Fishing in Cooler Weather

Fall is in full swing, and the cooler temperatures have finally arrived in Texas.  After flirting with the 90 degree mark the past few days, we struggled to make it into the sixties today.

Regardless of that, I decided to take my son fishing.  Although we were at it for several hours, we only caught about half a dozen fish between us.  They included a couple blue gill and a few catfish.

As you can see, it was much warmer in the afternoon than in the morning!  We even tried some bass fishing using a spinner rig, but no luck there.

Now I went into this eyes wide open, knowing that the weather change could diminish fish activity, and it absolutely did.  However, we still caught some fish.  Most importantly, I spent quality one on one time with my son.  For that reason alone, the trip was a total success!

I write this post to help the fisherman who's just getting started and who's still building patience.  When the atmosphere gets cold, so does the water.  Shallow bodies of water such as playa lakes can cool down almost as quickly as the surface air.  Fish are cold blooded creatures, so their temperature will fall with the water's.

Lower temperatures can have many effects on a fish, including the disruption of feeding routines.  Fish may become sluggish and exert only the minimal energy necessary in order to get enough food to stay alive.  Fish may also swim deeper as colder water temperatures permeate the lake at the surface and then sink down.

One thing that might help is to wait a couple of days after the big front passes through.  Even if it's still cold, the stability in weather might generate an uptick in feeding.  I know it's getting chilly, but be patient.  Don't stop fishing!