New England Fall Bass Fishing

New England Fall Bass Fishing

Fall Bass Fishing.

Every fall season thousands upon thousands of tourists flood New England states to drive around and look at leaves. I am writing this article to inform you all that there is something much more interesting you could be doing in the fall in New England… Bass fishing. Who would want to drive around and look at dying leaves when they knew they could be pulling in a very ALIVE lunker bass on the end of their line. This is New England Fall Bass Fishing.

The difficulty in landing bass in the fall is the ever fluctuating weather. In other seasons predictable weather leads to predictable fishing patterns and behavior. The fall takes this predictability out of the equation and throws us into a world of unknowns. Fortunately, being the smart anglers that we are, we can understand all of the weather possibilities that fall may throw at us, and know how to best conquer them. Thus, here are my fall bass fishing tips to you. 

The first thing to consider when bass fishing in the fall is where the bass will most likely hold. In the fall temperatures begin to slowly drop thus making it more comfortable for fish to come to shallower waters which are now cooling down to their optimal temperature. Towards the end of the summer, water is at its warmest, which is often out of a bass’ comfort zone. This leads to locating them much deeper in the water column. Towards the end of summer is also the time in which their food supply becomes most scarce. So the good news is this: (a) When fall begins, temperatures begin to drop to optimal ranges, and because of this (b) bass will come into the shallows, and most importantly, (c) they will be absolutely starving. Knowing this we will elect to fish in the shallows for the beginning of the fall season. As far as lure selection and presentation is concerned when early fall bass fishing, lures and tactics that you would use in the spring can be revisited with great results in the fall. Remember, the fish will be in water that is close to their optimal range for activity so don’t be shy throwing shallow running crankbaits and spinners to trigger a reaction strike. Bass fishing New England waters in the early fall creates opportunity for some explosive days of fishing.

In mid-fall the water in the shallows continues to cool until it reaches equilibrium with the temperature of the deeper water. This is by far the most difficult part of the fall to fish, because bass no longer have a preferred temperature zone to relate to, and thus can be found pretty much anywhere in the lake. For those of us who do not own fish finders the only option is to use process of elimination to find fish. The only advice I can offer here is to invest in a fish finder. If you don’t have a fish finder or the budget to purchase one fish all structure you can get a lure to and use process of elimination to find which pattern will work that particular day.

Late fall bass fishing comes when winter approaches and water temperatures in the shallows plummett below temperatures in the depths. This is when bass retreat to deeper structure where they will stay until spring. When water temperatures drop below a range of about 50 degrees Fahrenheit, being cold blooded, bass become torpid and less willing to bite. This is a concern when approaching late fall bass fishing. We will need to create a presentation that is slow, and worthwhile for a bass. When I say worthwhile, I am referring to the size of your bait, a fish that is frozen to the gills is going to be less likely to expend energy for a mere snack, thus putting something that would be considered a larger meal in front of its face will yield better results. On top of this, slow down. With lethargic fish we must be patient and leave the bait in the strike zone for a longer period of time. Large jigs and carolina rigged plastics are a couple of surefire approaches to filling your livewell in the late fall.

Understanding these three phases of fall bass fishing and understanding when each is taking place will allow you to make informed decisions on where to locate fish, and how to have them end up in your boat.

New England fall bass fishing is one of my favorite fishing situations to approach. Nothing can top the feeding frenzy that is created when malnourished bass come into shallow waters to gorge themselves before winter hits. If you take anything from this article to the water with you next fall understand the three distinct phases of the fall and how bass will relate to their environments as a function of water temperature.

-Happy Bassin’

My name is Jake, I am an avid fisherman, mostly for Largemouth Bass, I have been fishing all my life and enjoy spreading the love of fishing to all interested!

Bass Fishing Tips