Top 3 lure styles and presentations for fall bass

There are two set times of year when you have that chance to catch the big one.  The first time, that most everyone knows is when the Bass are called up by Mother Nature in the Spring to go shallow and spawn.  The second, however, that is much less known, is that first big temperature drop in the Fall. When the water cools by several degrees or more in a very short period (especially after a cold front with rain) the Bass are once again called up shallow.

 This time, in most Freshwater Lakes they’re invited to an all-you-can-eat Baitfish buffet.  You’re going to have to do your homework on this one, however - by finding out what kind of Baitfish your local water contains.  If it is one of the Shad, or Freshwater Herring species, you can almost guarantee that they will be migrating shallow to chase Algae and Plankton blooms that will occur in the shallow flats, or banks at the mouth of creeks when temperatures rise after a cooling period.  Look for green algal blooms or Baitfish activity. Baitfish activity often looks like moving, boiling water. This also means that any nearby Bass will be schooling up on structure where they can hunt them.

Now that the main feeding tips and location have been established, let’s cover gear:

Shad are generally a silvery, whitish fish with black accents.  They do come in multiple variations, however, so make sure that you pattern your bait after the local forage.  Match the hatch. This means shape, size and color for numbers of Bass.  

I prefer the Hard Swimbait, especially the Jenko offered in the Fishbrain shop. It is a less-used presentation than the Crankbaits and Soft Plastic Swimbaits that pressured Bass see dozens of each year, offers a more natural look (especially in the Fall when many waters are clearing up), and can be modified to fish quickly, slowly, shallow or deep with the addition of a weight.  If your spot is too thick with Vegetation or Structure for treble hooks, don’t hesitate to use the Soft Plastic Swimbait, I prefer the Keitech Easy Shiner.  You just can’t beat the action on these, especially when you need to slow down during colder weather.  Pair these with a finesse jig like the VMC Moon Eye when you want to fish it slow, or dead stick it at a certain depth.  For heavy vegetation or structure Texas-rig it the easy way on a VMC Swimbait Hook.  

Now that we have the common reason that Bass are drawn shallow laid out… let’s cover some less known forage for this time of year.  The colder the water gets, the deeper the Crawfish go. For some reason during the fall feeding frenzy though, this behavior seems to position the Craws just about at the average depth (in highland and northern reservoirs) that the Bass tend to hold at when hunting Shad.  I don’t know the reason for this, but I do know that the Skirted Jigs in the shop by Dirty Jigs can’t be beaten for this and they are designed by Bass-obsessed Pro’s.  

I am partial to an Arky-style head, but this has more to do with its versatility and my lack of gear/space than anything else.  Be it, Football, Flippin’, or Finesse, pair it with a good Craw imitation. My favorite for the cost and action this time of year is the YUM Chunk.  I don’t like to shell out big bucks when it comes to Soft Plastics, unless it really counts.

  If you aren’t comfortable fishing with a Jig, or there is just so much structure that you get hung up constantly, grab some Tungsten Bullet Head weights or the lead cheapies and use a Texas-Rig paired with a Craw imitation.  If you’re in 5 feet of water or less, use a 3/8 oz. weight, or even a 1/4 oz. It’s a good general rule of thumb for numbers of Bass to use the lightest line, gear and tackle that you can get away with.

One of the biggest Bass I have ever caught up North came just last week, an amazing 10 lb. monster of a fish that slammed not a Shad… not a Craw but a Bluegill imitation in mid October.  Rookies often forget that Bass, especially Largemouth, are territorial creatures and no fish will provoke aggression from the Bass like the Bluegill, or Green Sunfish. I once found a six-pound Bass by releasing an accidentally caught Green Sunfish next to a fallen Pine tree.  I had never seen a Bass feed on something as big as my hand before, but needless to say the Sunfish was just… gone.

This is when I began using big Panfish imitations.  Many of my truly trophy-worthy fish have been caught this time of year simply by dragging a large, Panfish-style lure right through the middle of a school of Shad or Baitfish.  Big Bass will go absolutely ham on a fish that disturbs their prey. You will never feel a strike like an aggression strike. I have had Bass slam the lure, get hooked, come unbuttoned and come back and crush the lure again and again with a Panfish imitation.  It’s almost like they expect pain from the prey’s dorsal when they bite. 

This is a kill-strike and nothing beats it… So if you want a Fall trophy, try this method.  You won’t see too many articles giving out this information, so you can thank me later! There aren’t a ton of options for these in the Fishbrain store yet, but stay tuned - more is coming.

So… get out there, brave the cooling weather and catch some fish.  When everyone else is packing it in for the Winter, the Bass are just getting started again.  They won’t truly shut down until the water drops into the 40 degree range. Tight lines Fishbrain fam!