Do Fish Feed More In The Fall!

[Gary Lange]

The discussion on my Illinois Smallmouth Alliance board right now is as follows:

Is there really a heavier feeding period in fall? Or is that just an explanation for the good fishing in fall? As we get into fall, the abundant bait of the summer starts to disappear while the fish are just as hungry as before. The cooling of the waters knocks down weed growth and brings fish shallower where we can get at them. Added O2 perks up fish that were lethargic in warmer summer water. As a result the fishing is good just as if the bass were trying to fatten up like a sow bear getting ready to hibernate. But bass do not hibernate. So I am putting up the survey question.

I thought this and interesting topic so I brought it down here to see what the consensus is on this subject down here. I am hoping some of the Guides get in on this as there experience with having to find fish is valuable in this discussion.

I personally feel that fish like other animals do put on the feed bag in the fall before the winter months come.

[rps]

Smallmouth, as other fish, are cold blooded. The warmer the water, the faster their metabolism. Therefore, they are their hungriest in the hot water of late summer. However, the thermocline separates the oxygenated water on top from the cool depths. As fish go deep to be out of the sun and away from boat traffic, they tend to stop at the thermocline because of oxygen issues. The baitfish and the predators bunch up at that level. Then as summer progresses and the surface becomes warmer, the thermocline settles lower. The end result is fish feed deeper and deeper or at night, even if they are feeding more often.

As fall arrives, the sunlight is less direct, and there is less boat traffic. The water temperature does decrease, but slowly. The fish are still comparatively hungry but the other conditions allow them to feed shallower and in daytime. Thus an apparent feeding binge occurs.

[Bill Babler]

I like the way you think.

[techo]

He must be a teacher.

[rps]

Techo:

I do sometimes tend to lecture.

Its just a left over tendency from the old days when I lawyered. I am trying to reinvent a kinder, gentler person. I figure another 40 years will wear away the stuffy and pompous tendencies.

[techo]

Techo:

I do sometimes tend to lecture.

Its just a left over tendency from the old days when I lawyered. I am trying to reinvent a kinder, gentler person. I figure another 40 years will wear away the stuffy and pompous tendencies.

Please, please please tell me you were not a defense attorney. We can still be friends, just different type of friends!

[rps]

No criminal defense. Mostly chased financial fraud - lots of bankruptcy work in that area - with an occasional plaintiff's case. I never advertised on tv or in the phone book. I took a sabbatical in 2000 and never went back. I make far less as a school teacher, but I am a much happier man. Besides, I live on Table Rock. Does life get better?