Fall Transition: What the baitfish do
| Phase | Baitfish | Evidence | Bass |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | hold in the weed, mostly still | [inferred] | not chasing |
| 2 | start sliding out of the backs of bays toward bay mouths and the first points | [ecology] | follow, group loosely |
| 3 | pushed to the submerged weedline, using the off-colour water and the weed as cover | [field] | sit on the outside of that line |
| 4 | cornered in deep-water bays and pockets; large numbers driven into open water | [field] | raid them in short bursts; between raids the fish are slow and dead-stick is the answer |
← Phase 4 · Post-turnover clear water · Weather adjustments by phase →
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).
- The four phases at a glance
- Phase 1 · The cold-snap shutdown
- Phase 2 · Weeds die in stages
- Phase 3 · Turnover
- Phase 4 · Post-turnover clear water
- What the baitfish do
- Weather adjustments by phase
- Why a dead-sticked worm beats a minnow bait now
- Line and hooks for a slow bite
- Clear water versus off-colour water
- Reading the evidence labels