Since 2000, I’ve been spending most of the year in the South and returning to my hometown of Grand Rapids, Minn., in the last couple months of the year. I usually get to enjoy fall fishing before the lakes ice over, but this year I won’t be back until late December and I’ll definitely miss it.
Fall in the North is 100% the best time of the year to go fishing. Fall in the South is also good, but I wouldn’t rate it as the best time.
In the North, the fish gorge themselves because their metabolism will slow down all winter under the ice, so they eat anything and everything in front of them. Southern fish have a year-round growing season, so they don’t have to feed up for the winter to the level that they do in the North.
Basically, the northern fish have a higher level of motivation to feed heavily. That’s why northern fishing is that much better in the fall.
I’ve found that northern largemouth and smallmouth both spark in the fall, and usually when the water temps are in the low 50s to high 40s is when it’s the best. Once the water gets closer to the mid to high 30s, the fish get too lethargic. They’re starting to think about shutting down for the winter.
Both species really school up in the falltime near their wintering holes as the water gets colder. If you know where they spend their winters, it’s relatively easy to pattern them because you know exactly where they’re going. If they’re not there, they’re not too far away.
Also, just like southern fish, northern bass are typically spread out. You can go a long time without finding anything, but when you land on ‘em, you can have the best day of your life.
I tell people you have to cover water in the fall because they are biting somewhere. You just have to land on ‘em and find where they’re located. You just have to keep bouncing around until you get that first bite, but that bite can lead to a really good day of fishing.
When I fish Mille Lacs, Leech Lake and other smaller lakes in the Grand Rapids area, I start a fall day by checking the water temperature and if it’s still in the 50s, I like a 3.75-inch Strike King Rage Swimmer on a 1/2-ounce Strike King Squadron Head. I’ll bomb it as far as I can and cover a ton of water till I find them.
That bait will produce some of the hardest bites that time of year. If they see it, they come get it.
When it gets too cold for the swimbait, I really like a 3-inch Strike King Coffee Tube on a 1/4-ounce jig head. I drag it really slow, counting rocks, and then the last thing they’ll bite before the lakes ice over is a blade bait.
The great part about fall fishing in the North is that they bite so good, you can fish whatever you want. You can try new baits and become comfortable with different presentations.
That’s how I got comfortable with a crankbait. I used to hate crankbaits, but one year, I went back north in the fall and I became more confident with that bait.
Now, when I need to make something happen in a tournament, a crankbait is one of my top confidence baits — thanks to northern fall fishing.
