Fall fishing

Even though summer is officially over – or at least it is on the northern hemisphere – that doesn’t mean that we have to say goodbye to fishing. On the contrary! This is when the real big-fish season starts. Most waters calm down, and the hustle and bustle of beaches and shores will not disturb us. Those who are not afraid of cooler weather and are prepared, will be rewarded with a lot of fun by the waters also in the fall. There is an opportunity to have fruitful sessions – whether we talk about shorter or longer excursions.

In fact, for many car fishermen fall is the most awaited season. Less people by the water, school has started, less people go fishing, not to mention the sometimes already biting cold that will deter everyone but the real fanatics. As we go further into the fall and early winter, there will be less and less people around. And with less competition on the shores and piers, we can explore and then fish larger areas, so we have a better chance at catching pretty and – if we are lucky – truly special fish.

            The key to successful fishing is thorough local knowledge, a lot of practice to find our own technique, and good-quality bait, as advised by many competitive anglers.

            In the cooler waters, the quantity of food drops, so fish make a dash for the tidbits coming into their way – whether it is pellet or boilie. Protein-rich baits will easily attract fish with their varied taste, vibrant color and intensive aroma.

Before we settle by the water, it is practical to size up the chosen area and the possible whereabouts of the fish. Carps, for example, like to linger close to fallen branches and logs, as well as weedy areas as these are the places where they feel safe at. As cooler weather sets in, it is convenient to use the spinning technique or fish with a feeder rod. During the light, sunny hours fish linger among the trees by the shore but as the weather cools, they tend to leave them.

As we approach the end of the fall, and as the temperature of our waters decreases and slowly reaches 10 degrees Celsius, the appetite of carps also decreases significantly, while their digestion time increases multifold. At 20 degrees Celsius carps utilize their food within 3-4 hours, while in a water of 8 degrees this process may take up to 24-30 hours and at 2 degrees up to 4 days!

That is why it is more difficult to catch carp in the fall and mainly in wintertime. Carps eat much less and less frequently, plus they cover shorter distances than in the summer.

If we arrive to an unknown water and we have no specific plan about which part we’d like to fish, as a first step let’s walk around the lake or along the shore and give a searching look to the water. The small bubbles and tiny ruffles on the surface of the water are all especially useful clues.

Goodbye summer, hello fall! Great fishing to you all!

The wor.my team

Sources: duol.hu, horgaszat.com, idojosdas.hu