Fall For Lunker Largemouth

from The Fishing Wire

By Bob Jensen

The fall season is a time for trophy fish.  In fact, fall is a good time for fish in general.  Fish of all sizes go on the bite as the water starts to cool and the days get shorter. They instinctively know that, in many areas, their metabolism is going to slow down and they won’t be chasing food like they have been for the past several months.  They need to put some fat on now to get them through the winter.  Largemouth bass in many regions eat often in the fall.  Here are some ways you can improve your odds of catching a truly big largemouth bass in the next couple of months.

In most bodies of water, the bass are going to be close to deeper water.  They might be in the deep water, or they might be in shallow water that’s close to deep water.  They like to be close to a deep water sanctuary in the fall.  In a river they might be up on grass flats, but the grass flats close to the channel or deeper water will often be the best areas.

In a lake, they might be in the rushes, but the rushes that provide quick access to deep water will be where most of the bass are.

If the bass are in the shallow areas, they will likely be willing to eat your bait.  This time of year, when the fish are shallow, they’re going to be on the bite.  Shallow water fish can be spooky, so make long casts.  It’s tough to beat a Premier Pro-Model spinnerbait.  It has two Colorado spinners that put out flash and vibration.  The vibration put out by the blades will enable bass in stained water to find the bait easier, and, in clear water will attract bass from farther away.

A swim jig like a Tour Grade Swim Jig, tipped with a Rage Grub tail has become the go-to in many areas.  This set-up will often outperform the spinnerbait, especially in clear water.  The swimming jig is much the same as the spinnerbait except it has no blade.  Thunder Crickets will be good also.  When the bass are active, they’ll hit almost whatever you put out there.  It’s when they’re not so active that we need to experiment with different baits to figure out what they want.

When the bass move out of the shallows, pay attention to the areas that drop off from the shallows the quickest.  This is jig or crankbait territory.  Sometimes the bass will be right on the bottom along a weedline, other times they’ll be suspended up a bit.  And there are also times when they’ll move away from the drop-off and relate to suspended baitfish like shad or bluegills.

The best bite is often at mid-day.  I recall days when an overcast sky was good, but I also remember days when the bass were really liking the warmth that a bright sun was providing. The best plan is to go fishing regardless of whether the sky is cloudy or clear.  If you don’t go fishing, you’re not going to catch anything. Put a bait in the water and your chances for fishing success go up significantly.  Fall is a great time to be fishing and catching.  Discover that for yourself sometime soon.