Okay, so the weather may suggest otherwise, but fall fishing options are starting to kick into high gear... and there is a lot of stuff to do in the upcoming weeks. Here’s a quick glance at some of the cool stuff that’s on tap…

Okay, starting locally, fall is a great time to hit your favorite trout lake — the fish are starting to sense that the summer feeding season is winding down and that means it is time to put the feed bags on to fatten up for the leaner months ahead (the fish... not you!).

What that does mean to you is that some seriously good troutin’ is coming up at places like Rollins, Stampede, Bowman, Hell Hole, French Meadows, New Melones, Collins and a bunch of other lakes.

Bust out the Rapalas and troll tight to structure for a nice shot at some goo brownies and holdover bows.

Down on the Delta, now is the time to start looking for striped bass as they move in for the season from the saltwater. Fall on the vast Delta is getting to be my favorite season. In the mornings, you can find aggressive surface feeders on poppers and then the bite typically switches to subsurface stuff as the sun comes up.

From mid-Septmeber until the water gets too muddy or below 46 degrees, you can have some epic days... most of my guide trips that time of year produce 15 stripers on a slow day to as many as 50. Of course, the fish are mainly schoolies in the 4- to 8-pound range but we get a fair number of bass between 20 and 30 pounds each season.

If salmon are your bag, look to the Klamath River over the next few weeks, where a large return of adult Chinook is expected. Rumor has it that the gillnetters at the mouth are close to reaching their quota, so there should be tons of fish left for the sport guys.

In October, the Trinity River should load up with all those kings and adult steelhead and fishing should remain steady until at least turkey day.

The only shot at kings you will have in the Central Valley this season will occur on the Sacramento River from Nov. 16 through the end if the year. You may only fish from Knights Landing to Red Bluff but the fish are typically chrome bright that time of year.

Switching to saltwater, make plans to book your albacore tuna trips soon. With El Nino bringing warm water close to shore, tuna fishing just may be wide open soon. The weather offshore has been up lately, but boats from Santa Cruz to Brookings, Ore. have had some 100-fish days in recent weeks.

October is prime time... the tuna are typically close and the ocean can be as flat as a lake if you hit it right.

Honestly, these are just a few things to do over the next several weeks. Like I am always saying, fall needs to be about six months long just so we can fit it all in!

J.D. Richey is a 1986 Placer High grad whose outdoors pieces have been published nationally. Find him online at www.fishwithjd.com.