Orchard Lk. 11/16

[detroit1]

Worked until 11 am, and decided to go out one last time for the year. Fished for 3 hours without a bite, and did not see fish nor minnow.  2 little guys on my graph about 25' down in 50' of water, that's it.  At least I had the lake all to myself...

[gmetime24]

At least you gave it one last shot! I bet it was nice and relaxing out there

[t-bone]

Orchard Lake is hard enough in the summer - has to be really a challenge now!

[Waterfoul]

What presentations did you try?  This time of year on inland lakes I like blade baits and maybe an Erie Darter on a 1/4 jighead fished nice and slow.

[detroit1]

I've read for years about bass going on a feeding frenzy in late fall to fatten up for the winter. I fish thru October and try to get out at least once in November. I'm starting to think it might be an old - wives tale, as i have not experienced such a feeding frenzy in over 40 yrs. of fishing. Maybe it starts later in Nov./Dec., or I just don't know what I'm doing. (probabally the latter)  I spent most of my time throwing susp. jerks and jigs but also tried spinbaits, flatsided cranks,3 and 5 wire a-rigs, and a dropshot with various smallish baits. I guess I wasn't fishing the right areas. Most of my time was spent around steep drop-offs and any remaining weeds...maybe next year!   later....

[fiker]

I think fall bass fishing is in the same league with cow tipping and snipe hunting.

[32eml24]

I think the fall feed is much more pronounced in bodies of water where the bass feed heavily on shad in the fall.  A lot of the stuff we read is in reference to reservoirs down south etc. They feed late into winter in some places close to where I live wherever the shad group up and they get so fat their eyes are about bulging out. These are places connected to lake michigan where we do experience a major fall shad movement and also a major shad kill when the water temp drops.  The fish still need to eat and basically relate to bait through the fall season.  Its one of the best times of year for this type of body of water.  Drive a half hour to an inland lake and the bass wont bite anything and are basically hibernating once the water reaches fifty degrees or so... just my two cents.

[detroit1]

Cow tripping is real, although I've never done it. Snipe hunting also. I remember getting a flour sack FULL of them when I was a teen.....

[capt charlie's charters]

that orchard lake for you...was a time the best fishing was suppose to be late Oct thru Nov.....I figure its just taken to much a beating.  then again the hot ponds sucked also, guess we have to head north for some good Fall fishing.

[PineLk 49]

Cow tripping is real, although I've never done it. Snipe hunting also. I remember getting a flour sack FULL of them when I was a teen.....

Well Detroit1....Wish I had gone Snipe hunting with you as a kid.I was 8 or 9 and my cousins took me after dark to the woods with stick and bag in hand. All I got was scared to death and left to fend for myself.Good lesson learned

Dave

[djkimmel]

Snipe are hard to shoot! Small. Real fast. Make that weird little noise when they take off... that's the hunter's version. For the 'city folk'... different species of snipe... just wait by the mouth of this hole with that sack. You'll get one this time for sure...!! Make sure the hole goes downhill though!!! If the hole goes uphill... might be a Bigfoot hole!!!

I'm glad snipe were hard to shoot. They didn't really taste very good. (The hunter version. No idea what 'city folk' snipe taste like! No one knows!! )

As far as fall fishing, my FAVORITE time of year IN MICHIGAN by far to fish!! Love fall fishing in Michigan!!!! Rivers. Lakes. Little lakes! Big lakes! Shad lakes (actually alewive)! Bluegill lakes!

Some of my best days, biggest bass and favorite memories come from fall fishing trips in Michigan!! I have a few of them recorded in video on GreatLakesBass.TV but I'm kind of (I feel a little guilty) happy that the lakes empty out and I can often enjoy brisk fishing on quiet lakes and rivers.

Orchard Lake is not one of my regular lakes but I had an old friend who used to hammer BIG bass every fall late using an old school In-Fisherman / Minnesota bait angler tactic ON Orchard Lake. I don't know if he does it anymore, but the pictures and stories where something else!!

Really, the 'secret' to late fall fishing is stable, proper depth water, preferably with a little cover and BAIT. Find that, and you've usually found the bass (at least nearby). All you need to do after that is figure how and when to catch them. I prefer bass that go on the feed later in the day, which makes sense to me and often works. But on some lakes the best bite still seems to be first thing in the morning, and once in awhile near dark.

I've caught bass on crankbaits a bunch of times from rivers in 37 to 43 degree water. Of course, many anglers know that blade baits will catch bass from mid-fall through winter right into early spring. I've been out on late November to mid-December fishing trips where we caught a pretty large number of bass on blade baits. Sometimes without hardly moving the boat, which is definitely a bonus possible on any real late, or real early season bass fishing trip in the North Country.

On most inland lakes, you just need to find where the bulk of the bluegills are wintering. The bass are somewhere nearby. Smallmouth fishing on lots of waters might actually be easier because of the way smallmouth bass tend to winter. There are anglers out there who actually hope most other anglers don't figure it out because the bass can be so piled up in small areas.

I figure since 90% or more of the anglers who are actually determined enough to be likely to go fishing that late in the year will practice catch-and-release I'm not going to worry too much if more anglers try to figure it out and do it. I might miss some of the solitude, but I also like the part of about fishing where we share common experiences and stories.

Fall fishing can seem frustrating and sometimes real mysterious but figure it out a time or two, you'll want to keep at it. I know I do!!

49 degree water Lansing, Michigan Grand River smallmouth bass on blade baits late October: