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Late-fall fishing is special time
Every season has its special charms for anglers.
Spring is fresh and new, a fine beginning bounding with optimism. Summer is comfy and bountiful, with dewy mornings, spectacular sunsets and unlimited fishing time in between. Winter is an adventure, intimidating for sure, but only in a way that makes fishing success all the more rewarding.
Late-fall fishing, meanwhile, is that special time when every day on the water counts as a bonus and every fish caught is truly an exclamation point.
Weather permitting, fishing between Thanksgiving and Christmas brings an entirely new dimension for many anglers and a learning opportunity that can broaden our understanding about our favorite species.
Fish that were difficult to pattern in July and August suddenly seem to be much more willing to bite as the calendar counts down to the days when our lakes will ice over.
Crappies are a fall favorite for many anglers. Walleyes also get a good bit of fishing attention this time of the year. Largemouth and smallmouth bass continue to cooperate, and the mighty muskies at Milton, West Branch and other big-game waters are working overtime to stock energy for the coming cold-water months.
Mosquito, Milton, Shenango and Berlin are pretty good lakes for fall crappie fishing. The fish move into much more predictable locations and gang up around vertical structures such as bridges, dock posts and brush piles.
Crappies also school around drops within an easy cast of rip-rap areas such as causeways and wing walls. Anglers connect with tiny jigs and twister tails, as well as the always-productive minnow dangling under a slip float.
Walleye anglers are connecting with fish on the main lake points and humps at our local reservoirs. Fishermen idle around the lake structures while watching their sonar units for signs of shad and game-fish activity.
Many fall walleye anglers use vertical presentations with metal vibrating lures such as Heddon Sonar, Cicada and Vib-E. Some prefer to cast the heavy-metal baits and retrieve them in hop-and-drop fashion, and many others simply jig them vertically directly under their boats.
For those who have no boat access this time of the year, the causeway and dam rip-rap at Mosquito is a good bet. The U.S. 224 and Route 18 causeways at Berlin and Milton, respectively, also will yield November walleyes.
Shore-bound anglers will find a few largemouth bass prowling the banks at all of our local reservoirs, particularly on warm and sunny days. A warming trend, even a slight rise of only 2 or 3 degrees, will activate bass for their final binges on shad and crawfish.
In Novembers past, I’ve scored on chunky largemouths while casting shallow-running crankbaits around main-lake areas where a bit of wind is pushing current. Bouncing the plugs off shallow cover can result in jarring strikes by fish that are driven by instinct to eat everything they can before the chow line shuts down for winter.
In lakes where white bass are numerous, late November is a time when anglers working flashy baits from shore can hook up. Pick days when the wind is blowing in on access areas such as causeway points and launch ramps, and fire long casts out to the marauding white bass. They roam in big schools, so one bite often is the signal of fast action to come.
Whether you are after crappies or white bass, walleyes or largemouths, the days around the holiday season when the sun is shining deserve one last hurrah from those who love fishing.