Late Fall Strategies for Cold Water

The bite of cold has overcome Iowa by now, whitetail bucks are in rut and waterfowl hunting is picking up. With so many outdoor related distractions the thought of fishing takes a back burner to many. Even I find myself trading the rods for a shotgun at this point and celebrate the excitement of ice fishing not too far out. Diehard anglers though, know that late fall with the onset of winter can bring good fishing for those who key in on the right ingredients.

Late fall fishing is tough, downright nasty at times depending on what the weather dishes out. For boat anglers, eating ice cold spray off whitecaps leaves all but the thickest of skin cursing in hypothermic dismay. Is the chance of thermal hardship even worth the reward? Some swear by it and have trophies on the wall or in photo albums to prove so.

By now, many lakes have experienced the fall turnover. This happens when rapidly cooling surface water becomes colder and more dense than the water below and essentially trades places. This can sometimes take 10-14 days to complete all based on Mother Nature and the body of water becomes more uniform in temperature throughout. Fish are affected by this and what was once a standup shallow water bite may now be more of a sluggish mid-depth bite. Bass are famous for performing this maneuver when turnover takes place whereas walleyes tend to move deeper yet.

Some lakes in Iowa however do not experience fall turnover. These would be the classic prairie pothole lakes that are large in retrospect, shallow and windswept. A classic example would be a lake like Trumble Lake for those familiar with north central Iowa. Fish transition in bodies of water like this a lot more freely and tend to roam from deeper to shallow more often. Cover a lot of water in this case to find roaming active fish.

Some species such as pike, muskie and even a few walleyes tend to remain a little shallower through the cold and although the bite may not be furious, some truly monstrous specimens can be caught this time of year. Fish of all species feel winter approaching and are looking to pack on pounds in preparation, not to mention egg development for the females.

Aside from lakes, rivers this time of year can boast some fantastic walleye fishing along with smallmouth bass and pike. One of the best river fishing trips I had was from the bank on the Des Moines River in late November with snow falling. My friend Zak and I were throwing jigs near a dam and within a couple hours had five nice walleyes, two above average pike and a couple football sized smallmouth that went back into the river. The fishing wasn’t fast but we kept our presentations slow and stuck it out. And not a sole was fishing near us which is often the case this late in the season.

Lure Selection
The topic of lure selection this time of year can be pretty broad. Basically you want to fish baits slower and that often means downsizing jigheads, suspending crank baits, spinnerbaits, soft plastics, etc… The size of the lure can also be important. Big baits during late season are often a better option. Baitfish such as shad have grown all summer and the general population of forage is on the larger scale for each species. Big, slow, easy meals are what the predators are seeking to bulk up for the cold months ahead.

When I fish rivers this time of year for walleyes and pike I like to go with a larger profile twister jig and downsize the jighead to even something as light as 1/16th ounce. Depending on current, if I can keep the bait rolling along the bottom the lighter the better so long as the hook protrudes enough of the jig to give an adequate hookset. There are even wide gap jigheads out there that suit this exact need. The moral here is to fish slower and start out throwing a larger bait before downsizing to smaller options.

Crankbaits are also a solid option for those seeking bass, pike, walleye and even muskie in lakes. Fish from all of these species tend to be a little more spread out so covering a lot of water is a necessity. Walleyes and bass will school this time of year but it often takes concentrated forage or key structural elements such as point breaks, abrupt humps and sharp inside turns to really group up these predators.

The beauty of crankbaits is that they can be fished slow in most applications. Even slow trolling can be a great way to locate actively feeding walleyes in lakes such as Big Spirit. When something like this occurs don’t be ashamed to put down the crank rods for a jig or rig rod. Crankbaits are good for finding active fish whereas other lure styles like jigs are better suited for catching numbers when a pattern develops.

A Note on Esox
I couldn’t end this article without discussing at least a slight bit more about pike and muskie. There is no question that the best chance at a monster specimen of either species takes place in the fall. Big pike are fans of cooler water and naturally perform well late in the fall. Cool water across the board brings them out from the depths and makes them a little more available to anglers covering water.

Big muskies also present themselves to an elevated degree and you can sometimes find multiple large fish in one area if the forage and conditions are right. This goes against typical muskie logic as much of the year these fish roam solitary to for the most part. It’s amazing what food will do to a hungry predator. If you can find schools of forage like bluegill, crappie and even packs of walleye or bullhead it’s a sure bet that a beastly Esox isn’t far from them. One key thing to focus on if the lake has it would be rock. From pea to bowling ball sized, muskies really key in on rock and also the edges of last weed growth late in the season.

Trolling big natural colored baits for muskies and pike in lakes is an ideal way to cover water. Vary the trolling speed somewhere in the 1-2 mph range and make sure your bait is reaching the depths that it needs to. In deeper Iowa lakes with muskie and/or pike, these fish will be shallow but can also be deeper depending on where the concentrations of forage are. Most of our classic “pothole” style lakes which rarely plunge past 15 feet in depth will see the majority of Esox in the 4’-8’ range whereas lakes like West Okoboji you may likely find them deeper in the 10’-18’ range.

Late fall fishing is not without challenges. The cold weather is what keeps many anglers from pursuing said challenge and it is not without trial and error to find active fish. The reward can be great though and many of the largest species of predatory fish are caught in late fall. If you dare brave the elements in quest for the “one” this November, be safe, slow down, dress in layers and good luck!