It’s Labor Day Weekend, the unofficial end of summer.  But, fall in Door County can be the best time of the year for kayaking and kayak fishing!

When you take all the beauty of the bluffs and beaches, and add the fall colors, it just doesn’t get any better than that for kayaking in Door County.  So, don’t put that kayak away yet!  Also, as we move into late fall and winter many of you may be thinking about buying your first kayak or upgrading to a new one.  The end of the season is a great time to look for sales at local outfitters on new and demo kayaks.  And, if you’d like to take a road trip, I highly recommend heading to Madison in early March for Canoecopia.  This huge weekend event is the largest paddle show in the country and you can see just about anything you might be interested in related to kayaks and accessories!  

On a cautionary note, as the water cools, please be aware of weather conditions.  Always wear your PFD, take your phone in a waterproof bag, wear proper clothing  and let someone know where you are fishing or paddling.  

Over the next couple of months as the water begins to cool, those big smallmouth bass begin their feeding binge to get ready for winter.  So, from late September through mid-November fishing will improve and you could have a shot at catching, photographing, and releasing a real trophy.  In the fall I mostly use small swimbaits on a mushroom head jig or a two-and-a-half-inch tube with an insert jig.  In both cases jig weight will depend on wind and the depth you’re fishing.  Fall is also a time of year when we can have some very windy days, so pay attention to the weather.  The nice thing in Door County on both Green Bay and Lake Michigan is with all the bays you can usually find a protected area to fish.

Again, don’t put that kayak away yet!  And as always, if you have any questions, please email me at kayakfishingwisconsin@gmail.com.  It’s been a fun year of writing these short articles for Door County Daily News and I look forward to being back for 2024!