Summer has a way of draining the fast-paced excitement of spring fishing from the most avid of anglers, giving the illusion of “poorfishing” until the next calendar year, but nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, fall fishing presents the same opportunities of spring, just under different circumstances. Spring is fast-paced because it coincides with Oklahoma’s fish spawning periods. Fall is fast-paced for an even better reason, fish are gorging for the winter months.

Bass fishing in particular is vastly improved in the fall months as water temperatures ease back into the mid-60s. At this time of year, bass will form loose schools and chase young-ofyear bluegill, shad, shiners and other bait fish. Throwing a 1/16th oz. swimbait in shad color at your local pond in transition areas where shallow water gradually slopes to deeper water will typically find several decent largemouth bass. In larger lakes and reservoirs, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, shallow-diving lipped crankbaits and medium-to small-sized buzzbaits fished at medium- to fast-speed in the backs of coves and creek channels can yield quite the haul of black bass species and white bass.

So don’t put away the tackle just yet! There is still plenty of fishing left to do this year. And to help you get started on your next fishing adventure, check out our comprehensive fishing guide online at ODOW.