September - October Tactics

[Choco Taco]

With this cold weather coming in, what are you guys planning on doing to change things up? I am thinking of downsizing my plastic worms to 4" and fish with some light jigheads (1/16) and use some suspending jerkbaits. I am curious what you guys are thinking of using and where do you think the fish will be (deep or shallow)?

[gurkster]

I am no expert, but I am doing the opposite. I have gone to larger presentations and am fishing shallow more often now. I expect the shallow bite to get better too. My $.02.

[Cecil]

This week could be a tough judge of that. Cooler weather during the summer would mean to downsize and sice up until this week, it has been warm, it's tough to say whether they will go into fall mode (jigs, cranks) or they will wait another week and just be finicky until that happens.

[bemidjibasser]

I caught a couple on a drop shot the other night, and also some on a spinnerbait and dt 10. All fish were on points with reeds on top. THe fish were both on top and on the deep edge.

[fishuhalik]

That's the tough thing about fall fishing. A lot of monster fish are caught this time of year, but it can get tough. I usually target deeper fish this time of year, but they can definitely be up shallow too. Your best bet is to start with something you know would normally produce, and if that's not working, switch up!

[EBass]

Well on Sat the water temp was 72-73. Went out yesterday and it was 62-63. 10 degrees in 4 days and with this rain it's dropping even more! Oh yeah - I caught a wee lil pike. Missed a huge blow up in da pads though. Otherwise with the wind - it SUCKED.

[Choco Taco]

Well, water temps today were 58 degrees. I had no luck fishing deeper water with a 4" worm on a light jighead. Even tried throwing some lipless cranks and nothing. Any advice guys?

[mainbutter]

Go big and go slow, working the entire water column.

It's harder fishing, but this is the time to get some HAWGS. Give 'em something too yummy and too much of a quality, nutritious meal for them to pass up.

Never forget, eating is SURVIVAL for fish, not simply a fun daily routine like we've grown to see it as for us humans.

[mww24]

mainbutter. i agree. go big go slow. i think personally, give them the largest morsel of food at the easiest pace for them to get it. a bass' metaolism rises with water temp and slows with the temps fall. they want to expel the least amount of energy as possible. big baits at wounded speed have always worked for me. a quick reaction strike can also happen. have to try it all every time.

[Choco Taco]

Will try big and slow. Some 6" worms on a shakey head (1/16th oz) is what I am thinking. Unless you guys think I should go bigger size worm and/or with a bigger jig head?

[Larson15]

jig n' pig

[mainbutter]

An amendment:

If I was headed out anytime in the next few weeks chasing big bass, I'd seriously consider throwing something like a spring dawg around, I've always wanted to try it for fall bass fishing.

[double_agents]

I've had good luck with the 10" Power Worms for big bass in the fall. I agree with bigger baits.

[Wayne Ek]

Maybe this will be helpful.

The Fall Crawl

An easy method for catching big bass.

By Wayne Ek

Crawling a jig or tube across the bottom during the annual fall frog migration is probably one of the easiest and most productive patterns for catching big fall bass. There is a problem, however. The window of opportunity to exploit this pattern is very small. Here in central Minnesota we will usually see the frog migration start in late September. By early November this pattern is pretty much over.

The Pattern:

This pattern has been around for ages; I think it just gets overlooked. The pattern starts around the same time hunting season opens and after a hard summer of fishing a lot of anglers just don’t have the time or energy to fish and hunt. Also, around this time of year the weather can get rather cold and nasty, so fishing under those conditions just doesn’t sound fun. But once the frog migration starts, the pattern holds no matter what the weather. First, let’s do away with an “ old wives tale”. Aquatic frogs, like the leopard frog, mink frog and American bullfrog, do not burrow into the mud on the bottom of the lake during the winter. Nor do they hibernate all winter. They do estivate during the winter, which means they are in a dormant state, very lethargic and sluggish. These frogs will settle on the lake bottom. They may lay behind brush, rocks or submergent vegetation or may even be partially covered by silt. Because they absorb oxygen through their skin they cannot be completely covered by mud. It’s thought that during the winter they may even crawl or slowly swim around at times. These frogs need two things to survive the winter, they have to be in oxygen rich water, and need to be in deep enough water so they do not get ice bound.

The Location:

Because this pattern is based on frogs, you would think that the best fishing locations would be in marshy, shallow water areas. I’ve found that not to be true. I have my best luck in water that is 5 to 10 feet deep and has a hard or semi-hard bottom, like sand, pea gravel or marl. Some of my best locations have nothing to do with marshy areas, but are rocky shorelines bordered by heavily forested areas. I’ve also found a couple of areas that have homes lining the shoreline with manicured lawns, but behind the homes are large marshy areas and the shoreline is a sand/gravel mixture.

The Equipment:

Fall bass have the potential of being the largest bass you will catch all year. They have been feeding strong since late August to put on weight for the hard water period. I like to use the same rod that I do some of my pitching and flipping with. This is a Quantum PT (PTC666F). It’s a 6’6” medium heavy with a fast taper. I use the Quantum Energy PT reel (E750PT) with a lower gear ratio (5.1:1) for a little more power.

For line I use a quality fluorocarbon. Normally on a pitching/flipping stick I would be using a braided line in the 50-pound class, but for this pattern you are fishing open water, light submergent vegetation or no vegetation. Also, this pattern extends into the post lake turnover period, so the water can be extremely clear. So a good quality fluorocarbon line in the 14 to 17 pound class works great. For lures I’ve had my best results with just two types. My first choice is a ½ oz. Strike King Premier Pro-Model jig in blue/black with a 3X electric blue trailer or green pumpkin jig with a 3X watermelon trailer. And my second choice is a 4.5 or 5-inch green pumpkin tube, Texas-rigged with a ½ oz. tungsten weight.

The Presentation:

The fall crawl is so easy and simple that most people I take out don’t believe me at first. All you have to do is cast out and let the bait settle to the bottom. Now put your rod tip in the water and point your rod at the bait. Ok, this is the hard part for most experienced anglers, don’t move the rod. No shaking, hopping, jigging, doodling… nothing at all. Just turn the reel handle a couple of times very slowly and stop. Don’t move the bait with the rod; just very slowly turn the reel handle. You’re just crawling the bait ever so slowly across the bottom. You would think that with the water so cold and the bait moving so slowly across the bottom that the bite would be light or soft. Nope, the bite is savage. They just crush the bait and run, so hang onto the rod.

If you get a chance this fall try this pattern, even if you have to fish in weather better suited for duck hunting. I think you will be surprised at the quantity and quality of bass you can catch this time of year. This is truly a muti-species pattern, as I catch walleyes and northern pike right along with the bass. Have a safe fall and we hope to see you on the water.

[Craigums]

Nice post Wayne, very informative. Are you fishing flats in the 5-10ft range, drop-offs, or structure such as remaining docks/weeds/laydowns or does it not really matter so much as the bottom content?

[Juan Grande]

Great post Wayne! I'm constantly amazed by the amount of knowledge and insight people have on FM.

[Wayne Ek]

It's more about bottom content than structure.

[Craigums]

Thanks Wayne, Ill be searching for those hard bottoms then.

[TR21]

Gotta love those hard bottoms!

[Cecil]

I usually bring dime's to the lake and bounce them off the bottoms...

[TR21]

I see great minds think alike, Cecil