The Fall Bite

A Strike King shallow running
crankbait on a Lew's KVD
Cranking Combo

 Each and every year I anticipate the season of fall, not to hunt, like many outdoors people, but to fish the fall bite.  I enjoy fishing river systems throughout the year, but there is no better time than fall to hit them.  The water becomes clear, the current is moderate and typically the water levels are stable.  All of these factors help the fish to feed up before WINTER appears.  You can catch bass on a lot of different baits this time of year, however as that water temperature dips below 50-degrees some baits fade off into the tackle box not to be seen until spring.  As of writing this, water temps are hanging just above the 50-degree mark in area rivers.  The warm sunshine and moderate nighttime temperatures have not started a big cool-down yet.  This will most likely happen this coming week, if the forecast holds.

Lately on the rivers a few baits have really shined, crankbaits and jigs.  This 1-2 combination has been great for smallmouth and largemouth bass, as well as the occasional walleye and pike.  The next time out I expect the crankbait bite to disappear as the water temperature dips below 50 degrees.  This isn't a definite, but a trend I have seen in the past.  Sunshine and wind plays a big role in the bite this time of year too, as both really tend to fire fish up to feed during this cold weather.  Jerkbaits, swimbaits and finesse style baits will take the place of crankbaits as the water temperature dips into the forties (a jig and Texas-Rigged tube are always on my boat this time of year).  Paying attention to water temperature is only 1 key to success this time of year.  You must pay attention to the fish, how they bite, where they bite in relation to the structure.  Taking in all these considerations will put more fish in the boat this time of year.  

Get out there and enjoy the fall, there may only be a week or two left until the "winter" temperatures appear.  

Accidental Walleye catches sure make
a great meal this time of year.