The frost on my car window Friday morning was a clear signal that the season of big fish is at hand.
Chilly weather and shorter days have sounded the dinner bell for the game fish here in Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania.
Whether you pursue walleyes, crappies, bass, muskies or steelhead trout, the next six to eight weeks will serve up some of the best fishing of the year, particularly for trophy-size specimens.
Friday’s frosty windshield quickly thawed, and I was on my way within minutes. The balance of the day was comfortable, the kind of autumn weather that delivers great catches and long-lasting memories.
As the water temperatures dip into the 60s, October is prime for largemouth and smallmouth bass. Cool weather also pulls slab crappies to the vertical cover in shallow water and triggers the appetites of walleyes throughout our region.
With fish on the move, bass anglers are likely to catch more than they did during the summer months. We also can deploy more aggressive tactics, casting and retrieving moving lures like crankbaits, spinnerbaits, bladed jigs and even topwater plugs.
Good fall waters for largemouths include Mosquito, Pymatuning and Shenango. For smallmouth, try Berlin, Shenango, Pymatuning, the Ohio River and, of course, the harbor walls and nearshore rockpiles in Lake Erie.
Crappie anglers can twitch their jigs around dock posts and around the Christmas tree piles stacked in reservoirs like Berlin, Pymatuning, Milton and Shenango.
Fall walleye fishing will be kicking into high gear now at Berlin and Pymatuning. Quality-size walleyes also can be tricked along the weed lines at Mosquito.
Erie’s walleyes also have strapped on their feed bags and hunting around the reefs and rocks from the Bass Islands to Buffalo.
Big muskies also will be chasing shad, perch, bluegills and young-of-the-year crappies and bass at West Branch, Milton and Pymatuning.
The cold rain that fell last week over the northern counties not only stirred the steelhead, but also the dedicated corps of anglers armed with flyrods, center-pin rigs and noodle-action spinning rods.
Fall-run steelhead are working their way up the tributaries of Erie from west of Cleveland to Erie, Pa., and eastward into New York. Favorite streams for Youngstown-Warren anglers include Conneaut Creek and the Grand, Chagrin, Rocky and Ashtabula rivers in Ohio, as well as Elk and Walnut creeks in Pennsylvania.
October is definitely in the air. Footballs are flying, the Guardians are Central Division champions and big fish are looking for our lures.
Jack Wollitz’s book, “The Common Angler,” explores the fun stuff that makes fishing a passion for so many people. He appreciates emails from readers. Send a note to jackbbaass@gmail.com.
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Chilly weather signals time for game fish | News, Sports, Jobs - Warren Tribune Chronicle
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