Where are the Best Fall Fishing Trips?

By Andy Whitcomb

Sep 29, 2023

Fall can be a great time to go fishing. You might find that the best fall fishing locations are closer than you think. Here are a few reasons why.
 

Looking for “fall fishing trips near me”? Great fall fishing destinations are closer than you might believe. One way to think about locating the best fall fishing trips may be simply to just keep fishing. Your favorite lake or river will soon be going through some significant changes. When summer ends and schools are once again in session, if you normally put away your fishing gear, you might be missing out on some great fall fishing trips on rivers or fall fishing trips on lakes. Here’s why:

Less Stress

As water temperatures begins to drop, that body of water that you thought you knew during summer begins to transform in many ways. For example, cooler water holds more dissolved oxygen. In many places around the country during summer, anglers completely stop fishing for trout due to the higher stress level and lower survivability during release. However, with cooler temperatures, many anglers are picking up their fly rods again and venturing out on fall fishing trips for trout. There may even be some fall restocking in your area.

Relocation Program

Brisk water triggers bait and thus predatory fish movement too. One of the good fall fishing trips for beginners takes advantage of the yearly pattern of fall fishing trips with experienced guides by following baitfish that begin to group tightly and move to the back of creeks. This concentration of forage generates many fall fishing trips for bass, which will readily hit shad resembling lures such as spinnerbaits, swimbaits, and topwater lures as long as you can remain near the continually moving baitfish schools.

Cool Attitude

As water temperature drops at your fall fishing destinations, fish begin feeding heavily before winter. Casting larger lures can often be the ticket during fall partially because the larger fish that might have been lurking in the cooler depths during the summer begin to cruise the shallows again. In addition, the best fall fishing trips could be discovered on your home waters if you are willing to shift your target species. For example, instead of the summer go-to technique of casting a soft plastic worm on the bottom for largemouth bass, you may want to consider revisiting your spring pike and walleye patterns.

 

If you love to travel, there are many options for fall fishing trips with accommodations. However, since moving to a northern state, I have discovered great windows of opportunities that open and close seasonally and the chance of a good fall bite on your local waters should not be overlooked. Not only will you find less fishing pressure, but there is potential for fall fishing trips for trophy fish that simply were not there during warmer months.

Andy Whitcomb
Andy Whitcomb
Andy is an outdoor writer (http://www.justkeepreeling.com/) and stressed-out Dad has contributed over 380 blogs to takemefishing.org since 2011. Born in Florida, but raised on banks of Oklahoma farm ponds, he now chases pike, smallmouth bass, and steelhead in Pennsylvania. After earning a B.S. in Zoology from OSU, he worked in fish hatcheries and as a fisheries research technician at OSU, Iowa State, and Michigan State.