Spring has always taken credit for it's great fishing but I'm here to tell you that the Fall bite can be just as good if not better at times! In the Spring the reason fish feed so heavily is because in the northern states they have been locked up under ice all season cutting off oxygen and making food less abundant. In the south the colder temps cause less abundant food sources like bug hatches and such so when food and oxygen become more readily available the bite can be insane. Fall is basically for the same reasons. Fish know that the cold weather is coming so instinctually fish will feed heavily in the Fall months to ready themselves for Winter! The Fall bite can be crazy for most species and they can be quite easy to find and catch.
Focus On The Shallows
Do you have any favorite Spring fishing locations? If you answered yes to that question you are well on your way to catching plenty of Fall fish! When the Fall temperatures quickly drop the water temps, fish will make a move from the deep water Summer haunts back into the same places they spent their time in the Spring! The shallow waters not only warm faster but they will hold their temperatures longer thanks to the warmth from the bottom, this makes it perfect for fish in the Fall. The baitfish and remaining water insects will also move to this warmer water making it easy for the fish to feed. My personal favorite places to target in the Fall are shallow water which have logs, lily pads, cattails, or scattered weed beds. These will be the areas where the fish will find their prey so this is where you should target. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to know where to fish when these variables come together.
Fish Slow To Catch More Fish
When water temps cool down so does the fishs energy level, when metabolisms slow down fish won't be near as fast as they are in the hotter months so it's very important to slow your presentation and retrieve down, this will not only get you more bites but also more solid hook sets. For slow presentations I like using a slip bobber rig, these can be set up anyway you like, my personal favorite is a slip bobber stop, slip bobber, splitshot, and 6 inches under that I tie a tungsten jig. I really like micro plastics but again It's personal preference. The slip bobber rig is nice because it allows you to lightly jig the bait, and work it slowly around the shallow water structures. When I say shallow waters I'm talking anywhere from a foot to 7' of water, Don't let shallow water fool you, if there is structure around fish are likely to be there.
The slip bobber rig makes it nice for covering water quickly too as a way too find fish. If there are fish around the area I don't let my slip bobber set more than a minute before I cast elsewhere. Once you find the fish It's game on!
Now the slip bobber rig is moslty good for perch and panfish unless you have a large bobber and add a minnow for pike or bass but my two favorite predator lures for the fall are flukes and spinnerbaits.
Fluke style baits have always been a favorite of mine since I was just a kid, I'm sure most of you have heard of the Banjo Minnow from the old TV commercials, well that is a fluke style bait. There are tons of fluke styles out there and they range from looking more like a worm to looking like a minnow but they are made for the same purpose and that is to swim. I don't use any weight when I fish a fluke, I will thread one onto 2-3/0 hook and just hook the hook to a swivel. The weight of the bait is enough to cast a good distance and without weight they can be swam to look like a real injured bait fish! All it takes is a snap of the rod tip while you reel and you'll quickly see how great they can dance and jump around. A wounded baitfish is irisistible to a predator, the best part is when fished with no weight the fluke can be paused during action and will suspend, usually as soon as this happens pike and bass will quickly inhale the bait. There are many companies making these kinds of baits but my personal favorite is Freedom Baitz Barracuda, It has the perfect softness making it very lifelike yet it is also very reliable.
My second favorite Fall lure for big fish like bass and pike is the tried and true spinnerbait! The spinnerbait has been around long before me and will be around long after I have left and for many great reasons. The spinnerbait can be retrieved basically as slow as the angler can retrieve it, mostly just fast enough to keep it off the bottom. Seems how it's best to fish slow when temps are down the spinnerbit is a perfect choice. It is made to resemble a school of baitfish in the water with the flash of the blades. One of my favorite things about the spinnerbait is the fact that although it can be fished real slow it can cover alot of water quickly. Fan casting around weed edges and structure this time of year can be crazy for northern pike and largemouth bass. The other great thing about spinnerbaits is they're basically weed and snag proof. As long as you keep reeling it the blade will keep the hook from getting caught in weeds, and the design of the spinnerbait makes them bounce off logs with ease. Nothing is completly snag proof but they're really close.
Wacky Rig
If you have watched my videos, or are an avid bass guy, then I'm sure you know of the wacky rig. The wacky rig is used with a Senko style plastic and I prefer a 1/0 octopus hook for good hook sets. It's about as easy of a rig as it gets. Just push the hook through the middle of the bait and it's ready to go! For this I also recommend a swivel and no weight. The weight of the Senko is more than enough to cast it out there. There are many brands but I prefer the Freedom Baitz Seawolf, I have caught some awesome fish on that plastic and I know you can too. To fish the Wacky rig I usually cast along weedbeds and lily pads, I slowly reel, jerking lightly from time to time. The bait will basically suspend under the surface slowly sinking like a dropped night crawler! Largemouth bass can not pass up this rig and it is a very slow and subtle technique so it is perfect for the big Fall Largemouth Bass!!
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