Fall Transition: Phase 2 · Weeds die in stages

The beds do not die at once. Dying weed stops producing oxygen and starts consuming it, so fish leave a bed while it browns, not after.

Weed	When it goes (44–46°N)	What it means
lily pads, floating leaves	first frost, mid Sept: leaves brown and sink	the pad fish leave within days
fine-leaved pondweeds, bushy and sago types	first to collapse, mid Sept	shallow flats empty early
milfoil	tops brown in patches through late Sept	fish the patches still green
cabbage (large-leaf pondweed)	leans over slowly through October	still worth fishing while any leaf is green
coontail, eelgrass	last to go; deep coontail stays green under the surface all winter	the "last green weed" — the best edge in phases 2 and 3

Where the fish go	Why	Rig
the outside (deep) edge of the last green weed, 8–14 ft (2.5–4.5 m)	oxygen and cover remain there	wacky stick worm, swim jig along the edge
hard bottom between dead beds: rock, gravel, shell	the dying weed is no longer cover	Ned rig, football jig, tube
docks, laydowns, riprap	fixed cover that does not die	jig, Texas rig, wacky
the first main-lake points and bay mouths	baitfish start sliding out of the backs of bays	jerkbait in low light, spinnerbait in wind, blade bait

← Phase 1 · The cold-snap shutdown · Phase 3 · Turnover →

Fall Transition

From the first hard cool-down to the clear water of October: four phases, where the fish sit in each, what the baitfish do, how the weather changes the call, and why a dead-sticked worm beats a minnow bait while the fish are off-colour. Calendar anchored at 44–46°N (eastern Ontario).

Fall Transition