At last, fall has arrived in the Miss-Lou.

That was one long, hot miserable summer. Today it feels great outside. The long-distance weather forecast predicts lows in the upper 50s and highs in the low 80s.

That’s perfect for a great day on the water. Good fishing reports were already coming from several area lakes and rivers before this cool snap. Now, with the cooler weather, the fishing will be even better.

The bass are feeding on the surface, the shad are schooling, water temperatures are dropping and it’s time to get out on the water.

The summer heat was horrible this year as was the fishing. By midday the fish were as about as inactive as we were. The cool front that pushed through the Miss-Lou will further increase the feeding activity on the area lakes and rivers. Last weekend we caught more than 30 bass from the Old Rivers.

As we were fishing along I spoke with several white perch fishermen and ladies that were catching numbers of perch. The size was not that great but catching numbers was not a problem. The Mississippi River stage at Natchez today is 21 feet even with a slight rise in the forecast.

Normally a rise would shut the fishing down but the cooler water temps may off-set the negative activity we normally experience when a rise comes downriver. Just think shallow and you’ll find the fish on the Old Mississippi River bend lakes.

At this level most of the cover is exposed meaning the cover in the form of stumps, logs and brush piles are visible from the surface. For numbers of small bass and an occasional big fish try 100 and 200 series Bandit crankbaits in shad or crawfish patterns fished around wood.

Bandits are the area favorites for good reason. The little crankbait catches fish. If you’re looking for fewer numbers of bass but larger fish target the bluffs, points and drop-offs with big crankbaits that will cover depths down to about 12 to 15 feet.

The bottom bite for bass will improve now that the water is cooling off. Jigs tipped with a plastic trailer or any one of the many soft plastic creature style lures will catch the big bass.

Now that the surface water temps are dropping I look for the fish in the landlocked lakes to really turn on. Fall is a great season to catch bass on surface lures at Lakes Concordia, St. John and Bruin.

We usually have a shad spawn so keep an eye out in the shallow flats on either end of the oxbow lakes. If you see the shad on the surface, the top water bite is on. The fall season is second only to spring as far as a major transition season.

The fish will feed more often and will be much easier to locate and catch. The other many pluses are a decrease in pleasure boat traffic and hunting season in one form or another will soon be open. That equates to less traffic and more good fishing for those that fish year round.