As the weather gets cooler, the fishing starts to heat up

The fair is over, footballs are flying and the fishing is getting better.
Mid-September's cooler weather marks a transition for anglers who've labored during the long, hot summer with meager results to show for their efforts. Virtually all species of fish become more active as water temperatures decline.
The popular fish in our local reservoirs -- walleyes, bass, crappies, muskies and northern pike -- start feeding more frequently in September as the cooler water cranks up their metabolism. They'll continue to be active through October and into November as they add fat to survive winter.
With the fish busier, anglers benefit from their favorite species‚ newfound appetites. They are more apt to chase moving baits, which means anglers can find productive water more quickly. In general, most species will be in shallower water and thus easier to locate than when they were lurking deep to escape the heat.
I typically pursue bass when I'm on the water, but my tactics often result in lots of hook-ups with other kinds of fish.
At Berlin and Mosquito, for example, I sometimes catch nearly as many walleyes as largemouths on my bass lures.
At West Branch, it's not unusual to encounter muskies willing to strike my jig or spinnerbait.
Presque Isle Bay and Conneaut Lake near Meadville often catch yield equal numbers of pike and bass.
I also catch lots of crappies at Berlin, West Branch, Mosquito and Shenango while pitching tubes or jigs into good-looking bass water.
Lots of baitfish
To find game species, it's always advisable to look for areas with lots of baitfish. Anglers can see them on sonar screens and also watch for activity near the surface. Shad are school fish and often bunch up in big balls around points and in the shallow water in creeks that feed into the main bodies of local reservoirs.
During late summer and early autumn outings, I usually start at first light with a topwater lure or a shallow-running crankbait. Good places include main-lake points and wind-blown flats with scattered cover like stumps, rocks and weeds.
Walleyes like to hunt in such places and will charge through pods of shad. Anglers can find walleyes up and active on the points and flats at Berlin and Milton, as well as the weed bed edges at Mosquito and Pymatuning. They'll readily hit shad-colored crankbaits and jigs tipped with minnows.
Largemouth and smallmouth bass also prowl the points and flats, and typically move with the shad as the bait migrates into the tributary arms. Bass often respond quickly to fishermen working with topwater lures, shallow-running crankbaits bounced off cover and, during breezy or overcast days, spinnerbaits.
Dietary importance
Shad are so important in the diets of game species in the reservoirs of northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania that anglers who ignore the fall movement of the bait are at a distinct disadvantage.
Those who stay in touch with the shad as they intersect with the cover and structure preferred by game fish will simply catch more than those who rely on the places that produced in the spring and summer.
The fish are active, so it's not necessary to try to finesse them into biting. Thus those who opt for tactics that enable them to cover lots of water will connect with their favorite species sooner than those who fish slowly and methodically through what might be unproductive water.
So as the water cools down, try speeding up. Just make sure you are in the neighborhood of the key members of the food chain. If you are, the walleyes, bass and other game fish won't be far from your lure.
jwwollitz@aol.com