wild guide: fall feeding frenzy
have stabilized. Again, the Fall Turnover
will very in individual water bodies and
location. However, once the water body
stabilizes, the bite will return but due to
the colder water temperatures throughout
the water body, anglers may find they
have to slow their presentations down and
often downsize their baits. During these
conditions, I tie on the smallest jig I can
get away with tipped with a frozen minnow
or if you still have live leeches from the
summer months now is the time to use
them. With the minnow, I will often send
it down until it hits bottom then raise it
just off the bottom and let it sit vertical and
almost motionless. When fishing vertical
regardless of the species, you must keep
a tight line so you are able to feel the cold
subtle bite of the fish. When fishing a leech,
tip the leech through the tail and allow the
leech to swim naturally in the water is a
sure way to increase your hookups. When
a leech is hooked through the head it will
often ball up. If hooked through the tail, the
leech will continuously try to swim away
in a natural swimming motion creating a
more natural presentation.
Fishing during the fall months does
come with some challenges. Weather
conditions can rapidly change for the
worst so safety must be an angler’s first
concern while on the water. Warmer
clothing is needed including your warm
hunting gloves and often overlooked, is
warm footwear. Standing at the bow of the
boat or on the shoreline fishing during the
fall months is no different than sitting in
a treestand or ground blind, your feet and
toes can get cold if they’re not protected.
And even if you’re a shoreline angler, it’s
highly recommended that you wear a life
jacket. During the months of October and
into December, water temperatures are
plummeting as low as 0.3 to 4.5 degrees
Celsius, (32.5 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit)
especially in the Canada provinces and
the northern US states. The mind-set of I
can swim to shore or get out of the river
without the aid of a life jacket may be a
dead man’s way of thinking. Always keep
safety in mind.
Fishing during the pre and post-Fall
Turnover can be one of the most exciting
times of the year to be on the water, so
if you’re not ready to put your fishing
gear away or you filled your hunting tags
early, take advantage of the Fall Turnover
conditions. It’s often overlooked but can
produce some of the biggest fish of the year
and it opens the door to some of the best
shoreline fishing opportunities of the year.
Wild Guide
. Fall 2017
44