Fall is when bass begin feeding on baitfish to fatten up for winter. Glider baits like the Storm Arashi are ideal for creating reaction strikes around these balls of baitfish and creating reactionary strikes on them.
As the water cools down, Christie turns to her Norman Speed N crankbait, mimicking schooling shad. This bait also serves well for covering water when bass move up shallower.
1. Jerkbaits
Today is an active time of year for bass as they begin their fall migrations, moving to areas they hadn’t visited throughout summer and returning to shallower water where suspending jerkbaits can be effective.
Jerkbaits come in both hard and soft versions, but soft baits that imitate shad or minnow movements tend to be the most effective ones. Soft baits have smoother textures than their hard counterparts and move less uniformly underwater; making it appear more like real fish. Furthermore, these multi-treble hook baits are great for fishing over cover or tempting shy bass that may not respond well to hard baits.
Based on conditions, anglers can adjust the cadence of their retrieve by altering how aggressively and how long they rip their bait and how often it pauses between retrieves. They may also alter the size and style of bait if necessary; Jerkbaits are excellent ways to simulate wounded baitfish for actively-feeding bass while simultaneously stimulating lethargic or pressured fish into responding with feeding behaviors.
Anglers looking to help their jerkbait suspend can add weighted lead strips with stick-on hooks on them to its lip or belly, helping it sink more slowly, prolonging pauses between casts. This strategy allows anglers to tempt bass into biting before they have had time to turn away. Furthermore, keeping tabs on how quickly your target fish are biting will dictate whether you should increase or decrease jerking frequency accordingly.
2. Crankbaits
Crankbaits are among the most versatile bass lures available and can be effective during all four seasons of fishing. When bass are feeding heavily on smaller fish like shad and bluegills in fall months, a lipless crankbait may often prove most productive around dock posts, laydowns, and stumps.
Bomber Citrus Shad or Rapala Sexy Shad are excellent choices of bright shad patterns for fall bass fishing. Though brighter baits should be avoided in terms of color choice, brighter hues might work on sunny days when bass are actively hunting shad.
Lipless crankbaits have become a mainstay for anglers this time of year, allowing them to target different depths without moving around too much in the water column. A great model to consider is the Berkley Warpig with its great action and variety of color patterns; alternatively, Rapala X-Ranger can also be slowly worked through shallow vegetation for great success.
As there is an array of lipless crankbaits to choose from, some worthy options to watch are the 6th Sense Cloud 9 and Strike King KVD Rattling Squarebill Crankbait. Both lures offer hunting action that mimics wounded shads’ irregular movement to lure aggressive bass into striking.
On fisheries where threadfin shad are present, a 1/4-ounce spinnerbait can be very effective during fall months. It will mimic more closely a fish that has been attacked by predators while at the same time it can be trolled or burned around structure at higher speeds than larger spinnerbaits.
3. Spinnerbaits
Bass often move shallower in fall, and spinnerbaits can be effective. Thrown into tight cover quickly or used open water to target schools of baitfish on rocky points, submerged islands and humps that run into coves and creek channels – particularly ones featuring brightly colored skirts with gold or silver blades to mimic various species such as minnows – these lures quickly elicit strikes from schooling fish looking for easy meals.
Spinnerbait hooks are usually concealed within their skirts to reduce chances of them becoming tangled up with vegetation, making a 1/2-ounce spinnerbait an effective lure in warm, clear conditions to attract bass that are actively hunting shad or baitfish schools, but when water temperatures cool off it may be necessary to upgrade to something heavier; Strikezone Lures offers spinnerbaits up to 2.5 ounces but for most conditions a 1-ounce bait works perfectly well – lighter lures also allow faster retrievals – perfect when bass are actively searching out easy meals in warmer waters when bass are actively searching for food sources!
Although Alabama rigs, big swimbaits, and jig-and-trailer are all effective in targeting large bass during fall months, one often overlooked bait is the spinnerbait – although its effectiveness cannot be denied as many bass anglers still rely on this bait in their tackle boxes, and continue catching quality stringers with this technique. Offering many colors, sizes, and actions to choose from it has an unquestionable bass-catching power!
4. Swimbaits
As temperatures start to decrease in September, bass transition into their fall feeding mode and become lethargic; they need to stuff their bellies before winter arrives as water temperatures drop. Swimbaits are an effective way of stimulating these fish as they feed unintentionally.
Strike King Rage Swimmer stands out among a sea of other swimbaits for being particularly effective when fishing for bass at all depths, featuring natural action at all depths of the water column and multiple sizes and colors with its signature ribbed body that imitates scaled shad bodies – plus, it is highly durable, fun bait to throw throughout the day and very durable!
Soft paddle-tail swimbaits such as the Keitech Fat Swing Impact are another effective choice. This worm-like bait can be fished on a weedless hook and dragged over vegetation or slowly along the bottom on a ballhead jig; for added effectiveness multiples can even be fished on an umbrella rig! These lures come in various sizes and colors to match local forage patterns perfectly.
Jackall Mikey swimbaits offer another good option when fishing bass in difficult water, mimicking school of shad. These lures can be worked erratically with fast retrieves to trigger shy bass or used through and around cover such as dock posts or patches of weeds to simulate an individual forage fish that may have broken away from its pack.
5. Jigs
Fall temperatures bring with them less active bass fishing conditions; but they still need food, and so a slow retrieved soft paddle tail swimbait works great at drawing them in. In such conditions, Ike’s Mini Flip Jig offers anglers flexibility in terms of its retrieve: hop, skip, drag or straight retrieve are all effective tactics for targeting these bass.
Head shapes are integral in how jigs penetrate cover, move through rocky bottoms, and support trailer posture. Furthermore, head shape determines how easy or hard it is for fishermen to snag them; some models feature wire that creates a V shape around their hook point while others do not and may become susceptible to being caught up in rocks or vegetation.
The War Eagle Jiu-Jigsu Jig is designed with a football-shaped head to penetrate vegetation and wood cover efficiently, while its BOOYAH Boo counterpart can work through heavy cover without difficulty. A durable football-shaped head adds additional snag resistance.
Color can be essential in selecting an effective jig, particularly in clear or thicker cover environments. Shad is typically preferred, while white and chartreuse hues have also proven successful. Black, silver and gold jigs may also be suitable options in murky waters.
Bert Swope
