In the early fall, bait fish will still take up residence in shallow waters and weed beds, seeking warmer temperatures that will provide them with more abundant feeding opportunities. But the arrival of a cold front or an early morning chill will push the schools deeper into areas along break lines and structure where predators are all too willing to follow or already lying in wait.
Many anglers feel uncomfortable or lack the faith to fish anything other than shoreline cover, putting their desired catch out of reach during the fall transition or sub-prime conditions. Targeting transitional fish, break lines and drop-offs isn’t a mysterious endeavor; it just takes a little forethought and practice. If you are unfamiliar with the concepts, it is easy to get your feet wet with a little bit of the basics to build confidence in open-water scenarios.
A simple way to attack this early fall pattern is by fishing shallow areas, gradually working away from them into open water, so that you are able to effectively work the adjacent structure in deeper water. The term "structure fishing" carries alot of mystery for many anglers but it can be as simple as getting a few casts away from the comfort of shoreline cover.
Take note of the changes in the bottom’s composition as you work out of a cove or away from the shoreline. As you pull away from the comfy confines of the weed beds, stumps and tree falls, keep a keen eye out for dramatic transitions, like drop-offs and holes. Steep depth changes adjacent to shallow water areas are prime musky real estate. These drastic drop-offs allow predatory fish to quickly overtake forage while also providing them a convenient escape to deep cover. These structures can be made of dramatic cliff-like plunges into the abyss or gradual deep rolling hills. Southern reservoirs reveal an ever-changing and limitless amount of bottom structure so any irregularity can merit attention.
No matter the body of water, it is important to identify and subsequently begin to understand how these shallow and deep areas work together to support the food chain. A few minutes referencing a lake map can reveal the details of how areas are tied togther and will help locate prime transitional areas.
The composition of these areas can have a dramatic affect on the whereabouts of your prey in during any given season. Areas where a soft muddy bottom or sediment transition to a rock or gravel bottom might seem of little consequence, but even these seemingly insignificant changes are a magnet to predator and prey alike.
When working these deeper structures and transitions, a common mistake is focusing solely on deep-running baits. While deep-running crank baits and rubber baits can be effective, moving to a mid level or even shallow bait can many times produce more strikes.
Muskies are using depth in this situation as cover, often looking for targets above them in the water column. In this scenerio it is wise to begin fishing transitional areas with mid-depth presentations, so that you are not running your bait too low for an active fish. If the mid-depth presentations proves unsuccessful, testing the waters with deeper running presentaions becomes a solid option.
The fall transition of predator and prey in the water column is an inevitability that always finds a way to throw a wrench into our successful summer patterns year after year.
Take this opportunity to move away from the known and try your luck seeking out prime drop-offs, slopes or transitions before the “hot bite” mysteriously fades away from your summer honey hole, and remember that the big ones might only have moved a break-line away.
Steven Paul : Musky 360
www.TennesseeMuskyFishing.com
