Its finally Fall!.. Or is it?
Not all times of year are equal.
By Ben Hudson
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It’s now November and the fall season is in full swing! It seemed to take a bit longer than normal this year though, and based on where you live in the country and how long the summer drags on, “fall” can be very different for anglers.
I was watching a Brian Latimar fishing video the other day and he was talking about how it was still warm were he was and how he could fish topwater later in the year than normal. This got me thinking about how just because it’s “fall” to us, doesn’t mean the fish are in full fall mode yet.
Summer stayed longer into the year for us here in Virginia, creating warmer than normal water tempatures all the way into November. This changes the way we fish since the fish will adapt to conditions more than the date on a calender. The best way I know to phrase it is, bass do not have a calender, they adapt to the conditions presented to them by mother nature herself. This is why the best anglers in the world preach over and over again to fish the conditions, not history of how or where you caught them in previous trips.
While weather and conditions are what control fish mostly, I am also a firm believer that bass do have an internal calender (based off the phases of the moon, since the brightness of the moon can tell bass how much time has passed) that they use knowing its “anytime now” to be making their move to a fall pattern.
To explain this better, lets say hypotechically the water was 70 degrees in November in a lake when it would normally be around 60 degrees. The majority of fish will stay in that late summer pattern until the water tempature gets cooler, but the internal clock they have is telling them its “almost time” even though the conditions arnt right to actually make them transition yet. So when that first cold streak of fall hits for multiple days, those fish move quick into the fall pattern they have been waiting for.
With all this in mind, this means that “fall” pattern starts at different times of year depending on where in the country you live. Up north Fall could be starting in August or September, while down in the South it may not start until late December, or somewhere inbetween like here in Virginia.
All these factor together in figuring out the timing and when to put the topwaters and finesse rods down, and when to go into full crankbait and spinnerbait fall power fishing. Which could be the key to landing a big bass on your next trip out to the lake! It might be a broken record, but always remember, fish the conditions given and not the date on the calender or your previous history.
Tight lines friends!
Ben Hudson
Blue Collar Bassin’
TheBassCast.com