Fall is a fun time of year for me, and not only because of football season. This time of year, the Tennessee River offers amazing fishing opportunities.
I think this season is very overlooked because a lot of people in my area are deer hunting. But with fewer people on the water, the lakes are less crowded, so you have more of the good spots to yourself.
I’ve had some of my best days in the fall, because the lower water temperatures get the fish into a more active mood. We’re still in the transition from summer’s heat to fall’s coolness, but we’re getting closer every day. As soon as we settle into consistent fall weather, the fishing potential will explode.
The seasonal transition happens when we get nighttime lows below 50 degrees. That’s when the water temperature starts to cool. Right now, the water temperature near where I live is still above 70, but I like to see it in that 54- to 64-degree range.
Honestly, it’s about to get really good. You can catch a pile of fish right now, but it’s not cool enough for the big ones to get as active as they can be.
While that cooler water temperature pushes the fish into their fall mood, it’s 1,000% bait-related. Most of the time, they’re focused on the small young-of-the-year shad that get into clouds that can stretch across the main river channel, bank to bank.
It seems like the bait stacks up the best wherever there’s not as much current, so you can’t go wrong by fishing in a creek or the main lake. The fish are usually in the current breaks, but you have to take the whole area into consideration. Most people think of a current eddy that’s on the bank, but on a bigger scale, imagine the current hitting the bank, getting broken up and then forming a line a mile or two long.
As the Tennessee River swings left and right, the current will guide the bait into predictable areas and that’s where you find a lot of schooling activity. A lot of the young shad get blown by the current and wherever the water sweeps them, the bass follow.
As far as conditions, I usually like to see some sunshine and moderate wind, a mix of bright sun and clouds breaking it up, and some water movement. I typically don’t like slick calm days, because the bass seem to feel your presence more.
The morning and evening are still the most active times in the early fall transition, but the evening bite is particularly good. They can feel the days getting shorter, so the last two hours of the day can be really good.
My best piece of advice for fall fishing is that if you’re not getting bit, continue to move. They’re biting somewhere, because they’re wanting to feed and when you find them, you’ll usually find a bunch of them.
The best part about fall is that you can catch fish all day. In the late summer, it’s hard to catch seven to 15 fish, but right now, I’m having 20- to 30-fish days. They’re feeding now and it’s only gonna get better.
