Fall fishing can be tough, but it can also be some of the best fishing of the entire year. As the water cools, a lot of baitfish migrate toward the shallow flats and the backs of creeks, and the big bass follow right behind them. They will generally move shallow and tie on the feedbag before winter sets in, but that doesn’t always mean it’s easier to get a bite… it just means that you have a better idea of where they might be.
Here in Wisconsin, but for northern largemouths in general, I tend to run to the bank once we get a few cold nights. With a few techniques, you can cover water, pick apart cover, and still catch a ton of bass all the way to the bitter end. For me it gets really visual… docks, laydowns, pads… we’re looking at cover in less than about 6 feet of water. No forward facing sonar, and you really don’t even need a graph at all… just use your eyes to find cover and cast, wind and dob around it.
It’s definitely junk fishing… you won’t find a ton grouped up for the most part, and patterns can be hard to come by, but
Here are 5 baits you need tied on to beat the bank this fall.
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1. The Jig
Docks become a big player for me in the fall and the jig is the undisputed heavyweight champion of dock skipping. You want a jig specifically designed with a wider, flatter head (usually an Arky-style head) and a stout weedguard. Pair it with a compact, flat trailer like a chunk (colder water) or a craw (warmer water). In the fall, a jig perfectly mimics a bluegill trying to hide around the dock pilings, which is an easy, protein-packed meal for a hungry bass. If you have really shallow water, go for a lighter jig, and if your docks sit in deeper water, you can skip a half ounce really well.
I’m loving that new mini flip jig from the boys at Black Sheep Custom Tackle (just bought 3 more today), but the Kyle Welcher-designed Ace Jig has a really nice, flat head and it is great for skipping around docks too.
Colors: Blue Craw, Orange Craw, Black Blue
2. 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. And up north, you can still get bit on a Chatterbait right down to ice up.
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
3. Buzzbaits and Ploppers
Fall topwater fishing can be pretty explosive, and I’ve caught some of my biggest bass on fall topwater. 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 the late summer/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
4. 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
5. The Texas Rig
Flipping around shallow cover, whether it be docks, pads, or laydowns is a go-to foe me in the fall. Trolling motor on high, no graph, visual cover… it’s a fun way to fish. The Crush City Bronco Bug is my go-to flipping presentation… it just gets bit, and you can still flip it up under those docks really efficiently. I also love that Berkley Flux Gill. Nice and flat, it skips pretty well, but the glide to the bottom (plus that bluegill profile) is the real money maker.
Colors: Black & Blue Flake, Green Pumpkin Blue, Candy Bug
Colors: Super Bug, Ballistic Bruiser, Green Pumpkin
Colors: Bluegill, Dark Gill, Green Pumpkin Watermelon Red
