Fall Fishing Tips & Techniques

Fall means the end of summer, aspen, yellowing; oak, reddening. It is walleye, lurking; brown trout, spawning; bass, surging. Fall is black clouds, rolling; white fog, piling. And maybe a hint of snow in the cool breezes. Fall is wood smoke, wafting; campfires, warming; friendships, nurturing. It is red apples, steaming cobbler topped with ice cream, and deer hunt.

But best of all, fall is fishing!

Some believe fall provides the best fishing of the year. That is debatable, though nature seems to have conspired to make fall, the most exceptional angling season; for fall combines a uniquely pleasing set of circumstances, coupling the weather, water and fish into a unique outdoors experience.

Fall water conditions are generally low and stable. At the beginning of fall, water oxygen levels may also be low. Accordingly, fish may be more concentrated than in the spring and easier to locate and catch. Game fish are in prime condition, and are actively feeding before ice-up. Forage fish are also fat, ready for harvesting by the larger finned reapers. And aquatic insect hatches still are abundant.

Cooling water temperatures prompt aggressive feeding. As fall progresses, "overturn," the sinking of surface water and the rise of bottom water, injects fresh oxygen into all levels of the lakes, revitalizing the fish in waters depleted of oxygen during the summer months.

Brookies, browns and kokanee color brilliantly into spawning dress, feeding hungrily in pools along their way towards gravelly stream channels. Huge-jawed lakers prowl mysterious, solitary beats, deep within the fluid twilight.

Fall is when the big-fish yarns spun by fishermen actually come true.

Curiously enough, the best quality fishing and most delightful fishing environment of the year occurs when most are scurrying home from vacation retreats. And while vacationers are readying boats and tackle for winter storage, trophy game fish feed hungrily.

Imagine having miles of river entirely to yourself on a cool-breezed warm day with browns and cutthroat smashing spinners every half-dozen casts.

Imagine hundreds or acres of productive water being your private smallmouth reserve for a day. And imagine hooking a 20 pound lake trout from the shore of a rocky island while your fishing partner fixes shore lunch. It could happen for this is fall fishing.

Aside from the excellent fishing in the fall, and the relaxing solitude under which it is often enjoyed, there are other fall outings a truly active outdoorsman will find more than just passively diversionary. Play your cards right and you can combine such outings with fishing. Obvious ones are for any combination of deer, elk, moose, duck, geese, pheasant, quail, grouse or chukar and – FISH.

Less obvious, but nonetheless delightful, are fall camping vacations combining fishing with hiking and nature photography during the color explosion of the aspen and oak forests.

Perhaps the ultimate fall outdoors experience is the wilderness adventure, also known as travel-fishing – exciting escapes into the wilds of Utah's wilderness. Plan a week long wilderness trip that will take you to two or three different waters. Fly fish the Green River for lunker rainbow and cutthroat then book a trip on Flaming Gorge reservoir and get after some big lake trout.

Spend a couple of days at Fish Lake tracking down a school of splake and then head on down to Lake Powell and cast a jig for some big bass.

How do you determine the best times and places to fish in the fall? You may be surprized how close some of the better locations are to your home. But because the fall season may be brief, patterning these opportunities becomes easier the more often you fish and the more widely you travel. In patterning times and places to go fishing, there's no substitute for experience. Some anglers keep fishing log books and refer to them when planning trips. They also network frequently with anglers in other regions. Others chat with marina operators and guides.

As the weather up north gets bad – think southern Utah: Lake Powell, Gunlock, Enterprise, Ivans, Upper and Lower Sand Cove.

Extremes of fall weather should encourage anglers to prepare tackle for the effects of colder temperatures. Clean your fishing reels and relubricate them with lighter-grade greases and oils. Remove old fishing line and dispose of it properly. Replace it with fresh line.

Wash fly lines in detergent solution, or clean them with a good vinyl cleaner. Apply a generous coating of siliconized flotant to floating fly lines. Then rub them down with a soft cloth to remove the excess. If you use a boat for fall fishing, give it the same sort of checkout and tune-up you would before your first trip in the spring.

Acquire a wardrobe of clothing, rain gear and footwear that quickly adapts to the sudden climatic changes occurring in the fall. Take advantage of seasonal sales to acquire this wardrobe at affordable prices. Prepare yourself and your tackle for cold weather.

You'll probably become hooked on fall fishing, but that's ok. Go ahead and schedule as many fall fishing vacations as possible. Your friends may laugh at you. That's ok, too. They're the ones who'll be missing out on one of the best fishing times of the year.