Change is in the air. Days are starting to get shorter, accompanied by cooler nights. Leaves have taken on different colors and have started to fall from the trees; there is a change happening all around us, but football season is one of the most significant changes to come at this time of the year. No, I'm not talking about the NFL or College football. This is the time of the season when bass head back to the shallows to put on the feed bag and prepare for the upcoming winter.
The most significant part of this population boom will come from bass located in the depths all summer long. These bass are now starting to make their way back to the shallows for the first time since they have spawned. The fall action will be fast and will pay big dividends quickly. But to take part in all the action, you have to keep your boat out and put some time on the water.
When the water temps start to drop with the cool nights, this will trigger bass to be on the move towards the shallows, and for deepwater bass, their movement shallower is triggered by the lack of food. During the summer months, the bluegills that were the primary food source have moved towards shallower water, with these deepwater bass following not far behind.
To catch fall bass, you have a few different options. First, let's start shallow and work deeper as we go.
There is probably no better baits to use when the bass are on the weed flats than a spinnerbait or a lipless crankbait. These baits allow you to cover water in your hunt for bass, which is crucial. Bass will be on the move looking for food, and the number one food source at this time of the will be bluegills. Therefore 3/8- to ¾-ounce spinnerbaits and lipless cranks are the best sizes to carry. 3/8-ounce sized baits for shallow weedy conditions to ¾-ounce for deeper water weed edges. It would be best if you made contact with the cover. When the bait gets caught up, give the bait a rip to get it free and start it on its way again. When the bait breaks free from the cover, that is generally when you will get bit, so be ready.
When it comes to crankbaits, you have been told for many years that when the water temps start to drop, crankbait fishing is done for the year, put your crankbaits away. If you follow this way of thinking, you won't dare throw a crankbait during the fall season. This statement is not close to the truth; fall time is crankbait time until ice up. A crankbait being ripped free from the weeds has taken so many big fall bass for me I have lost count. My biggest bass ever was caught in the fall on a crankbait.
Wide wobble baits seem to work best for this pattern for two reasons. The wide wobble allows the bait to come through the weeds, and the bass can track these baits down pretty quickly. That is key if you want to catch bass along the way. If I had to choose the best crankbait for this pattern, in my opinion, Storms Magnum Wiggle Wart gets my vote. The wide wobble and sound that this bait puts off make it perfect for this fall crankbait pattern.
Position your boat parallel to the weed line just far enough to make your cast and have your bait hit the edge of the weeds. The goal is to get the bait down and hit the edge of the weeds on its way back to the boat. If you get caught up, give the bait a rip to break the bait free and on its way again. Adjust your cast to get the distance right if the bait gets hung up. I use a 7 ½ foot cranking rod with a matching reel spooled with P-Line CX Premium12-pound line for this pattern. This low-stretch line is excellent for this high-impact fishing.
If I were forced to pick just one bait that shines during the fall months year after year, it would have to be the jig and pig or chunk combo. My jig of choice is Outkasts Pro Staff Jig teamed with the Outkast Chunk. This combination has taken many big bass fall season after fall season and can not be beaten when the bite is on or off. Either way, this jig-n-chunk combo will catch bass. The best point about the jig-n-chunk combo is you can fish this bait from the shallows to the depths of the outside weed line. This is a great bait to follow up the crankbait presentation when you get into an area and take a few bass on a crankbait. Don't hesitate to go back through the area with the jig-n-chunk combo to target the less active bass.
Football season now has two meanings. Not only will teams be chasing the pigskin around the fields this fall, but many bass fishermen will also be chasing football-sized bass around on the weed flats getting in some late-season bass action. Fall time bassin is easy. Grab a handful of spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and jig-n-chunks combos and hit the water. In general, bass will be on the prowl looking for food to prepare for the upcoming winter months. Fall is also the big bass time. Many of these summertime bruisers that live in the depths will be making their first appearances in the shallows since the spawn, don't let this big bass opportunity pass. Football season is here.
