Tried and true: Fall bass fishing tips

If you’re still looking to hook a bucketmouth before winter, you need to study where they’re holding up, what they’re feeding on, what’s happening in their habitat and more. Know the seasons, know the fish, find the fish.

Cooler water, empty lakes and predatory fish in a borderline panic over the imminence of winter. This is what fall fishing is all about. As we move deeper into fall and closer to winter, though, fish behavior is changing more rapidly and you need to be changing with it. 

Fish the afternoon The colder the mornings, the lazier the bass (same for us). The later into fall we travel, the later in the day you need to fish. Wait for the sun to warm the baitfish and thus warm the predators. Once the sun is high in the sky, focus your attention on sunny banks, and dark rocks, which hold heat and draw fish.

Deal with fall turnover When a lake turns over, basically the bottom water becomes warmer than the surface and they swap places. This can make water murky, smell bad and kill the bite. Creek arms, shallow coves and spots fed by fresh water usually stay clear the longest and are the last to turnover, making them your prime target areas.

Slow down as it gets colder  Once the water gets near 50°F, bass move to steeper, deeper structure like bluff ends, channel edges and steep rock. Switch to baits you can work slowly:

• Suspending jerkbaits with pauses of 5 to 10 seconds

• Football jigs dragged along the bottom

• Blade baits hopped off the bottom

• A Ned rig, or drop shot, when the bite is tough

Always chase the bait Whether you’re fishing live bait, or not, you need to find the congregations of bait and focus on them. Shad is on the menu of every bass in fall. As the cool down starts, shad push into the backs of creeks and coves and where there are shad there are bass. When the water drops below about 60°F, they swim back out to the creek mouths. Watching feeding birds is always a good strategy, as well as bait flickering and jumping on the surface.

Find the green grass Vegetation begins dying off in late fall, but if you can find green grass it will contain oxygen, bait and probably bass. Switch your lure out to a weedless setup and try focusing on this haven.

Downsize when it’s tough  Shad are smaller this time of year, and the days of aggressive feeding for big baits are probably over. Smaller crankbaits, jigs and small soft plastics, fished painfully slow, will often draw bites when bigger baits get ignored.

Watch the weather  The days before a cold front can bring the best bite of the fall, as bass feed hard ahead of the pressure drop. After the front passes, slow down, fish tight to cover and let your lure sink back down to deep water. Fall will give way to winter before we know it so for many of us this is our last chance to set the hook and enjoy being on our favorite water. Follow the baitfish, slow down when the water cools and downsize those lures when things get tricky, but most of all enjoy a truly special time to be on the water. If you haven't tried the No. 1 fishing app worldwide, check out Fishbrainto see all the fish data, fishing spots, weather conditions and much more you've been missing.