The water temps are rapidly cooling off in October as winter inches closer, but it also means the fish are very actively feeding and easier to catch as they group up, feed and become more predictable in October. One of the bigger groups of fish you find in October is often big schools of white bass. And you will often have smallmouth and largemouth bass around and mixed in with them as well as other game fish.
October is often the “month for the birds” as we call it around here. That’s because diving birds can often alert you to the feeding activity of gamefish on the lake, and it’s a heck of a time to throw a topwater lure for some downright fun fishing.
Best Bites in October: White Bass Blitzes
When the white bass are herding shad and forcing them to the surface, the fishing can be fast and furious and sometimes feast or famine. The key is not to get too locked down to any one area. And to be very observant to what’s going on around you. A shad darting and skipping on the surface will often alert you to a bigger fish’s or a group of fish’s presence in the area. Look for lots of splashing in a group on those calm days, especially when you have some cloud cover. That will usually be actively feeding game fish on top.
If you don’t find the fish readily showing themselves on the surface, you can often start on your main lake shallow flats just off the main river. Anywhere from 2-10 feet can be productive depths to look for schools of fish feeding on shad.
A topwater is a great search bait as is a small lipless crankbait like a Rat-L-Trap in 1/4-ounce sizes. Blue and chrome is hard to beat but anything that looks like a baitfish will work. Spinners like rooster tails or the custom heavier versions made by local shops also work exceptionally well for white bass as do blade baits.
Start at the edge of deep water and work shallower onto the flats between the main river and the secondary channel and you will likely find groups of fish. Mouths of bays are also great places to look. Often just taking a ride down the lake can alert you to active schools or bird activity in an area.
Other Good Bites in October
The cool weather gets other gamefish a lot more active as well. Crappie fishing really ramps up in October and continues to be good into the winter. You are looking for fish feeding into the many big bays on the lake. Target mid-depth high spots in the bays in that 6 to 12-foot range. Shade banks can be good as well. Find cover in the areas and cast jigs from a distance and steady retrieve over the cover like brush piles, stake beds and big laydowns. If that doesn’t work, you might have to get right up on the cover with a long rod and just work your jigs vertically in the cover to coax pressured fish out.
Smallmouth are still eating well in October as are largemouth bass. The abundance of shad this time of year can make finding them more difficult, but October is often about following the creeks to the backs of the bays. Either start half way back and work your way back following along creek channels and ditches or start in the back and work your way out. Somewhere along there you will intersect the fish. It’s not uncommon to find schools funneling shad into these channels and feeding aggressively.
Your moving baits are the best bets in October. Spinnerbaits, swimbaits, Chatterbaits, lipless crankbaits and topwaters all work this time of year. The name of the game is to cover a lot of water and follow migration paths the bass can use to funnel shad into shallow ambush areas.
Docks can be overlooked gems this time of year as well as they are some of the last shallow cover still in the water when the lake draws down to Winter pool on October 1.
As you get to the end of October, look for those deeper holding areas on the way back out of bays to find fish feeding actively in larger groups in deeper holes. It’s not uncommon as we get into the end of October and November to find black bass, white bass, crappie and more all in big groups leading out of bays towards the main lake together feeding on baitfish before winter really sets in. So keep hunting groups of fish as you go further out to the mouths of bays and the main lake.
Bluegill fishing can still be very good in October. On those calm sunny days, you will often find them sunning in shallow protected pockets or on shallow brush and docks. As the water temps continue to drop, look for them to migrate their way back out to the deep flats edging towards the main river where they will group up all winter long. Brush along the way to their winter holes are the usual places to find them when they are in transition this time of year.
October can be some great fishing after the lull periods we face in August and September. And fall generally has a lot less anglers and pleasure boaters on the water than spring. So it can make for a lot more peaceful and enjoyable fishing.
