Autumn is here and things have finally started to cool down. Great news for trout anglers, and, believe it or not, bass anglers as well. Doucette While bass do like warmer water, several state record bass have been caught in October and November.
This time of year, large bass aggressively feed preparing for the very cold water of winter. Bass are more territorial than trout, often living in the same part of the lake year-round, just moving offshore to deeper water for the winter and moving back into shore when the water warms up in the spring and summer. They are ambush hunters, preferring cover to help them stalk their prey.
Bass are primarily piscivorous, feeding on fish instead of invertebrates, but like any predator are opportunistic and will take any food that comes their way. In the fall, they will often hang on weed bed edges, along with trout, feeding on leeches that are coming out of the dying weed beds. Other smaller fish that feed on the aquatic invertebrates that are losing their homes in the weed beds also fall victim to bass.
Early fall finds crayfish shedding their exoskeletons, which have become too small, and looking for muddy bottoms to burrow in as they prepare to hibernate for the winter. Bass will prowl these muddy flats targeting the soft-bodied crayfish found there this time of year. Even though the water temperatures are below prime bass temperatures, fall can be very productive for big bass.
We have bass in many of our reservoirs and some of the favor.