The author holds up a fall smallmouth bass caught on the John Day River.

Summer is winding down. It’s getting a little cool to be playing at the lake. You don’t really have any big hunting plans, and football just isn’t grabbing your attention. What is there to do?

Fall is actually a great time to get some fishing in. The cooler temperatures make for some pleasant days on the water. The fish are responding to the drop in temperatures and become more active.

Another perk of fishing in the fall is the lack of competition on the water. I saw a good example of this last fall on a trip to the Owyhee Reservoir.

The Owyhee River is renowned for its trout fishing. In the spring and early summer there isn’t a parking spot to be found. At the end of September, we only saw a handful of folks fishing.

The reservoir was no different. We only saw one other boat, and the fishing was great. In less than two hours we had all the crappie we wanted.

Naturally, you want to check the regulations before you go. Most ponds and lakes are open year-round, but it’s common for some creeks and rivers to close fishing sometime in the fall.

Bass will be feeding in the shallow water along the river and lake edges. I have no lure suggestions for you. I do well with brown jigs, but I hear others swear by plastic worms, real worms, rooster tails, whopper ploppers or buzzbaits. My advice is to be flexible and try a few different things until you find what they are hitting that day.

Trout will usually go for whatever has been working for you earlier in the year, unless you’re fly fishing. Fly fishermen might have better luck skipping the dry flies and leaning more towards wet flies like nymphs and wooly buggers.

As the waters clear up in the fall, the trout can get pretty spooky. Low-visibility line and a quiet approach are a good idea to avoid scaring them off.

If you want to be a little more exotic, but don’t want to go too crazy, there is always tuna fishing off the coast. Tuna follow the warmer currents in the ocean. In the late summer and fall, those currents flow close enough to shore that they can be reached by fishing boats launching off the Oregon coast. You can choose from trips lasting from eight to 18 hours, and it’s not uncommon for everyone on the boat to catch a limit of tuna.

However you choose to do it, fall is a great time to be out on the water enjoying nature.

Share your fishing stories with us at shootingthebreezebme@gmail.com.