Fall Fishing

Fall is a pretty busy time of the year for me. Kids go back to school, it’s Cross Country season (I coach it), my son started play flag football this year, not to mention deer season kicks off and of course the days get shorter. All of this combines to keep me off the water more than I would like every year. This year I really noticed it. We spent three to four evenings a week on the lake this summer but once September came it was very limited.

Around mid September in Ohio is when things start changing to let you know fall is coming. The days are noticeably shorter and the weed beds in the lake begin to die off. Those weed beds falling over and turning brown send the fish from very predictable locations into their fall transition. During this transition it is normal for fishing to get very tough. For me this year it was more than that. I couldn’t find the fish or catch them anywhere and I mean not a fish.

There are several things I am taking away from this. The first of which is it is clear my lack of time on the water for the last ten or more years in the fall has set me back as a fisherman. The other thing is since I already know I don’t fish a lot during the fall I don’t have a game plan for when I get on the water that I have confidence in. By October the drop shot bite is gone, the shaky head may catch some small ones or nothing at all and this year it was the same with my jerkbait. Those are my go to baits once the ice melts and we can get back on the water and they are great to me until we hit fall.

It is great to read some magazine articles on fall fishing and watch some pros on YouTube talk about it and what they are using but the fact is all of that information isn’t going to make you better at catching the bass, you are actually going to have to catch some to get better. This fall I didn’t get better and that is frustrating for me but I know it will only force me to get better for next year. I know in order to get better I am going to have to expand the selection of lures I use and I will also have to gain confidence in those lures and that can take time. The prep for next year has already begun and I can’t wait to get back on the water. – Michael