In the Poconos Mountains of Pennsylvania it has been very cold lately. Its been in the low 40s at night and low 60s during the day. Its been like this for two weeks. My lake is 75 acres and a rectangle. its like three 25 acres squares. If you divide the lake like that, The dam is the deep side up to 15', then there is the middle, up to 10' mostly 6-8, and the shallow side, mostly 2, with a channel up to 5' deep. Water clarity is about 3-4' and water is in the 60s i think (best guess). I usually get bit with keiteck=hs, spinnerbaits, and chatter baits during the summer. have had good luck with keitechs in the rain. In the shallows there is some isolated structure that held fish a few weeks ago. it is hard to find with out the sun and bluebird skies at noon. There is also a channel that goes along the middle of the lake shallows to dam thats deeper than the rest of the lake in each area. Where are the fish likely holding?

Fish will start heading shallow to feed prior to Winter and the lake will start to turn over.  This can raise hell, but last yr, fall was fantastic in the NE

39 minutes ago, NHBull said:

Fish will start heading shallow to feed prior to Winter and the lake will start to turn over.  This can raise hell, but last yr, fall was fantastic in the NE

 

I doubt it would happen in september though right?

October is more likely, but the heavy wind and very cold nights have dropped my lake by 7 degrees in a week

It's essentially been fall fishing conditions in my parts since the beginning of August. Very unseasonably cool. Bass are all shallow. Most of my fishing holes you can see them literally at the banks.

Highs yesterday in high 50's to low 60's. Lows in the high 40's. Start looking shallow. If you can't get bites go deeper. I know some of the weeds have started dying off. They will hold bass until they are all gone. I like to use jerkbaits this time of year and vary the cadence of the retrieve. I throw the bait parallel to the weed line. Perch colors, green/gold work for me. 

1 minute ago, Gundog said:

Highs yesterday in high 50's to low 60's. Lows in the high 40's. Start looking shallow. If you can't get bites go deeper. I know some of the weeds have started dying off. They will hold bass until they are all gone. I like to use jerkbaits this time of year and vary the cadence of the retrieve. I throw the bait parallel to the weed line. Perch colors, green/gold work for me. 

How should i find the sweet line? all milfoil on the bottom. and mud/rock.the bank is very gradual and very very shallow.

Fish up and down the channel break with jigs, shallow to deep until you find them. The quarry lake you discribed isn't a reservior with multiple options for the bass, the channel down the center is where the bass live year around unless they spawning.

Tom

I can't say for sure where they'd be holding, but I can guarantee that wherever they are, they're using that channel to get to and from there.  Unless there is structure, or cover for the bait fish to use I'd concentrate on the edges of the channel, especially if there are any turns in it.  BTW, what is the main forage of the pond?  If you know what it is and can figure out what they'd be doing as the water cools, the bass won't be far off.

The simplest answer is to follow the seasonal pattern guide. Late summer - early fall bass can be difficult to find and catch because they tend to move more this time of year than any other, especially where shad are the base forage. Fishing from a boat is a big advantage early in the fall before the fish really commit to the flats to feed heavily, so if you can, take boat our and look for bait on your electronics if you have them, if not, use your eyes and fish fast moving lures like crankbaits, swimbaits, and spinnerbaits in natural colors because you have clear water. Start up on the flats where you caught them in the spring and gradually work your way out to where you catch them pre-spawn/late winter. Most likely, they'll be somewhere along that path, but it's up to you to fine-tune it structure and cover wise. If you're catching bait chasers, it's hard to reproduce because you'd have to stay with the fish and that's nearly impossible, but if you're patient, you can wait for these feeding windows to open-up and you'll scratch out a limit if nothing else is working. If your forage base is bluegill, it's easier because they tend to move with the bass. A good spot to look first are the shallow flats where you catch them in the spring and use your eyes to see if they are present, especially if you have an inside grassline. This can by dynamite once the shallow grass recedes in late summer/early fall. Sometimes you can fish the inside edges all day and load the boat. It that doesn't work, move out onto the adjacent flat and cover some water, specifically looking for subtle depth changes (your channel) with some grass, wood, or hard bottom near to it. The idea is to search along routes from summer/wintering areas to spring/fall areas. They pretty much use the same areas, but the key is finding the limited transition areas where they hold-up before moving-up or down a major structure for the particular season. Use the seasonal pattern guide and fish high percentage areas with faster moving baits, and slow down if you need to.

 

If this was confusing to you, get out a map of the lake, mark where you catch them in the spring and then mark the spots where you catch your first fish after ice-out, the fish will be somewhere in between those two spots or on those two spots. If you can find some cover in any of  the areas, fish it fast and then slow, and then move to the next area along that route. I promise you, the fish are somewhere in that area, just put your head down, believe in yourself, and don't give up. 

25 minutes ago, KTinman86 said:

The simplest answer is to follow the seasonal pattern guide. Late summer - early fall bass can be difficult to find and catch because they tend to move more this time of year than any other, especially where shad are the base forage. Fishing from a boat is a big advantage early in the fall before the fish really commit to the flats to feed heavily, so if you can, take boat our and look for bait on your electronics if you have them, if not, use your eyes and fish fast moving lures like crankbaits, swimbaits, and spinnerbaits in natural colors because you have clear water. Start up on the flats where you caught them in the spring and gradually work your way out to where you catch them pre-spawn/late winter. Most likely, they'll be somewhere along that path, but it's up to you to fine-tune it structure and cover wise. If you're catching bait chasers, it's hard to reproduce because you'd have to stay with the fish and that's nearly impossible, but if you're patient, you can wait for these feeding windows to open-up and you'll scratch out a limit if nothing else is working. If your forage base is bluegill, it's easier because they tend to move with the bass. A good spot to look first are the shallow flats where you catch them in the spring and use your eyes to see if they are present, especially if you have an inside grassline. This can by dynamite once the shallow grass recedes in late summer/early fall. Sometimes you can fish the inside edges all day and load the boat. It that doesn't work, move out onto the adjacent flat and cover some water, specifically looking for subtle depth changes (your channel) with some grass, wood, or hard bottom near to it. The idea is to search along routes from summer/wintering areas to spring/fall areas. They pretty much use the same areas, but the key is finding the limited transition areas where they hold-up before moving-up or down a major structure for the particular season. Use the seasonal pattern guide and fish high percentage areas with faster moving baits, and slow down if you need to.

 

If this was confusing to you, get out a map of the lake, mark where you catch them in the spring and then mark the spots where you catch your first fish after ice-out, the fish will be somewhere in between those two spots or on those two spots. If you can find some cover in any of  the areas, fish it fast and then slow, and then move to the next area along that route. I promise you, the fish are somewhere in that area, just put your head down, believe in yourself, and don't give up. 

Did you take the time to read the op's opening question?

Most anglers start bank shallow & work towards the creek/river channels

 

I start at the creek/river channels & work towards the bank.

 

Windy, cold, & rainy conditions will continue to drop water temperatures.

It's pure guess work out here.  Yesterday it was 99°.  Today its forecast at 87°, and tomorrow 72°.  Then back into the 90's by the weekend, and high 80's most of next week.  Typical late summer in NE Colorado - we could have temps in the 80's right through til October.  I just go out and try stuff (usually just try to work a weightless Texas rigged plastic), and I mostly stick to the small pond here near home.  Once I get my canoe and can get out on the water, I'll go farther afield.

I dunno, my lake was in the 70s and with about 2 to 3 foot visibility last week and Yesterday (Labor Day) It was 61* and muddy and murky. went into a back creek where the average depth is 2 feet, I couldn't even see the bottom. I think with all the cool weather up here this lake is starting to turn or it's just muddy from the rain storm Sunday and the windy conditions yesterday. I'm going back out Friday and see if it cleared up. There's no warming trend coming up so far as I can tell  by checking the weather forecast.

Lakes don't turn until water temps around 40° (39° if you want to use science 'n' stuff...)

39.4 degrees is the heaviest fresh water can get before it becomes lighter weight and freezes at 32 degrees. This has nothing to do with fall turn over. Fall turnover happens as the warm surface water cools trapping the warmer water between the colder deep water. When the colder surface water out weighs the trapped warmer water the lake turns over brings the deep water to the surface with decayed bottom debris.

Fall turn over occur where I live and the surface water never drops below 50 degrees, unless the lake is high a high altitude where it freezes. 

Tom