Bass chasing baitfish as the fall bite takes hold

What's biting

What's next

Expect the bite to firm as water cools. Fishing the Midwest's Mike Frisch notes that dying weeds push baitfish and gamefish onto the green cover left, so start at remaining weed edges and any structure holding bait. Tactical Bassin's fall topwater tips stress that retrieve cadence and bait size decide whether bass commit, so adjust until something hits.

Walleye anglers can try Frisch's fall plain rig, a bottom bouncer with a plain snell and nightcrawler, which he says still catches fish when water cools. Wind and cloud cover will set topwater timing more than the calendar, so check the forecast before heading out. If you catch and keep a muskie or sturgeon, the MI DNR's September 23 weekly report asks you to log the harvest in the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app.

Context

Early October is typically when inland lakes finish fall turnover and weed beds start to decline, the shift the Fishing the Midwest piece describes. A bass bite that builds through October is a common regional pattern, though the timing shifts with water temperature and wind. Check state regulations before harvesting any fish.