Well fall is officially here and as the water temperatures start to cool, the fishing will pick up.

    With the decrease in water temperatures, all species of fish will start to feed heavily, to bulk up before winter.

  When fishing in the fall, it’s best to go with larger live baits, such as chubs and larger minnows as they seem to attract the larger fish, out producing the smaller baits.

  In the rivers, you’ll find the walleye, sauger and smallmouth moving shallow to clean up any remaining baitfish or the crawfish that have survived the summer.

  In our lakes, bluegills, crappies, largemouth bass and pike will move into and along the edge of the weeds, picking off insects and of course each other.

  Lake walleyes will be found spread out over the mud flats or cruising the weeds looking for a late season snack.

  This is the time of the year that you should think Green, no I’m not talking about green energy, I’m talking about the greener vegetation.

  There are several reasons why fish are attracted to green weed beds this time of the year. 

  One is, their food source, baitfish will have moved there, another is because this is where they’ll find the coolest temperatures because of the shade and the oxygen being given off by the vegetation.

  As anyone who has fished the weedy areas can tell you, theses areas can be a nightmare to fish as weeds can tangle and eat your tackle as fast as you tie it on.

  If you’re fishing in the weeds, it’s not a bad Idea to go with heavier line than usual as once a fish Is hooked, they’ll dive deep into the weeds and the heavier line, can help you to hoist them out of the weeds.

  If you’re after bass you’ll probably be probing these weedy areas with some sort of weedless rig such as a Texas rig or some sort of jig and pig combination. 

  Fall bass can also be taken by slow rolling spinner bait into pockets in the weed beds or by running buzz baits over the top of the weeds.

  With the drop in water temperatures, fish, which are cold blooded, will slow down, so you’ll need to do the same, slowing the way you’re fishing.

  Those anglers fishing for panfish should work the pockets and along the edge of the weeds with small tube jigs or a light livebait jigs. 

  To draw panfish out of the thicker cover they’re using this time of the year, try a Slip-Bobbers, split shot and small hooks tipped with minnows or pieces of night crawlers cast along the weed edge.

  Anglers will be changing from nightcrawlers back to minnows and you’ll want to experiment a little bit with your baits, as all walleyes don’t change from worms to minnows at the same time or on a certain date.

  Walleye anglers will have good luck working jigs along the edge of the weeds and on the breaks along mud flats.

If you’re going to be pike fishing, you’ll be working the weeds, with a couple of baits that are excellent pike producers this time of the year.

  Spinnerbaits ran over the top or along the edge of the weeds is a great fall bait for Pike.

  You’ll want to hold your rod high and speed crank the bait over the top of the weeds.  When you come across a hole or pocket in the weeds, let your spinnerbait drop or helicopter down into the pocket and then hold your rod tip high, while cranking it back onto the top of the weeds. 

 The pause and slow drop of the spinnerbait will often tempt bass or pike that are buried in or along the edge of these pockets.

  The bottom loving catfish will be moving from their summer haunts, to deeper holes and head into areas where there’s less current.  Cat fishermen will need to look for the fish in these holes, working their prepared (stink bait) and livebait rigs in the pockets with less current or in the slack water found behind the dead falls and snags.

  No matter what species of fish you’ll be looking for, don’t over look the slack water pockets just off the current by the dam, as these areas will be visited through out the day by fish cruising the area searching for a meal.

  Don’t make the mistake that many anglers do during the fall and put their rods and reels away and think only hunting.

  Fall fishing produces some of the largest fish of the year, with all species trying to fatten up prior to the cold hard winter.

  Gary Howey is an award-winning writer, producer, broadcaster, former tournament angler, fishing and hunting guide and in 2017 inducted into the “National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame”.