Feeding time: Fish tip 'scales' during autumn
by Daryl Bauer - September 2, 2008
Winter is the time of hardship for most wild creatures and that is true for the fish that inhabit Nebraska's waters. To prepare for the long, cold winter, fish will put on weight in the fall by feeding as much as possible. This fall feeding binge should tip off Nebraska anglers that some of the best fishing of the year occurs when many of them are putting away their rods and reels and dusting off shotguns and rifles.
Studies of the feeding habits of some species of fish have shown that those fish may actually increase the amount of food they consume in the fall. This not only prepares the fish energetically for the lean times of winter, but for many species begins the production of eggs, or milt, for the following year's spawning (immature eggs, or milt, will be present in many species of fish in the fall). Most Nebraska fish will be at or near their best body condition of the year in the fall; they will be as fat as they will ever be, near their maximum weight.
However, with the abundance of baitfish in some Nebraska waters, fishing can still be challenging in the autumn even though predator fish are actively feeding. Gizzard shad or alewives, in particular, still can be found in abundance in the fall and can make the fishing more challenging on waters where those baitfish are common. But even on waters with an abundance of natural prey, the fall feeding binge will make it easier for anglers to catch fish than it was during the dog days of summer.
Anglers fishing Nebraska reservoirs where gizzard shad or alewives are the most abundant prey should look for concentrations of those baitfish in the fall. Hybrid striped bass, walleyes, or even muskies likely will be found close to those baitfish. In a typical fall, the baitfish and predators will tend to move toward deeper water as the water cools; start the fall looking for fish in shallow water in creek arms or bays and move towards deeper water and the main body of the reservoir as fall progresses.
Productive presentations will range from lures and baits that can be used in shallow water early in the fall to those made for deep water fishing in late fall. It is generally a good idea to try to "match the hatch" by imitating the most abundant baitfish in size, shape, and color. Keep in mind that those baitfish have been growing all summer and are larger in the fall. Also consider that predator fish are fattening up for the winter by selecting for large prey items in the fall. Using big baits for big fish is probably most true in the fall.
As water temperatures cool in late fall, some species of baitfish will become stressed and begin to die. Predator fish love easy meals and will take advantage of weakened baitfish in the cooling waters of late fall. Anglers who imitate those dying baitfish with their presentations can experience some of the best fishing of the year.
Daryl Bauer is a Fisheries Biologist Nebraska
Game and Parks Commission
Reprinted with permission from the June, 2008, NEBRASKAland Magazine<
/p>
|
