Great season for bass

Sure, archery season opened Saturday and small game season is only a couple of weeks away. But don’t blame Joe Kosloski and Rob Rosencrans if their thoughts are still stuck on bass fishing.

After all, fall is when the lunkers like to hit.

Most bass tournaments ended with the beginning of fall, but that doesn’t mean anglers have to put away their rods for the winter. There are still plenty of tournament opportunities in October and November, and those who have fished the fall contests in the past say autumn is the best season to land the fish of a lifetime.

“In the summer, you catch a lot of smallmouths but they’re average size,” said Rosencrans, whose largest fall smallmouth weighed more than 4 pounds. “In the fall, that’s when you catch the big ones.

“Once the water temperature falls below 63 degrees, smallmouths feed very aggressively to put on weight for the winter.”

Kosloski, who is the tournament director for PA Bass Casters, said the larger fish pick up their feeding activity in the fall and are more active. It’s for this reason that Kosloski’s group is holding an open tournament on Oct. 21 at Harveys Lake.

“You get some dandys in the fall. The bite really picks up but you still have to put the time in and find them,” he said. “Once you do, 3 and 4 pounders are almost common. It’s incredible.”

Rosencrans serves as vice president of the Suskie Bassmasters. He said his group’s summer tournament, which was sponsored by The Times Leader, attracted 30 to 40 anglers each week. During the last three years, the fall tournaments on the Susquehanna River have attracted 12 to 15 boats to the river, Rosencrans said.

“I know a lot of other bass clubs are waiting for ours to start because not too many hold smallmouth tournaments in the fall,” he said.

Kosloski’s group has held an October tournament for the last five years and each one averages 20 boats.

While the fall tournaments afford more opportunity for trophy fish, they can also be a challenge because of unpredictable weather. Still, cold weather doesn’t deter the diehard tournament anglers, Kosloski said.

“At our tournament three years ago it was real cold, but the guys still came out. That’s when Dave Wolak (former Warrior Run native now fishing professionally on the BASS circuit) came out and won it because he knew how to find the fish,” Kosloski said. “True fishermen come out despite the weather.”

While cold temperatures can be trying, it can also be a benefit. Kosloski said the fall tournaments at Harveys Lake don’t have to contend with recreational boat traffic because cooler temperatures keep the jet skiers and vacationers away. As a result, bass anglers have the lake almost to themselves.

Less boat traffic also means the fish won’t be as spooked and they will move closer to shore, Kosloski added.

In the river, Rosencrans said the smallmouths are feeding primarily on crayfish. The aggressive feeding behavior means some fish will put on at least three-quarters of a pound, he said.

“The only change an angler has to make is in presentation and where to target fish,” Rosencrans said. “In the summer, the bass are in the faster water, and in the fall and winter they stay in the deeper, slower areas.