Seasonal Changes Are What Make Fall Interesting

Seasonal change is definitely upon us and fishing patterns will gradually change as each passing front reduces air and water temperatures. There will also be bait migrations occurring as mullet, shad, and shrimp make their way out of the bays to the gulf. Many very good fishermen that I respect don’t like the term transitional period. I agree and don’t like it either. I say this because the fishery is undergoing constant change, even daily, no matter what the season. Savvy anglers must recognize this and adjust accordingly.

What makes fall fishing one of the most popular times of the year for many lure fishermen is the fact that our trout, redfish, and black drum sense the changes and begin what I refer to as a feeding-up period. I believe that during fall, game fish store body fat that helps sustain them through lean periods during the winter months. This is just my opinion and honestly not any real science behind my thoughts. Although I will say that this mindset certainly gives me more confidence and staying power when I am observing many of the things that attract me to the areas I fish during fall. I really try to emphasize the importance of starting each day with a clean slate regarding the prevailing conditions and where one will elect to begin his fishing day.

Baitfish will begin staging for bay to gulf migrations, or perhaps even more simply, shallow water to deeper water within the bay. During the first month of frontal passages, the fronts are normally mild in nature as far as temperature. Certainly a good deal cooler but seldom do we see sub-40° temperatures. It can happen though, and I remember one year in particular when we had a major front the last week of September that dropped water temperatures over a two day period, low enough to stop and shock the white shrimp migration. It was the craziest thing ever as I remember.

Wading the Beldon’s and Cedar reef complexes in low tide conditions, I kept feeling thumps and bumps against my waders. As we entered shallow, clear water with scattered shell clumps, I started seeing 12 count white shrimp lying on the bottom, wedged behind oyster clumps. Reaching down to grab one, the shrimp flipped and kicked forward. They were alive but stunned. I finally caught it and showed it to my guys. Twelve or thirteen of these would make a pound, I said.

I then realized that it was shrimp that were bumping our legs. Fishing was very tough but we were seeing mud stirs and slicking all over the reef area. When we would stick a fish many of them had the long whiskers of the white shrimp hanging out of their mouths. White shrimp have whiskers longer than their bodies. Very cool looking shrimp, no doubt.

Not all of the entire population of white shrimp migrates to the Gulf to spawn. A small percentage stays in the bay to help sustain a bay population, just in case. Mother Nature is awesome if we will just allow her to do her thing. The aforementioned conditions are rare but do sometimes happen in the fall.

As water temperatures gradually cool, baitfish will make their way to the deeper drains that connect the back lakes to our main bays. Game fish from the back lakes as well as the open bay begin to converge on both the lakeside drain mouths as well as the bayside mouths. Moving water is the key to aggressive feeding periods but what makes the fall so good is that fish will be caught throughout the day. This is the “feeding up” effect that I mentioned earlier.

Lure selection is simpler during these periods as well. I use a wide variety of lures ranging from the Texas Custom’s Double D and Soft Dine series, Custom Corky Fat Boy and Floater Series, and of course MirrOlure Lil John, Lil John XL, 5” Provokers and the 5” Shad Bass Assassin. I don’t throw topwaters very much given that my Double Ds can be worked equally effectively on the surface as well as swimming or suspending lures.

Drain mouths are best as the water begins to fall out of the lakes. This usually begins a few hours after the front pushes through and continues for at least twenty-four hours. The stronger the front the harder the water will fall and the harder the current the better the fishing. It would surprise many as to the size of some of the trout that can be caught at the lakeside mouths during these falling tide episodes. Two lady anglers and I had a day about four years ago that was stupid good in a small drain that we walked into. It was good enough that one of our airboat buddies commented at the dock about the size of our reds. We had released all the trout that day and only kept some reds and drum.

Speaking of drum, fall is a great time to get on shoreline sand and grass flats and downsize your lure to a MirrOlure Lil John in Molting or Watermelon Red Glitter to target this species. Windward shoreline, spoils, or riprap are the most productive areas for me. It tides are low and you have a boat that can safely navigate the shallow back lakes you can definitely find them there. I love catching them and I love eating them.

Pre-frontal periods prior to the full moon are our best opportunities to find and catch our bay’s largest trout. With the 2021 freeze these numbers are still way fewer but there are still some around, and each year that passes without a major freeze the numbers will increase. I like fishing prior to the front as well as into the blow itself if I am in an area where we are not risking our safety. Early season fronts can sneak up on us and things can go western in a hurry if we are not prepared. Watching and paying attention to local forecast is an absolute must.

Post-frontal periods can be tough, especially if high atmospheric pressure sets in behind the frontal passage. Tides will be low and water clear in our area so downsizing lures and slowing down your wade speed is critical. Game fish can be stuffed after non-stop feeding during the front, so attention to details becomes huge for us. You might have heard me speak about all the little things that come into play in today’s fishery. Well, during post-front high pressure situations you’ll need to employ all of those little things.

Longer casts, with a good length of clear leader, and smaller lure offerings are strongly recommended. This includes lighter jig heads, smaller knots if using loop knot, deliberate presentations, patience, focus and persistence.  Doing all these things won’t guarantee that you will catch them but it will assure you that you have done all you can to make it happen.

When the bait finally makes its way out of the lakes by way of the drains, we’ll turn our attention to windward shorelines, shoreline drop-offs, spoils, reefs and riprap. All of these areas of structure have one thing in common. Their shorelines provide a wall that stops and stacks up baitfish as the winds blow into the structure. Don’t shy away from shallow water that is sandy-colored to near dirty. If the bait is present the fish will be somewhere close.

The best thing about fall to me is that winter is just around the bend and that is definitely my most favorite time of the year to fish. But that is next month’s article.

May your fishing always be catching!  -Guide Jay Watkins