Fall Season Advice Where When And What Would Work Best?

[AmericanAngler]

I am looking for some suggestions for the Fall season. Where should I go? What tackle should I try? What do you think will work best? I haven't fished the Fall season here since 2005. Last Fall I was in California this year I will be here and used to fish the Phelps and gasconade area when I was here. I am also finally for the second time in my life considering Fly Fishing so I would love to hear your suggestions on this style of fishing too. I haven't been Fly fishing since the High sierras in the late 80's. And are there any guides you could suggest that do well with children as well as adults. Thank you in advance I am sure I will get some good help from you all.

[Mitch f]

When the water temps get cooler, you can catch them on just about anything. Don't discount topwater either when the water temps are above 55 or so. I usually fish jigs and crankbaits for the fall. Don't be surprised if you catch your biggest bass of the year.

Edited to say....Don't forget jerkbaits when the water temps are below 50

[Gavin]

Fall is a great time to get out...Not too warm for you or the fish...Trout, Bass, you name it. If your fly fishing, there is no better time to toss big bushy dry flies...Hoppers, Crickets, and Beatles are all as big as they are gonna get before the frost comes and kills em. Good luck.

[Al Agnew]

I always said that the fishing is great in the fall but the catching can suck. I always wondered why other people were so enamored with fall fishing and kept saying that the fishing was so great. I've finally learned that, to a great extent, it's WHEN in the fall you fish and WHERE you fish. Understand, I'm coming at this strictly from a river fishing standpoint.

Early fall is just a continuation of summer until the leaves start falling and the water temps drop into the low 60s or high 50s. Fish anywhere and you'll do fine, using the same stuff you use in the summer. But once the leaves start falling it's a different story. By that time, I'm more and more convinced that large portions of the bass population are moving out of smaller streams into the larger ones, or migrating toward wintering habitat. At any rate, they are transitioning, and transitions are usually tough. And the rivers are different. Leaves on the water make fishing many lures tough. The water is usually as clear as it gets all year, and usually also very low. I love clear, warm water, and I can take clear, cold water, but I don't like clear water coupled with dropping temperatures. So the period from early October to early November is often the worst fishing time of the year for me UNLESS I switch my focus to larger rivers. I no longer bother with fishing streams the size of Huzzah Creek or upper Big River in that part of the fall, moving more to the middle Meramec, the Current, or the Gasconade...maybe the lower Big Piney. Problem with fishing the larger rivers, however, is that I like to fish them from the jetboat but the leaves on the water make jetboating very frustrating.

Ah, but once the leaf fall slows and the water temps get to the mid-50s or below, I start loving fall fishing again on the larger streams. Then is when you can pattern the fish easily and start catching big fish. You can run the rivers in the jetboat without stopping to pick leaves out of the intake every quarter mile. Often, by that time, we've gotten some good fall rains to raise the river a bit and give it some color.

So fall is really three different seasons to me.

Of course, if you want to target trout, you know where to go and the fishing can be very good all fall.

[Mitch f]

Although you can catch big winter fish if you know the right spots, Deer season to Thanksgiving has always been my most consistent big fish time. Should have been more specific Al but didn't have enought time to make a good post

[AmericanAngler]

Hmmm Winter? I would like to hear more on this subject too. I never tried fishing here in the Winter never really crossed my mind to tell ya the truth. I was usually back in California during that time till around mid March after the big west coast tackle conventions were over.

[Mitch f]

Hmmm Winter? I would like to hear more on this subject too. I never tried fishing here in the Winter never really crossed my mind to tell ya the truth. I was usually back in California during that time till around mid March after the big west coast tackle conventions were over.

Fish stop biting Dec 1st, don't listen to anyone!!

[AmericanAngler]

Lol, in Michigan a few years ago I got experience my first Ice Fishing trip. I'm still waiting for my testicles to drop back down from that Winter in Bay City and Saginaw. Fishing was good but darn cold.

[UnCivE]

Lol, in Michigan a few years ago I got experience my first Ice Fishing trip. I'm still waiting for my testicles to drop back down from that Winter in Bay City and Saginaw. Fishing was good but darn cold.

I've fished tournaments into January here, but fishing is slow and being on a boat in the rain in january will take the fire out of any fisherman. I think it's more a matter of your comfort and ability to stay motivated in the winter than the fish not biting. I've caught some real nice ones in the winter, but you gotta fish SLOOOOW. Also, I'm a jerkbait fanatic once the water gets cold.

[AmericanAngler]

I love plastics myself but this year have been doing a lot of jerkbait fishing and I been loving it. My best lures have been the Rapala xwraps and these things I found in the clearance bin at BP Catalog Outlet. I have tried making a few earlier this year but haven't got the lips right yet. I would love to hit a tourney here in Mo sounds like something to look into. My brother does Pro's and Joe's in California.