the fall turnover

[nicholastown]

The fishing in the fall of the year can be a love hate relationship. It can be great, but then again it can leave you stumped, scratching your head wondering where all those summertime bass went that you had patterned. A lot of this has to do with the fall turnover. When warm summertime surface temps cool, and mix with the deep water with low oxygen levels, fishing can get tough. One myth that a lot of people believe is that fish stop feeding during this period of time. While some fish may not feed during this time, a higher percentage will feed very actively. The problem with this is that the feeding fish will be so scattered it will make them hard to find, and finding a group of feeding bass is almost impossible. My solution to the fall turnover is one that most anglers will love. Go shallow. A lot of the bass that were deep a day or two ago, can and will go shallow and feed aggresively during this odd time. They will be very scattered though. Use baits that cover a lot of water. A spinnerbait is my number one bait this time of year. Set the trolling motor on high, and cast until your arm hurts, lol. Because water clarity is usually darker during the turnover, I will go with a tandem blade bait, usually two colorado's in a slightly larger size. Not too big, maybe 3/8 to 1/2oz. 1/2oz being the biggest and only used in the darkest of water. If you pick up a bass cast again for good measure, but don't spend too much time on one spot, odds are the bass are going to be very solitary this time of year, or at least during the turnover. After the turnover, bass will school heavily, and make it a bit easier for us poor fishermen, LOL. Good fishing.