As fall starts to "kick into high gear", as they say I think it's time to discuss some fall fishing techniques. In many cases techniques don't change a ton during the fall fishing season, but a little refresher course is never a bad idea. There is little doubt that fall fishing can be some of the best fishing of the year, and the techniques outlined in this article will help most any angler catch more fish.
Let's begin with the fact that the fall provides a unique opportunity in many areas of the country. As the weather gets colder, in many cases fish become much more apt to feed. The fish inherently know that winter is approaching, which means that temperatures will plummet, thus slowing down their metabolism and making them much less apt to eat. This means that many species of fish become very willing to eat in the fall, which is obviously great for us anglers.
The first fall fishing technique that I'm going to describe makes use of live bait. Although many types of live bait will work with this particular technique, few types of bait are more effective than worms. Live worms are an extremely effective bait for this technique, and at the end of the day synthetic worms such as Berkley Power worms and Gulp night crawlers work equally as well with the technique. The other "must have" item for this technique is pre-tied gang hooks.
Gang hooks are simply a pair of small hooks tied in tandem and Pre-tied gang hooks are simply gang hooks that are already tied and ready to fish. Gang hooks are the most natural and effective way to present a worm, whether that worm is living or synthetic. When fishing in the fall of the year, you want your worm to appear as natural as possible and gang hooks allow this to happen.
Start by taking the end of your line and tying on a small barrel swivel. The swivel is the best way to attach the gang hooks to your line and it will help prevent line twist. On the other end of the swivel, tie on a set of pre-tied gang hooks. Now split shot sinkers are added for weight above the barrel swivel. The number and size of your split shot will vary depending on water conditions. The goal is to have your offering "roll" along the bottom, as it flows naturally with the current. You will need to add and/or remove split shots as needed. At this point add a worm (either live or synthetic) to the gang hooks to complete your rig.
This rig is now cast into the current, parallel to yourself, the bail is closed and the rig is allowed to drift naturally with the current until it is directly below you. At this point the drift is over, you reel in, and re-cast. This fall fishing technique is very effective and works in other seasons as well. The key to this technique is practice. The more time you spend fishing it, the better you will become. Eventually telling the difference between the bottom and bites becomes easy.
The next technique isn't a "technique" per say, it's more of a rule. This rule involves using Mother Nature to your advantage. When it comes to fall fishing, using Mother Nature to your advantage (specifically the weather and moon) can increase your catch rates dramatically. Simply by knowing the simple ways the weather and moon impact fishing can help you make sure that you're on the water when the fish are the most active. And when the fish are active, guess what happens? Yep, they are much more apt to bite whatever you happen to be offering.
Gang Hooks Tied & Ready To Fish: http://www.jrwfishing.com/gang_hooks.asp
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