For the past several years, I’ve spent fall/winter in the South. I’ve enjoyed the warmer climate, but I’ve also missed the amazing fall fishing that’s available throughout the North Country.
True fall fishing starts in that October time frame, when the water temperatures are in the mid-50s. I tell everyone down south that fall fishing in the North is probably the most insane and fun fishing you can find anywhere in the country. It’s just unbelievable.
That’s because the North Country fish almost hibernate. They find their wintering holes and, for the most part, they don’t leave, so they really feed up before hibernation.
They’re feeding on really big bait profiles. I like to say, they turn into “meat eaters.” They go away from their craws and start feeding on big minnows and big tullibees. They’re just looking for a really big meal in the fall and that’s what makes it so much fun.
The fish get really schooled up this time of year. You have to put your head down and really look around, but when you get bit, put your Spot-Lock on, because there’s usually more.
It takes some work to find them, but once you do, you can have a really good day. If you can rotate between a couple different schools, you can hit 100-fish days. This time of year in the North Country, catching 50 to 100 fish is not hard.
You’ll catch a mix of largemouth and smallmouth in the fall, and you can target whichever one you prefer. I like variety, so I may want to focus on largemouth one day and smallmouth the next.
When I’m able to fish North Country lakes in the fall, my bait lineup is all about matching what the fish are eating. Here’s what I like to use.
- Strike King 4.75- or 5.75-inch Rage Swimmer on a 1/2-ounce head. This is my favorite smallmouth bait for winding on the bottom over deep wintering holes.
- Strike King Thunder Cricket with a Strike King Menace grub for largemouth on deep grasslines.
- Strike King 5XD for ripping out of grass and cranking deep rockpiles for smallmouth and largemouth.
- Alabama Rig modified with a single 1/8- to 3/16-ounce swimbait head and a white 4.75-inch Rage Swimmer in the center position. I’ll use smaller Rage Swimmers on the hookless arms and dip the center bait in chartreuse to make it stand out. (Minnesota regulations allow only one artificial lure/bait on a single line.) I’ll throw the A-rig for deep smallmouth in 20 to 50 feet over gravel or sand. They winter in the same places each year, so once you find them, they’ll be there every year.
- A 7-inch Strike King Z-Too on a jighead. This bait imitates the tullibees perfectly, and this time of year, I’d just reel it without shaking it. I think that a big profile over their heads will be enough to get them to attack it.
Whatever you throw in North Country waters, water temperature is the biggest factor. You have to fish the speed of the water, so if it’s in the mid 60s you can still fish fast. Once it drops into the low 50s to upper 40s, you have to slow down.
Your bite numbers will go down as the water temperature declines, but if you can get out when the water is still 53 to 56 degrees, you can catch every fish in the school and have an awesome fall day.
