually get four seasons. And ice. And snow. And sub zero wind chills. Brrrrr

Bottom line, I would let the fish dictate your fishing, not the thermometer. If they are not in the shallows then fish deeper. If they won't chase something fast then slow down.

I totally agree with this.  In the past I've wasted too much time doing what the fish are supposed  to be doing and not letting them tell me what they are doing.  If they aren't biting just keep changing baits and locations until you figure out whats up.

[done]

I would forget all about temperatures and just go fish. Really. I almost always start out first thing in the morning searching the shallows. In all three seasons (hot, warm and cool). But my weather is different than yours... the surface temperatures here are near the 80 degree mark and our low today was 59 degrees. You guys up there actually get four seasons. And ice. And snow. And sub zero wind chills. Brrrrr

Bottom line, I would let the fish dictate your fishing, not the thermometer. If they are not in the shallows then fish deeper. If they won't chase something fast then slow down.

I totally agree with this. In the past I've wasted too much time doing what the fish are supposed to be doing and not letting them tell me what they are doing. If they aren't biting just keep changing baits and locations until you figure out whats up.

Good point guys. The best days I have had, I have caught fish where and when I was not supposed to.

The rules are really more like guidelines.

[senile1]

In lakes that form a thermocline, the winter period begins after the fall-turnover,

when water temperatures continue falling en masse below 55 degrees.

By mid-winter there's usually a thin layer of water lying on the hypolimnion

that "always" ranges in temperature between 38 and 33 deg F.

Fish behavior is more stable in winter, but unless you live in Florida, you'd wish it were fall again.

Bass in winter eat considerably less, are typically deeper that at any other time of year,

and move considerably slower.

Roger

As Roger states, the bite usually changes after the fall turnover. The water has mixed and the fish can now move to deeper waters below the former thermocline. In my area I usually find the turnover occurs when the water temperature is in the 50 - 55 degree range, depending on the lake.

[Lund Explorer]

In this part of the country, fall fishing ends when there is too much ice at the landing to launch a boat.  Then we call it winter ice fishing.

Fishing a fall pattern up here is probably a lot like yours is in that the fish will first move shallower and become more active during the day.  After the fall turnover, the fish will scatter for a few days, and then the fish, and the bite start to slow and move deeper.

I usually start each day somewhat shallow, or at least at the shallowest depth I've found fish the trip before, and then start to work my way deeper.  A few days of warmer weather sometimes moves the fish back to shallower water, and colder than normal weather drives them deeper.

And my definition of fall turnover.....  This is when the surface water above the thermocline cools to the point where it is colder than the water below that mark.  As warmer water will rise, the water below the thermocline rises and mixes with the surface water.  Prior to this event, the water below the thermocline can be depleted of quite a bit of it's oxygen, which would limit how deep the bass could travel.  Once the water is mixed, the oxygen level is equal throughout the water column which allows the fish to winter over in the deeper water.

And why do fish move deeper when the warmest water rises?  Because up here, water never gets colder than 39 degrees.  Below that temp, it is no longer strictly water.  It slowly transitions into ice, which freezes solid at 32 degrees.  Therefor, water between 32 and 39 degrees rises as it get cooler, just as ice will float.  And most lakes in our region have a winter turnover within a few weeks of solid ice forming.

[RoLo]

Most won't care about the following info, but I offer it to those who might be curious about water's unique behavior.

Water reaches its greatest density and specific gravity at 39.2 degrees F. As a consequence, 39-degree water

will displace water of all other temperatures as it pools in the lake basin. This coldwater store is known as the hypolimnion,

a budget of heavy water that builds in thickness through the winter as more and more water is chilled to 39.3 deg F.

A uniquely peculiar substance, water becomes progressively lighter in weight as its temperature departs In Either Direction

from 39.2 deg. F. Consequently, 33-degree water and 45-degree water both possess similar weight and density

because both are six degrees removed from 39 degrees. As an outgrowth of this phenomenon, water between 33 deg F.

(near ice) and 38 degrees (near hypolimnion) undergo minor winter stratification.

The solid water at the top is called ice, which is 32 deg F. or less. The liquid water just beneath the ice is a thin strata

with rapid temperature change between 33 to 38 deg F. This thin layer of water beneath the ice floats on the hypolimnion,

which is always 39.2 deg F. This layer of water with rapid temperature change resembles a mini summer thermocline,

but is not a true metalimnion. The water just below the ice at the top of the water strata is 33-degrees,

which rises quickly to 38-degrees where it contacts the top of the hypolimnion (39-degree store). Okay enough limnology

Roger

[Lund Explorer]

Great post Roger!

Much better than my ramblings.

[RoLo]

Great post Roger!

Much better than my ramblings.

Nonsense

I'm glad you brought it up, because water is a truly remarkable substance.

Roger

[Daniel My Brother]

Darren,

I sent you a PM. We fished the pits this past weekend and had a ball. Never went very long without a bite. The water dropped from 65 to 61 over the 4 days we were out, but the fishing never shut off. We caught 'em shallow and deep. Early morning, mid-day, or early evening didn't matter.

Water should be few degrees cooler next weekend...but don't let that stop you!

Dan