wild guide : fall feeding frenzy
Jigs , crankbaits , and spoons are my three favourite baits to fish during the fall months . Jigs tipped with bait such as frozen minnows , night crawlers , and leeches work extremely well . However , when the fish are turned on and feeding aggressive , anglers may find they are going through bait at an alarming rate . Not a bad problem to have when you ’ re fishing . However , soft plastic baits will often last for several hookups and not having to re-bait a jig each time you catch a fish will save you time and money .
Crankbaits and spoons create a lot of flash and vibration through the water column and can be either casted or trolled to cover water . These are the baits that the most aggressive feeding fish will chase down . If I find schools of feeding gamefish I will position my boat so I ’ m casting to the far side of the feeding fish and retrieve my bait back through the fish making my bait look as natural as possible as it ’ s retrieved through the school of feeding fish . I believe casting directly into the feeding fish will spook them and they will go deeper or move out of the area causing the angler to have to find another school of fish . However , after finding a school of feeding gamefish , it ’ s hard for me not to drop a jig tipped with a soft plastic right into the middle of the school .
My favourite structure at this time of the year for a variety of gamefish is any structure that still has vegetation , and the healthier the vegetation the better . However , the presence of baitfish is key . A variety of baitfish use these structures with the remaining vegetation to feed on small aquatic life and for cover from feeding predator fish ( gamefish ). As the cover is depleted , baitfish will move in search of the next piece of cover for protection . Deepwater weed cover usually depletes first and as the days get shorter and the water continues to turn , shallow water cover is the last to die off . When I ’ m fishing during late September and into the month of October , I start fishing the deeper water structures first .
As the month of October progresses , I begin focusing on shallower water structures and I continue to move shallower as the fall months progress right until ice up . It ’ s not uncommon to catch walleye , pike , and even trout species in two to four feet of water along the shoreline or shallow open water structures .
Species such as walleye , pike , and trout , will often rest in or close to the remaining vegetation and grab an easy meal as it swims by . When gamefish are aggressively feeding they will patrol vegetation areas for baitfish and go as shallow as need be to feed .
As we all know , during the fall months the wind is blowing in Old-Man Winter , however , the wind also forces the water within lakes and reservoirs to mix more rapidly thus , the Fall Turnover . While the Fall Turnover is in full swing , it ’ s not uncommon for gamefish to go into a neutral feeding pattern or tune off feeding completely until the water body and the fish
43 Wild Guide . Fall 2017