Fall fishing in our part of whitetail country can be the some of the most exciting times of the season, for those that are will too put with a little weather.

When heading out onto the water this time year, it’s best to leave shorts muscle shirts at home. One of the keys to fishing this time of year is dressing properly. Knowing that at any time those beautiful blue skies can and will turn dark and we will be going to get wet. In today’s world there is really no reason to cold and wet, there is plenty great gear on the market for todays’ sportsmen to stay comfortable.

Staying in turn with the weather should on the top of the list things to check off turn fall and early winter days. This is just one reason why we never leave the dock without everybody wearing a Coast Guard approved type 1 jacket. These jackets are the best the money can buy are a bit of over kill for inland water ways but are the best.

Late summer into early autumn can be a tricky time to tackle walleyes, as wandering “eyes” transition between their summer and fall seasonal haunts. But with the right game plan, anglers can still enjoy some of the year’s finest fishing.

From mid-September till November, it’s best to target structure such as the fish-rich transitions from rock to sand or gravel, typically in deeper water.

Rigging nightcrawlers is the best way to go right now. We have found success with a size 4 red hook tipped with crawler, which trails along tethered to a long Snell like the 42-inch Lindy Rig X-Treme.

With either the floating or standard rig, a 3/8-ounce walking sinker is perfect for maintaining bottom contact in these depths, at slow speeds, such as .4 to .8 mph. Try using an electric trolling motor to idle along transition lines, watching the sonar for baitfish and walleyes.”

As the leaf’s begin to drop so does the water temperatures and we head deeper like troughs that connect sunken humps or saddles between the tip of a long point and any off shore structure that will attract baitfish, hence larger predators. Depths of 30 plus feet in the northern basin of Chautauqua are great places to look for larger fish. Proper rigging for deep water “eyes” is important. Try the same red Snell hook but in a larger size, 2 hook and a half-ounce walking sinker. Minnows as long as you can them are hot baits in autumn, attracting the attention of hungry ‘eyes that are feeding heavily in the cooling water.

We have found that nose-hooking your minnows works this time of year but it’s important, to be careful to keep the bait alive. Using a 7-foot, medium-light spinning combo spooled with 6- to 8-pound test line and dropping the rig to bottom, then let out about 10 feet of extra line and begins slow-trolling at the same pace he uses for ‘crawlers, up to .8 mph max.

Here is an old school trick, it takes some practice but when master will put more fish in your boat. As you let your line don’t close the reel’s bail keep it open, holding the line with your finger. When you detect a bite, feed the fish line until you think it’s time to set the hook. The severity of the strike along with how much time to allow before closing the bail, reeling down and driving the hook home depends on the walleye’s mood. Often time the fish really nail it, and you can set almost right away, while other times, a bite feels like you snagged a wet towel, and you have to wait. I’ve waited as long as a minute-and-half before setting the hook during tough bites.

Minnows — remember, we have lipped hooked them so they are still alive — often know they are about to before dinner get nervous and panic when eyeballed by a hungry walleye. It’s a really good sign when your rod tip starts to shake you know a walleye is moving in for the kill.

The deep-rigging game is deadly all day, but at first and last light speed-trolling crankbaits in shallower water can produce well.

If one is looking for bucket mouth, fall is a great time for chasing bass. As the water cools, it triggers the feeding frenzy that gives anglers nearly effortless fishing.

With the right techniques, you can make the fall fishing season your best time for catching heavy-hitting, hard-fighting bass.

During the fall, the water starts to cool, but rocks and boulders, which store heat better than any other structure in the lake, will hold schools of fish. Both bass and baitfish want to be near the warmer water, so any area with lot of rocks is a great place to start your fishing. Rock piles, erosion barriers, and other stone structures can give you plenty of action from bass that are looking to warm their bodies and catch a meal.

Sticking to the same warm-water principle as before, looking for shallower waters is often a smart practice for fall bass fishing. Shallow waters will warm faster, so bass will swim out of the deep spots and into the shallow areas, usually spots that are three to five feet deep.

Bass love the shallow waters in fall, but they also want to be near deeper waters, which can hold available food. Areas that have a shallow spot with a steep ledge nearby will produce some of the best bass fishing in the fall. Use your depth finder to identify steep drop offs, and then use large crankbaits to run along the ledge.

During the warm days of summer, bass will slow down their activity to conserve energy, so slowing down your retrieve is often a good technique. The fall, however, calls for a faster retrieve. This will give the lure more action, attracting the attention of bass, who have lots of feeding options in the fall. Bass are going to be more aggressive in the fall, so you really don’t have to worry about losing one because your retrieve was too fast.

Crankbaits are a great choice for catching fall bass. They resemble the fish that bass eat in the fall, especially wide-bodies shad, and they give off plenty of noise and vibrations, attracting the attention of aggressive bass from yards away. Crankbaits can be difficult to use in the summer, when weeds get caught on the numerous hooks, but these weeds recede in the fall, opening up the waters for a rattling crankbait. Most seasons, bass don’t school together, so when you catch one it’s best to move on to a different spot. Throw that piece of wisdom out in the fall. Bass will actually congregate together during the autumn, so when you catch one, continue to hit that spot and you’ll likely catch one after another, one after another and so on. Fall is last chance for soft water anglers and is more than worth the extra effort. Also, there is nothing better than going to the freezer on a winter evening and pulling out walleye fillets. The sight of anglers in the snow storm grilling walleye makes my heart jump a beat plus it also makes me thank my lucky stars for an indoor grill.