Scott's Expert Tips for Multi-Species Fall Fishing Success

My name is Scott Olson and I’ve been a resident of the Black Hills of South Dakota since 2008. I’ve been fishing on the water and shores, though, for a good majority of my 43 years. I am a fishing educator in my area and provide information, tips, and seminars to help others be successful from the shores or the ice and am looked at as an ambassador for the sport by many because of this. I try out new fishing gear each year from various companies to see how well they will work for the way that I fish and for what I fish for. With this experience, I’ve become well versed in multi-species fishing techniques as I do not fish for one species in particular, but try to fish for what’s in the particular lakes that I’m on as well as what’s biting at that particular time. And with the summer ending soon, one of the best times of the year will be coming in hot!

With the coming of the fall season, not only is the air getting that crispy feel to it that many of us look forward to each year, but that cooler air also means that water temperatures are or will be starting to drop with it. And we all know what that means—fish are on the prowl for meals to fatten up on before the winter season brings with it less forage. This is the time of year where going bigger is sometimes the only way to go! Bigger crankbaits, bigger plastics, and bigger spoons or spinners. Plus with the cooler temperatures, many fish return to the shallows to find their meals and begin to set up into their early winter patterns before all the vegetation dies and the oxygen there dries up.

As panfish and trout return to the weedy areas they were in during the spring, it is a great time to target them with a variety of presentations. During this time of the year, using a slip bobber setup tipped with either crappie minnows, worms, or a good size ice plastic can give you a good shot at reeling in slab crappies, bluegills, or hard fighting rainbows as they come back into their shallow water haunts. Setting the bobber stop between two and three above the bait is where I normally like to stop the bobber at. Bays or areas that are very weedy can hold plenty of panfish during the early fall, but finding the holes in the weeds can be an issue if they are holding to the thick mats. Typically, I’m usually in an inflatable pontoon or kayak, I look for the weed edges and prowl those with this setup rather than try to pick off holes and pull off moss and weeds more often than not. I’ve found in this setup that a good seven foot light to medium-light rod paired with a Piscifun Viper X in 1000 spool size is a good combination to use. I recently added the new AlumiX to my arsenal of panfish and trout reels and have been blown away with much the reel excels in making longer, more accurate casts thanks to its spool design. 

On the walleye front, larger crankbaits or other bigger presentations can see a lot of action. Most of the time, using size 5 or 6 cranks is what I’m using in the summer. But come fall, 7s, 8s, and sometimes 9s can work great as the bottom dwellers look to pack on the weight for the winter months. And once they’ve returned to shallower water, it becomes easier to target them from my pontoon instead of relying on others’ boats. From my experience, jigging with large 4” or even 5” plastics also returns as a favorite technique as well as snap jigging glide baits. These techniques feature fast sinking rates and aggressive reactive strikes from any fish nearby. Rocky bottom areas, points, and gravel-to-weed transition locations become favorite places to target, especially where there are very rapid drops in depth. Evening is still the best bite, but with cooler water temperatures, I find they can be caught during the middle of the day as well. For the most part, they won’t pass up an easy meal if it presents itself in front of them. For these gravel lizards, I like 6’6” medium rods with fast tips for a good hookset into their maws. I pair my walleye rods with Piscifun Carbon X and Prism spinning reels in 2000 spool sizes due to their light weight, great drag systems, and ease of casting with them.

For bass and pike, I apply the same rules as early spring—big and flashy gets their attention. I have some of my best luck on these two species during this time of the year on large spinnerbaits in 3/8 oz size. They’re big, flashy, and make some noise going through the water. Weeds are still tall and green even as the water temps go down so fishing around them with these larger lures does present its challenges, but the reward can be worth the weed pulling as the fish will sometimes annihilate the lure when it’s reeled back just below the surface. Where I fish for them at, both bass and pike hang out in the same area so it’s always a guess as to which one will hit it, but when they are chasing spinnerbaits, hold on for the ride! Topwater lures like poppers will still work as well and these have the benefit of avoiding weed snags for the most part. I don’t mind throwing poppers in weeds as long as they are below the surface. Search baits that are rigged Texas style are also effective in keeping the weeds off the hook. But with careful placement and a swift turn of the handle to engage the bail, heavier lures can be launched into cover. This time of year, I’ve even seen guys who use those animal-imitating topwater lures (mice, bats, turtles, etc.) with some success on big pike and bass. With spinnerbaits or even weedless spoons, I also try to look for openings or alleys in the weeds and aim for those or reel over them as these two predators like to ambush meals that follow these weedy channels. The excitement always builds when you get the lure to go over one of these areas where chances are, there’s something looking for some easy prey. Medium heavy spinning rods are necessary for hauling in these big fighting fish through all that cover as well as smooth reels that can handle these drag strippers. I use the Carbon X and Carbon Prism in 2000 spool sizes because 3000 sized reels are too big and clunky for shore or small watercraft fishing and they hold plenty of braided line for fighting with big specimens as well as for the same reasons as they are on my walleye rods—they are very lightweight, incredibly strong, and have extremely smooth drag system comparable to reels that are more than double their price.

As fall hits the northern regions of the country, not only are many fishermen and women nipping at the bud to get things ready for the winter season, but so are the fish. As they look to fatten up on forage before it becomes harder to find come winter, you’ll find that they will be on the prowl, in shallower water, and willing to chase large baits. Don’t be afraid to upsize your presentations during the fall. Put on a larger plastic. Try out that size 9 crankbait. Give those animal-imitating topwater lures a shot. The fish you target, whatever it may be, may not be as picky once the water temperatures start dropping. Their biology is telling them that it is time to feed heavily in preparation for the hardwater season. Why not obliged them by giving them something worth going after!