October is here, fall is here, and fall bass fishing is officially here.
September is a transitional month for bass fishing and can be one of the trickiest all year, but October generally seems to be much more productive for me. Some fish will stay deeper, some will move shallow, but with grass starting to die off—especially in the northern part of the country—hard cover can be a major player. With a lot of pleasure boats heading away for the winter, October can be a really great, peaceful time to fish, and you can catch some big ones… smallmouth especially.
Overall, the name of the game is going to be covering water… trolling motor on high, moving along the bank. It can be a bit of a junk fishing season, especially further north, but for you southern anglers, cover water and see what they’re setting up on.
So without further ado, here are 5 bass baits for the month of October that should play across a majority of the country.
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1. Topwater
For most of the country, topwater is still a great player in the month of October, especially in the cool and calm mornings. Fish will tend to be spread out so covering water is really the name of the game and there are two really good ways to do that depending on your cover.
A plopper type bait can be fantastic if you have some clean water that won’t foul up the treble hooks, but a buzzbait will work great too when you have any kind of wood or vegetation near the surface. Buzzbaits also just tend to get you some bigger fish on average. I have both rigged up in the early morning/evening, as well as a topwater frog for heavier vegetation, but sometimes you can keep the topwater in your hand all day if you have some windy conditions.
Setup: I generally will throw 30-pound braid on my topwater rods, but monofilament will work great too, especially if you’re yanking it out of their mouth the second they blow up on it. As far as rod goes, I usually like a shorter, more parabolic rod for treble hook topwaters, but something in the ballpark of 7′ medium heavy with a more moderate fast action will work for all of the above if you’re looking for one rod that can do it all.
Where to Fish: You are generally going to want to focus on shallow water…. flats, steeper banks can be great, docks, maybe it’s flatter banks or some chunk rock… and once you kind of figure out where they are setting up, you can fish those areas more closely. But overall, this is pretty shallow water, moving along the bank and covering water.
Colors: Black
Colors: Bad Bone, Black, Bad Gill
Colors: Broken Bone, Night Aurora, True Gill
2. Jig
You really can’t go wrong with a jig any time of year. But in the fall months, as the grass starts to die off, bass tend to move shallow towards hard cover. Why? Because it holds heat better. Especially up north, it starts to get cold, the bite can get tough in October, but you’re generally gonna be able to catch them on jig all the way to the bitter end.
Setup: Green pumpkin or more natural colors in clear water, black and blue or dark colors in dirty water, and I’m generally throwing it on a 7′ to 7’3″ medium heavy fast with 30-pound braid to 20-pound leader. I have a shorter rod specifically for dock skipping, but you can skip just fine on your everyday jig rod. I’m loving that new mini flip jig from the boys at Black Sheep Custom Tackle… it’s replaced just about every jig in my box.
Where to Fish: When it gets cold I LOVE to skip docks, and as folks start to roll in their docks before ice up, sometimes the last few stragglers will hold some good bass. You can also flip it into laydowns and brush piles, or even steep rock banks, what grass you have left. Find the greenest grass in the lake and you’ll probably find fish.
Colors: Blue Craw, Orange Craw, Black Blue
3. Jerkbait
A jerkbait is a staple in cold water, but the truth is, I probably have one tied on year-around. I might not pick it up every single day in the summer, but it’s tied on and ready to go. That being said, as water temps start to cool, early fall is one of my favorite times to work it.
Setup: I like to use a shorter, 6′ 8″ baitcaster (St. Croix Victory), but you don’t need a fancy rod for jerkbait fishing. You’re gonna feel them there when you go to twitch, so sensitivity isn’t all that necessary. Many anglers, even some professionals, will throw them on a spinning rod. It’s pretty standard to use 10 or 12-pound fluorocarbon.
Where to Fish: Depending on your type of lake, you’re gonna wanna look for long points, steep drop-offs, bluff walls and creek channels. And don’t be afraid to go shallower into pockets and bays where fish might be setting up. Anywhere you can find transitions, deep to shallow pockets, and of course, if you have forward facing sonar… it does make it easier.
Colors: Northern Lights, Table Rock, Hankie Pankie
Colors: Ghost Ayu, OZ Shad, Pro Blue
4. Spinnerbait
Since bass tend to be a little more spread out, covering water is the name of the game in the fall. You can throw a Chatterbait, and I generally have one rigged up as well, but a spinnerbait just gives them something different, and a good population of bass will be on shad or minnow-esque baitfish.
The Setup: Generally, your standard 7′ medium heavy fast will get the job done, 17-pound fluorocarbon and in the fall, I generally try for a more compact spinnerbait.
Where to Fish: I like this in some of the same areas you’re working the topwater… you’re on the bank and covering water. Shallower pockets, steeper banks can be great, shallow flats… I like to go up a good stretch with the topwater, and if you’re not getting bit, go back down with the spinnerbait.
Colors: Spot Remover, Blue Glimmer
5. The Underspin/Paddle Tail
I love fishing for smallmouth in the fall, and it just seems like you can’t go wrong with a little paddle tail on an underspin jig head. It gives you the drawing power of a spinnerbait blade, but with a highly realistic, subtle profile that suspended fish simply can’t resist. And if the blade is a little too much, just opt for a regular ol’ paddle tail.
Setup: I’m generally using a long spinning rod so I can bomb casts way out there. With clearwater smallmouth, getting the bait away from the boat seems to really help improve your chances of getting bit. 7’6″ medium light spinning rod, 8-pound braid, 10-pound leader. I really like the Great Lakes Finesse Sneaky Underspin, which was primarily designed for smallmouth, but will catch largies too. If you have larger bass, AKA you live in the south, try that Gamakatsu Underspin.
Where to Fish: Once again, you’re gonna be moving shallower…. flats, pockets, transitions, rocky points, humps, and drop offs where fish move between shallow feeding areas and deep water
Colors: Electric Shad, Shad, Pro Blue Red Pearl
Size: 3/16, 1/4 oz
Size: 3/16
Colors: Green Pumpkin Shad, Pro Blue Pearl Red, Ayu
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