Bass "Fall" patterns....?

[Slyster]

I feel pretty good about my spring and summer bass fishing after my couple years of learning.. but now I hear about "fall patterns".. and I didn't fish last fall at all and have some questions.. and any answers I am sure will be of use for many of us here on the bass forum.

In a typical clear metro lake.. with lots of weed beds and edges out to perhaps 10-14 feet.. flat deeper areas with occasional drop offs.. lots of docks on shore in 2-4' water ... occasional pencil reeds beds.. (Ok.. WBL for example! ) where are the bass heading now days and through Sept?

Will they move in to shore to keep warmer?

Will docks be more or less loaded as days progress?

Will fishing deep weed edges still produce?

I am a bit stumped. I need to learn more about bass behavior.. (don't we all).. and how they react to the shortening days and cooling temps.. can't wait to figure it out.. I plan to get out tomorrow (Sat) from 1-sunset or so.

Have a great weekend! And be thankful for MN and donate $50 to the Red Cross.

[Deitz Dittrich]

This of coarse is all my opinion. However, here goes.

Lakes like WBL are some of the last where you will see fall patterns. The clearer the lake is the longer it takes for the fish to be on what is considered fall pattern fishing. For this time of the year you will still find many fish still on the edges of the weeds. I myself was on WBL last week and found quite a few fish in 18 feet of water still. They will stay there till the food leaves. As the days become shorter the sun does not feed the deeper weeds as much and they begin to die back. That is usually when the fish will start a push to shallower water. Lakes that have more color to them(IE, darker less clear water) this has already happened. Many lakes it is becoming quite difficult to find nice alive green weeds. In these lakes, fish have just begun schooling up on shallower areas. Clear lakes this time of year can be quite difficult to fish, and I am sure this is what you are dealing with. As some fish have started to move slightly shallower, while others have and will hang out in their deeper haunts. By having the fish so spread out, your chances of catching a fish goes up, but your chances of catching good numbers of fish goes down.

When the weeds start to die back, on clear lakes, start looking for inside bends of flats. What I mean by this is look for areas where the deeper water comes near the shore on areas that have longer shallow areas connected to the shore. These areas seem to hold greener weeds the longest. More oxygen more fish. Keep in mind that dieing weeds consume oxygen rather than giving it off!

Good luck this fall sly!

[cheektowaga]

Last fall was the first late season bassin I'd ever tried, and I took Deitz's advise on seeking out green weeds. It was later in the year (October) but it proved to be great advise as I found my best fishing of the season to be in late Sept/early Oct.

I also found that the bass at that time of year were really strapping on the feed bags and so your summer go-to senkos and drop shots weren't as effective as spinners and cranks, for me anyways.

Get excited! The best bass fishing of the year is right around the corner!

[Slyster]

Woohoo! Tx guys great info and lots to look forward too.. I was planning a nice LONG day out today.. last night the forecast was 80 and sunny... Opps.... now I sit watching TV while listening to the thunder and rain out my open window..

[Slyster]

OK.. so I went out today (first time in 10 days) and in 6 hours I caught 4 bass

Am I missing the pattern? Or was it just last nights mega-rain storms? Anyone else go out today? (Sun Sept 4)

[TurnUpTheFishing]

I fished Sunday, had success throwing shallow cranks on windswept shores. It was a pain to control the boat but it payed off.

I just started throwing cranks more, seems like the bite is picking up a bit. We're also picking up fish with jig/pigs shallow and carolina rigs in deep water. So like Dietz said, it seems that fish are starting to spread out a bit more.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Quote:

---

Am I missing the pattern? Or was it just last nights mega-rain storms? Anyone else go out today? (Sun Sept 4)

---

Sly-I think you may have missed my point I was trying to make. This time of the year on clear lakes. There really is no strong pattern. So noo you didn't miss the pattern, there really isn't one to have now on clear lakes. Dont get me wrong you can still catch fish, just not schools of them as much.

[Slyster]

Hey Deitz.. no I heard you.. the fishing was just SO off (from 10 days before.. the last time I was out).. I was just confused.. you know that no-confidence feeling?

18 feet eh? WOW! That sure seems deep to me.. isn't that well beyond the depth where weed grow? What structure is there for them? Or do they just suspend over the bottom?

I did try mostly my old summer haunts.. weed bads and drops offs.. but mainly at 6-10 feet.. the ones where I could pick up 30 bass in a day during June and early July.. but they really devoid of bass now.. again.. not sure if it could have been that storm?

Still fun just to be out though. I'll keep trying.. like you said.. maybe it makes sense I only had 4... since they are spread out more evenly around the big lake.

Where and when (in clear lakes) do you think their first big move will be towards? Any features or patterns that will focus them to higher cooler water/fall concentrations?

[senkoskipper]

The rain that we got has gotten the water level to rise. The lake i was fishing was only about 150 acres. i was skipping senkos way under the branches. thats where the big ones were hiding. God i cant wait till thurs when i get off early. Im gonna be hammerin'em.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Sly- There area ares on WBL where weeds grow out to 18 feet. Quite a few areas acutally.

As for when the good fall push happens... I usualy notice it on clear lakes when the weeds really start to die back, Usually for me it seems near the first good frost.

[st.crioxfishin]

I haven't done much fall bass fishing because bow hunting usually gets me by this time. But this year I am gonna try to fish in the fall more.

A few questions:

-Do most bass move shallow to feed heavily before the winter, or can you still find fish deep where there is still green weeds present?

-Does shade such as under pads and docks play as much an affect on bass in the fall when the water temps drop to a comfortable temperature in which they don't need to be in the cooler shaded areas? Are they roaming not relating to shade and cover as much?

-AND.. how late into the fall do bass stay shallow before they begin to move into their winter areas (which I'm assuming is deeper water, but could be wrong)

Thanks for any info!

[V-12 Merlin]

Awaiting response, good questions......

[Deitz Dittrich]

Bob- Fall fishing can be fantastic. To answer your questions, yes bass will move shallow and feed quite heavily before the winter hits. You will start to notice the bass belly getting larger as late fall approaches. Do I think we are there yet.. no, but the shallow water movement has started I believe on the darker bodies of water.

Quote:

---

or can you still find fish deep where there is still green weeds present?

---

This is kinda tricky.. as long as there are green weeds, fish will be there. However in the fall finding deep green weeds can be quite difficult on some bodies of water. In my area right now in the Chisago Lakes area.. we dont have any green deep weeds. However on lakes like WBL, Tonka, Big Marine.. yes fish can still be found on the deep weed edge. And will be caught there all the way up till ice on.

Quote:

---

-Does shade such as under pads and docks play as much an affect on bass in the fall when the water temps drop to a comfortable temperature in which they don't need to be in the cooler shaded areas? Are they roaming not relating to shade and cover as much?

---

Pads and docks are totally different. Pads will actually absorb the suns heat and warm that water. Pads can be great as long as they are still there and green.. As fall approaches they start to die back quite a bit. Docks can be great up till the day the owner removes them from the lake. I think in the fall they relate to structure and cover even more!!!!

Quote:

---

-AND.. how late into the fall do bass stay shallow before they begin to move into their winter areas (which I'm assuming is deeper water, but could be wrong)

---

I have broken ice with my boat as the ice was forming and still catching bass in 2-3 feet of water. They are shallow right up till ice on...

Good luck!

Again for me, fall fishing is trying to find green weeds,rock bars, and wood...That is where I do best.. Last night I did well on rock bars found in about 4-5 feet of water.