Fall fishing tips: how BiteGuide helps you catch more

You fished all summer, waking early and watching the sun rise on the water. Then one day you feel it. That chill before sunrise and the dramatic temperature swing from morning to afternoon. The seasons are changing and you know your fishing strategy must change with it. 

The heat of the day may no longer be the cure it is in summer and the early mornings can see fish sluggish and unwilling to move because of the new cold. These conditions can change every day, as well.

To find success in fall, you need to be aware. Aware of the air temp, the water temp, sunrise, highs, highs, lows and more. Enter BiteGuide.

BiteGuide is the perfect tool for dealing with the shoulder seasons, where the only constant is change.

These # particular reasons are why we think BiteGuide is your most invaluable tool for deciding when to leave and when to be on the water.

Fall species aren’t built the same

Even if you’re a generalist angler, who’s just looking to set the hook on whatever is biting, some species are iconic in the fall. The Great Lakes have legendary pike, muskie and walleye bites. The Rocky Mountain West has streamer fishing for brown and cutthroat trout. Steelhead, salmon and stripers also run on/near one or both coasts. Not to mention the largemouth bite really heats up regardless of where you’re fishing.

Not all of these species like the same conditions, however. Different temperatures, different water flows and times of day will change when and how you fish for each species. You can select your species and get the exact details you need, like which time of day to fish down to the hour. You can also decipher how you should present your lure and how aggressive the fish should be chasing it.

It all starts with your species. Know thy fish and know thy plan.

Fall (usually) means big baits

Fish can feel the oncoming winter and that spurs aggressive feeding. Most species take advantage of high caloric prey, i.e. big prey, as they want to maximize their calorie intake per energy spent. 

This doesn’t mean you can just find the biggest lure at the tackle shop and huck it though. 

Different species are going to key in on their favorite baits and what’s on the menu for a pike, may be uninteresting for even the biggest smallmouth.

This can be even more important for species like salmon and steelhead that are returning up rivers to spawn. Often enough these fish are not actively feeding, so you need the exact right bait to help elicit a bite out of instinct, instead of hunger.

BiteGuide’s bait suggestions can help narrow down these choices based on the current weather conditions. When you select your preferred species you’ll get a selection of the best lure and bait types you should be using right now. 

The suggestions are based on the water and air temperatures,a s well as the general weather, air pressure and fish biology. You can select between artificial lures, or natural baits as well and for lures, you also get color recommendations fit for the conditions you’re fishing.

Changing conditions? No problem.

Unpredictable weather patterns are the hallmark of fall. Rising and falling temperatures, rising and falling water levels, mixed clarity are just some of the variables you can see, sometimes all in the same day. Your lure and how you fish it is dependent on these conditions and you can factor those in on BiteGuide. 

You can select, and change, three primary conditions for updated lure and presentation recommendations and you should actively change each as you move spots, or as the weather changes. 

• Water clarity

  

  - Cloudy visibility from rain and melt from early season snow, or even crystal clear water from lack of precipitation should be fished differently. Select your water’s current conditions and BiteGuide will suggest the right bait for right now.

• Water depth

  

  - Maybe you’re fishing a slowly rising water level, or maybe you haven’t got a bump in the levels since spring. Regardless, your fishing depth should determine your bait and lure depth. Change your depths from shallow to deep water for a more precise determination of what to fish with and how to fish it.

• Weeds and vegetation

  

  - Weed beds, lilies and other aquatic vegetation usually provide excellent habitat for fish. Fall, however, can start a decline in these as the lower temperatures start killing off plant life. Warm starts to the season can see weeds proliferate still, so you need to know what sort of vegetation is around. You can select no weeds, aquatic weeds, or surface vegetation on BiteGuide to help narrow down your bait selection to something not only alluring, but functional in each habitat.

There may be no better time as an angler than fall, but it doesn’t come without the challenges of changing seasons, waters, temps and fish behavior.

Change is hard to deal with while fishing and the more sudden the change, the more complicated the fishing. Fishbrain has you covered, however. Make sure you’re using BiteGuide this fall for all your lure and bait suggestions and take advantage of the best time of year to be an angler.

Now let’s go fishing. 

If you haven't experienced the #1 fishing app worldwide, make sure and check out Fishbrain to see all the fish data, fishing spots, weather conditions you've been missing out on plus much more.