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Over the next several paragraphs within this article, it
is my intention to share with you some of the techniques
and patterns that I look for during this time of the year.
There is one thing you must keep in mind concerning “Season
Change”. It doesn’t always mean that there will be a hungry
bass next to every log, under every boat house, hiding in
every weed bed or suspended off every creek channel point.
But under normal circumstances it does mean this…Largemouth
will almost always repeat the same migration routes that
they used in the spring. If you will stop right there, and
think about that for a moment it will give you some real
insight where you can begin your search for Fall Transition
Bass. Let’s examine this fact a little further.
Where Do You Begin?
It has been my experience over the years that bass will
travel in the Fall right back to the same areas that I found
them in during the spring spawning season. I begin to search
out creeks and pockets in the upper region of the lake that
has a lot of cover and where fresh water runs into the creek.
This is an important fact that many beginning bass fishermen
either overlook or don’t understand completely. Remember
“Spawn” and “Fall Transition” bass patterns will always
appear nearer where the river comes in verses areas nearer
the dam. The larger the body of water the truer this fact
becomes.
If weather patterns are normal, the fall season will bring
us rain and falling temps. Fall also will bring “Cold Fronts”
that we will talk more about later. Influx of fresh water
will almost always result in greater oxygen levels, a greater
shad population within the creeks, which in turn results
in bass following the shad into these areas. Let’s talk
a little bit about creeks.
Concentrate on Creeks In the Fall
As I stated earlier I like to concentrate on major creeks
toward the head of the river first before in I attack small
creeks, ditches and mid lake creeks. I like creeks that
have plenty of cover. Creeks that are laden with lay down
timber along the bank. Creeks with stump rows, chunk rock,
sunken brush around boat docks and when possible grass and
other aquatic weeds. I like creeks that have arms that provide
multiple points. The ideal creek would be one where this
structure is close to the dominate channel.
The reason for being close to the channel is four fold
(1) Most of your major reservoir creek channels will have
“Current” (2) Current means “Oxygen” (3) Current means “Food”
“Shad & Bait Fish” (4) And “Deeper Water Access” .
If the creek that I have chosen is a big creek, that is
wide at it’s mouth I always by pass the first portion and
head straight toward the back where the creek narrows at
it’s source and the channel is more defined. There is three
reason for this (1) If a good shad population is present-it
is much easier to stay on the bait, which is a vital link
in being successful (2) Your chance of being closer to the
creek current is much greater, which will help you take
advantage of the structure that is available. (3) If your
area should happen to experience a substantial rain, the
influx of this dingier water many times will ignite bass
into feeding frenzies.
To help you locate creeks and areas like we have discussed
above you can use (1) a good topographical lake map (2)
GPS with Maps capabilities (3) your electronics or (4) LUCK……I
think I’ll try the first three. If you’re serious about
being successful on the water you have to do your home work.
What About Fall Cold Fronts And Water Temp’s
In many respects we bass fishermen are a lot like the bass
we pursue. For several months now everything has been more
or less the same. It may been hot-but it’s been “Consistently
Hot” We learned to adapt to that and so did the fish. The
bass found the right depth that provide them with the thermo
cline and oxygen that they needed. If you worked at it,
you were rewarded by catching bass in a fairly unchanging
pattern. But now change is in the air. Even as I write this
article-day time temps are reaching the low 80’s but instead
of those 70 degree nights we were experiencing just a few
weeks ago the norm is now the high 40’s to mid 50’s.
Just like you and I feel the temperature change and begin
to reach for that sweat shirt or light jacket in the mornings
the bass feel it to. Their metabolism and activity levels
will begin to slow as we head into the late fall-early winter
time frame. Am I painting a picture of “Gloom & Doom for
Fall bass fishing? No, not at all. I’m convinced that everything
that I have outlined above can have a “GREATER” effect on
the fisherman than it does the bass they say they want to
catch. This time of the year it becomes a preparation and
mental game. You have to be willing and able to adjust to
these changes around you. Let me give you an example.
Let’s say your lake has experienced several days of cloudy
conditions and then a moderately severe cold front comes
through and you’re left with no clouds and only blue bird
skies. What do you do? Pack up and go home? Watch football
instead of fish? Not me! I stick with my creek game plan
and work even more closely to the cover nearest the channel
and slow my lure presentation down. But let me also add
that in lakes like my home lake Old Hickory in Nashville
Tennessee a two or three degree drop in the surface temperature
will have little to no effect on shallow fish. Those in
4 feet of water or less. But if the sudden drop is greater
than three degrees it can have a negative effect. This again
enforces that fact that you need to know your creeks and
where structure is close to the deeper channel areas that
has moving water or current so that you can adjust accordingly.
I guess the worst conditions would be if you experienced
a drastic temperature drop that was accompanied by heavy
cold rains that elevated the lake level. This cold water
instead of pulling shad and baitfish up into the backs of
the creek will push them out instead. My suggestion at that
point would be to begin to move out further and further
in the creek to try to find some stability in water temperature
and shad activity. And there are times when you just have
to let these situations pass and let the lake settle back
down.
I’ve had days in the Fall that were unbelievable in numbers
and quality of fish. And then I’ve had days that I had to
remind myself to stick to what I preach and be slow and
methodical in my approach and my lure selection. Which brings
us to lures for the Fall season.
Fall Lure Selection It will come as no surprise that my
first choice for fishing the Fall transition period is a
“Small Crankbait”. I like crankbaits in 1/16th 1/8th and
½ ounce sizes that are no more than 2 ½ inches long. I like
those that run 2 feet to 12 feet deep-some with bills and
some lipless.
One of the very first thoughts that enter the mind of many
fisherman when I talk about these small baits is that the
only catch small fish. If that’s what you’re thinking let
me put it to you this way. “You Sir Are Dead Wrong!” Time
and time again through out the fall and early winter months
I have caught lunker size Largemouth, Smallmouth and Spots
on small crankbaits.
I like to use the Luhr-Jensen Speed Traps and a local favorite,
the Buckeye Shad as my crankbaits of choice. There are some
distinct differences between these two types of baits that
I need to explain. The Speed Trap as your can see has a
bill and are fairly wide bodied floating baits which have
rattles inserted inside. The wobble of the baits are wider
and therefore moves more water. You also have the ability
to stop these baits in mid-retrieve and they will slowly
float back up toward the surface. This technique many times
is very deadly in the Fall. The Buckeye Shad on the other
hand is a thinner bait that doesn’t float or have a rattle
and has a very tight wobble. I’m convinced that just like
in the early Spring, there are times that bass just don’t
want a bait that rattles. I can’t always explain the why,
but I have experienced this to be true many times. I also
like to stay with at least 2 different shad colors and a
chartreuse or firetiger combination in that fall.
One of the reasons I like to use these types of baits is
that you can drop your trolling motor and cover water. Lakes
like Old Hickory tend to always have color in the water
so I try to stay in a shallow pattern as much as possible
covering the structure nearest to the channel current. I
like throwing these small baits on a AllPro APX 7 foot Medium
action spinning rod with 6lb and 8lb test line and always
use a good snap which I believe helps give these crankbaits
additional action.
There are times that even with bait fish present the bass
seem reluctant to hit a crankbait, or after you have caught
several in one area the bite slows down. This is when I
pick up a rod rigged with a Secret Weapon Spinnerbait. If
the bass have been in the cover I will continue to run my
spinnerbait through the limbs and then just it die in opening,
or next to stumps or brush piles. I believe this is where
the Secret Weapon really shines. Both blades on these baits
will helicopter down with equal freedom which isn’t true
with most spinnerbaits on the market today. If the fish
have been on the outside edge of the brush I make repeated
cast in every direction to make sure that all sides of the
cover have been fished. I like to use the 3/8oz willow leaf
model with sliver blades with either a blue/chartreuse,
white/chartruse or a translucent skirt with silver metal
flakes.
Conclusion
I can’t emphasis enough the importance of staying in the
creeks and on the bait fish during the Fall transition period.
Your chances of loading the boat or having a very few strikes
almost always hinges on the presence of shad in the areas
your fishing. As Fall begins to give way to early winter
and the water temperatures lowers even more I begin to work
my way back out further and further toward the mouth of
the creeks until the water temperatures reach 50 degrees
then it’s winter fishing time and everything changes again.
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