As late August drags on, and with September right around the corner, we are finally inching closer to the fall bass transition. Here in Wisconsin, we had a really crispy 54-degree low this morning, but around the country, those mornings are about to follow suit. And that means that water temperatures will soon begin their steady descent. When that happens, bass leave their deep summer haunts and push shallow to aggressively gorge on baitfish before winter sets in, or if you’re in the north, ice up.
For me personally, fall fishing is really fun… as a shallow-water fisherman, it plays to my strengths. Grass starts dying on the natural lakes up north, fish move a little shallower and get on heavy cover like pads, docks, laydowns, etc… those windblown mats of loose grass are money this time of year. So now is the time to gear up on some fall baits and I got you covered on my top 5 techniques that will play throughout the fall.
1. The Chatterbait
Fall fishing comes in stages, but initially, it’s about covering water. Once fish start to move off their typical summer spots and push up a little shallower, they can be roaming around. When bass are scattered across shallow grass flats chasing bait, a vibrating jig is unmatched. It covers water quickly, and that violent blade vibration triggers aggressive reaction strikes. I generally prefer a straight-tail trailer such as a Crush City Freeloader, but others use paddle tails and even craw profiles.
Z-Man Evergreen Chatterbait Jack Hammer – $19.99
Colors: Green Pumpkin, Black Blue, Clearwater Shad
Z-Man Chatterbait Elite EVO – $9.99
Colors: Green Pumpkin, Electric Shad, Bama Craw
Z-Man Tungsten Chatterbait Elite EVO – $17.99
Colors: Green Pumpkin, Black Blue, Bama Craw
2. Buzzbaits and Ploppers
Fall topwater fishing is explosive. As baitfish school near the surface, a loud, sputtering buzzbait or a Whopper Plopper draws bass from long distances. Throw these over dying grass mats, along riprap banks, or parallel to laydowns early in the morning and late in the evening. I generally use a plopper where the water is clean and a buzzbait where I have some grass or cover, but a topwater frog will also play (especially in early fall) if you want to move a little slower and pick apart some cover. Sometimes, if you get some good cloud cover, you can put a buzzbait in your hand all day and catch some great fish.
Colors: Broken Bone, Night Aurora, True Gill
River2Sea Whopper Plopper 130 – $16.99
Colors: Bone, Loon, Monkey Butt
Berkley Toad Riveter Buzzbait – $9.99
Colors: Black, Gold
3. The Squarebill Crankbait
As bass push into the backs of creeks, they often set up around isolated wood and shallow rock. The squarebill is designed to deflect violently off hard cover without snagging. Cast it past a stump, crank it down quickly, and let it crash into the wood… that erratic deflection is the ultimate trigger for a bite. Of course, this is for lakes with rockier banks, and none of that shallow grass. It’s not as much of a player for me on my home lakes up north, but if your lake sets up like that, it’s a must-have in the fall. If you have some dirtier water clarity, that’s a HUGE plus.
Berkley Frittside 5 Crankbait – $12.99
Colors: Spring Craw, Midnight Pearl, Lone Ranger
Rapala Ott’s Garage OG Rocco 5 Crankbaits – $11.99
Colors: Rootbeer Crawdad, Red Crawdad, Copper Green Shad
Berkley Money Badger 5 – $10.99
Colors: Tennessee Shad, Firetail Green Claw, Phantom Craw
4. The Compact Flipping Jig
To be honest, I like a jig just about all year, but when the temperature plummets and the reaction bite dies, pitching a compact, natural-colored flipping jig to thick laydowns or dock pilings is the best way to coax out a stubborn, sluggish bass. When grass starts to die off, they’ll generally get tighter to structure and pitching a jig around is a great way to catch them. I like a small, compact jig and a chunk trailer with little action of its own. Right now, I’m loving that new mini flip jig from Seth Feider and the boys at Black Sheep Custom Tackle, but the Kyle Welcher-designed Ace Jig is great for skipping around docks too.
Black Sheep Custom Tackle Mini Flip – $8.99
5. The Jerkbait
As the water gets genuinely cold later in the fall, bass key in on dying baitfish. A jerkbait perfectly mimics the darting, erratic action of a stunned shad. Give your rod a few sharp snaps, then let the bait pause completely… the strike will almost always happen while it is sitting dead still.
Colors: Northern Lights, Table Rock, Hankie Pankie
Megabass Ito Vision 110 – $24.99
Colors: Elegy Bone, GG Megabass Kinkuro
Colors: Ghost Ayu, OZ Shad, Pro Blue
