Expert Tips for Successful Fall Fishing in the North

Fall fishing is officially in full swing and the count down is on, at least for us up in the North.  This time of year the fishing can be challenging  with the change of season. Fall is a great time of year , but once November starts to creep up and the temperatures begin to plummet it can make for a really tough day on the water. To be honest in my neck of the woods, once the leaves are off the trees it's time to start thinking about hard water fishing and shoveling snow. I am not that fond of either one, though I don't mind  ice fishing now and then, it's seems every time I  go ice fishing it's -40 out and my eye lids start to  freeze shut. The big question is what to use for the Fall bite. Actually it's not really that big of a question,  I use the same thing I used for the Summer bite. I change colors and retrieval speeds but I still use the same baits. Location is the trick, weather and temperature changes keep the Bass moving from day to day.  This time of year the weather changes more than most people change their underwear. Within the last ten days temperatures varied from 40 degrees to 80 degrees. My last few outings have all had different weather conditions, storms, windy, cold, and hot.  I love fishing with a Senko, but it's just not as exciting this time of year, it's just as effective though. In the summer months it's fun to fish structure and vegetation with the Senko. As the weather and season changes the Bass are not always where they are supposed to be. Senko fishing can become very boring, almost like dead sticking a tube, watching paint dry is more exciting at times. As long as it gets the job done. I've been using a white Senko some days and a black other days. Those two colors have been the most consistent. There hasn't been a pattern, both colors have worked in all conditions. I think it depends on the mood of the fish. The Buzz Bait has not been to effective lately, I have caught a couple with a very slow retrieve. Today was warm and calm, those are two words that I haven't been able to put together for a while now.  The fish were going crazy, bait fish were breaking the surface and it seemed like there was a lot of commotion going on under the surface.  I think the Pike were very active today, so active that I had to put the Senko away. I had more than a few Pike break me off today. I don't use a leader with a Senko.  The Pike were all over the white Senko, I couldn't get a hit on the black one. The Zara Spook hasn't been to bad lately so I decided to take it for a walk. The Pike were hitting the Zara not long ago. That Pike crushed my bait last week or so. That was a tough night on the river, it was cool, windy, heavy rain, and I fished through two storms. I took advantage of the calm before and after the storm. Today I was tossing the Zara Spook in shallow and deep water. I also ran it through some dead weeds. I caught that fish in about nine inches of water. It was probably taking advantage of a nice warm sunny day, just like me. A nice release on that fish. Take care of your fish, and they will take care of you. Today was a beautiful day. Fall fishing can be tough, but it's a great time of the year to practice and  learn. This time of year I have one goal when I go out fishing and that's not to get shut out. I refuse to leave until I catch a fish.  Sometimes I will try several baits or I will drift over the same spots ten or twenty times.  Working a little harder and longer is a step in the right direction to becoming a better angler.