Summer is winding down, the kids are back in school, and the calendar quickly moves towards fall. This time of year is full of change both on and off the water, and as a result, September can be a downright challenging time to go bass fishing. With things in flux, bass are on the move and caught between the seasons, and this can make them a little tricky at times. Thankfully, there are some things you can do to succeed in September.
Baitfish Buffet
Fishing around baitfish is always a good idea if you want to find hungry bass, but it becomes even more crucial this time of year. Baitfish, especially shad, will become one of the primary food sources for bass in September. This baitfish buffet will last all fall as bass follow the migrating shad in creeks and pockets as the water cools. Even in regions without shad present, the focus on baitfish is still there, and instead, it might be young-of-the-year crappie, bluegill, or perch. No matter what they eat, being around baitfish is critical to finding bass in September.
Locating these schools of baitfish can be done in many ways. Visual clues, awareness of what’s happening around you, and your electronics will help your search. There are often telltale signs of baitfish activity, with birds swirling above and diving or herons and other fish-eating birds stalking the shorelines. These are obvious signs that baitfish are present.
You might also see bass busting shad on the surface to give you a clue where to cast. These are simple ways to find baitfish and the bass eating them, and you can also use your underwater eyes and electronics to locate balls of baitfish under the surface. You can do this by idling and watching your 2D sonar or side-scan or using forward-facing sonar to search around you while fishing from the front deck.
Often, once you find areas with baitfish, you can duplicate that to other areas of the lake, especially if you are finding baitfish in specific places like small pockets, along rocky banks, or a certain distance back into creeks or coves. If you notice baitfish activity at a certain depth on your electronics, this same depth might be relevant in other lake areas because the temperature is suitable for baitfish that day. These are all clues to finding baitfish, and the next step is choosing your lures to match the baitfish.
Some of the best lures in September are often moving baits like topwaters, crankbaits, swimbaits such as the Keitech Swing Impact FAT, and jerkbaits. All of these imitate shad with the correct color patterns, and by switching to other hues, you can also imitate panfish or whatever the bass are eating in the body of water you are fishing.
One additional thing to remember is that many baitfish will be small this time of year, and sometimes, you must downsize a little to get the attention of a bass that is keyed in on tiny baitfish. Using smaller versions of popular baits like topwater walking baits, lipless crankbaits, and jerkbaits can increase your odds of catching more bass this September.
The Two Extremes
Since bass are caught between summer and fall, there are likely groups of bass doing different things. This is why September can be a season of extremes, with some bass in very deep water and some in extremely shallow water. It pays to check out both depth zones, as both can offer great September bass fishing.
For deep water, many bass are in some of the classic summertime haunts, such as humps, islands, and reefs that are away from the bank with deep water nearby. These areas attract baitfish, and bass use them as feeding grounds, sliding up to shallow water to feed and then retreating to deeper water. Steep banks or bluff walls can also hold fish as they offer shade and cover for bass, giving the bass a place to corral schools of baitfish against the wall.
Other prime deep locations are artificial structures such as bridge pilings and dams. When fishing any of these deeper areas, finesse fishing with a drop-shot or Ned Rig works excellently. You can also beef up your gear and ply these areas with deep-diving crankbaits like the Strike King 6XD, football jigs, and a Carolina-Rig with creature bait like the Zoom Brush Hog, which are excellent summertime baits and works very well into September.
When fishing shallow water cover, there are plenty of great targets such as docks, bushes, and anywhere that offers shade. You will also likely find bass in matted vegetation. This grassy cover is perfect for bass all summer because it provides shade and plenty of forage hiding within the vegetation. You can go two ways: fish on top of the grass with a frog or punch right through it with a big weight and a Texas-rigged soft plastic such as a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver or Strike King Rage Punch Bug. You can add a punch skirt for more bulk and bigger fish appeal.
Many of these shallow fish will also be focused on eating bluegill and other panfish, especially around grass and docks. Because of this, several other baits can come into play. In addition to hollow-bellied frogs, which also imitate bluegill, topwater poppers, walking baits, and plopping baits like the Berkley Choppo can also look just like bluegills on the surface in shallow water.
Fishing in September can be challenging as fish are shifting along with the changing weather and can often be on the move. One of the best approaches is to use fast-moving baits and try many spots to locate active fish or hunker down with slower baits in proven shallow areas. These are just two ways to make this a September to remember.
