Reflecting on fall and the things that make it special for Texas sportsmen.

Story and photography by Matt Williams

Fall finally got its official start on September 23. It’s a feel-good season brimming with simple pleasures that guys and girls like me have learned to truly appreciate.

Never mind the high school football and electric crowds. I’ll take the golden glow of a crackling campfire over the Friday night lights, any day.

There is something about spending a crisp fall evening sitting beneath a starlit sky with close friends at a quiet hunting camp that soothes the soul and stirs the imagination. It’s a near sacred setting, one where old stories are frequently retold, new ones are born and dreams can run wild in anticipation of what might happen as the first dim light of dawn falls on a new day.

Hunting always gets loads of play in Texas during fall. Just don’t screw up and stash your fishing gear too soon. You could miss out on some of the best angling of the year.

Texas generally stays hot and uncomfortable through most of September, but big changes are in the mix. Fall is the harbinger of cold fronts. The fronts usher in cooler, drier air masses that bring a gradual chill to the atmosphere and a downward shift in water temperatures on lakes, bays and rivers across the state. The first couple of fronts to pass through are always the most welcomed after a blistering Texas summer.

Like us humans, fish welcome the change in the weather, too. In many cases, the cooler temperatures spur feeding binges among multiple species in fresh and saltwater alike. The prospects for getting bit can be outstanding at times.

There is plenty more to love about fall. Autumn also brings with it some signature sights, sounds and smells. Here’s a laundry list of what fall is all about in this corner, along some reasons why it is my second favorite season behind spring.

* Fall always gives me a good excuse to write about the ending of another ugly Texas summer. This one was particularly nasty with its blazing heat and a relentless drought, all fueled by a stubborn high pressure system that smothered the state for the better part of two months. In my book, Fall 2023 is one that just couldn’t get here soon enough.

* Fall is about seeking reprieve from the hassles of ordinary life and finding it in a still water cove or a lazy river bend on a pleasant October morning. Think of it like being in nature’s church – a magical place where answered prayers sometimes come in the form of a thick shouldered largemouth slamming a topwater plug so hard the strike can be heard from 100 yards away on a windless day, or the subtle thump of a crappie inhaling a tiny hair jig tumbling slowly around boat dock, brush pile or bridge support.

* Fall is about the low lake levels that frequently come on the heels of a sultry, Texas summer. With limited rainfall to replace water lost to evaporation and everyday use, water levels on most reservoirs are certain to drop.

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