Fall Bite

[Northern Bass Bum]

Well, fall is definitely upon down here in Hudson. The leaves are changing, the night cooler than normal, and less and less docks prevail at the local hot-spots. The fall bite should be on, but we are yet to find it.

We made it out twice today, both times to no avail. One 18" pike to show for both outings. I noticed some of the lakea are starting to turn over, good and bad I guess. I noticed some jellyfish-like creatures in both Bird and Round Lake in the Lenawee/Hillsdale Co. regoin too. Very small, maybe a bit bigger than a nickel, and transparent in appearance. The ducks loved them, if anything. Any ideas on what they are?

Anyhow, how have you guys been doing on the fall bite? What patterns have been hot lately? Any specific colors the fish are keying on?

Thanks for your time,

-NBB 

[djkimmel]

Sounds like freshwater jellyfish...

Or maybe freshwater shrimp?

[skeeterman190]

 Like you said Fall is upon us things are changing and the fish will be also. I found a really tough bite @ Lake Leelanau this past weekend. The water temps are definately dropping and the fish will start to make a push when the weather holds steady. A day or two or seasonable weather will make the push. The last few days have been unseasonably warm. I checked the weather as I am going to Burt and Mullet this coming week its 80 there today! The rest of the week isgot a high of 55! Ifigure by thursday things should be on fire! Dan i think you missed it by a week! Check it out again this weekend im sure the fishing will be alot better. As far as bait i kept it simple at Leelanau. Tubes and a drop shot. 3" Nemesis Goby(which makes no since) the fish are feeding up for winter and i couldnt touch one on a bigger 4". Also Extreme Bass Tackle 4" tubes. Great lakes Craw and Canadian Mist. Hope the bite picks up for you.This weekend the jerkbait and spinnerbait bite should pick up.-skeeterman-

[dartag]

fished my lake ( union ) both days this weekend.  saw lots of fish crusing in packs.  tried everything in the boat and could really only get them on a drop shot worm.    i did try the nemisis and poor boy gobies and darters, flukes, crankbaits top water.   the ones i did catch were spitting up little minnows.  the largemouth would hardly fight at all when you hooked them.  the smallies were crazy as always.  water is still 60 degrees.  did catch a nice walleye on a jerkbait.

did catch a bunch of nice blue gills on a Gulp Fry Worm.  they seem to really like them.

[Bender]

The weekend before last I fished Erie, Kent, and Thompson. Erie was not too great but we got some. Kent was not bad after the sun went down on topwater, and Thompson was terrible! Between 3 boats we had zero keepers but saw tons of bass, big ones too! Kent wasn't too bad during the week last week, but I would still call it slow.
Last weekend we hit Indian River on Thursday evening and didn't get a bite. Mullet on Friday was very slow, we had 5 bass total and 2 gobies. All on drop shot too. We went to Burt on Saturday and had one bass and one perch by 3 so we left and went to Crooked/Pickerel Lakes and didn't get any there!
Sunday we left and went to Wixom where it was a little better but not much. We caught a few keepers and a pike. All in all the last couple weeks have been incredibly difficult all over the state. The majority of the fish caught have been on a drop shot barely dragging it back to the boat or a Little John crankbait around the weeds. Did have a couple on a wacky rig and a shaky head deadsticked too, but it sucks to fish that way and I can't seem to do it in the wind. 
Let me know if you figure them out.

[Northern Bass Bum]

Well, it sounds like I'm not the only one (thankfully  ). A dandy cold front is supposed to smack Michigan hard tomorrow (Tuesday) morning, dropping temperature from 75 to the low-mid 50's! I figure Thurday or Friday will be perfect like Skeeterman said. Give the fish time to mellow out and see that Old Man Winter is a-knockin'. Should get them biting again.

Bender,

Remember the boat we saw in the Spring when we fished Hudson? Well, he went out there yesterday and caught another 43.5" muskie. Good to know their biting at least. Hopefully the bass'll figure it out soon too. Maybe they can't see in all the muck and slop. 

Good luck out there,

-NBB 

[MBell]

I've been a little confused up on Saginaw Bay looking for the fall bite.  Finally got on them good yesterday, they were on there deep offshore summer stuff.  I caught fish up to 5lbs in areas that are usually vacant by now.  Very few fish in the shallow water fall feeding areas. 
-Matt

[Kzoduckman]

Went out in southwestern Michigan and we caught 6 or 7 bass on crankbaits, jigs, and two on toads over some slop.  We also noticed that the lake was starting to turn over.

Wth the weather changing it will soon be time for spoons and bladebaits.

[Revtro]

It's been kind of a weird fall so far.  I was out on Erie Friday and did quite well.  I had a limit out in a summer type of an area.  Yet on Saturday, I couldn't reproduce anything of the sort on St. Clair.  Then I hear a report of catching them well in 2-4 FOW.  Go figure.  On St. Clair, I'm guessing the fish are shallow, but the water's been so dirty in most places, it's hard to get them.  And yes, the past 2 weeks have been TOUGH to say the least.  NBB, it's not just you for sure.  It's a struggle to get them right now unless you happen to stumble on a group of active fish.   

[Northern Bass Bum]

Wasted a few hours on Hudson tonight, to no avail. Marked fish up the ying-yang, but couldn't get any to commit.

Don't really know why I went out after that cold front that smacked us this morning. Maybe to spite my conscience telling me no. Anyhow, I still had a good time screwing with my sonar and all.

-NBB