September is here… which, for me as a northern angler, means… fishing season is almost over. Well, until ice fishing season. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves…
After months of hot weather, September will finally start to bring cooler temperatures for much of the country. If you’re down south… Florida or Texas… it’s still probably pretty hot, and you can probably use some of the same techniques we talked about in previous months.
But throughout the rest of the country, you’re gonna start to see water temperatures drop as the weeks go on. September is a transitional month for bass fishing and can be one of the trickiest all year. Summer heat starts giving way to cooler fall patterns and bass behavior shifts a lot this time of year, so knowing what to throw and where can make all the difference. Some fish will stay deep, some will move shallow… they can be tough to find, or in a finicky mood, but with a few key baits and locations, you can still catch a ton of fish.
Truth is, because the fish can be so spread out and in different moods, a lot of lures will work. But here’s a few of my favorites. So without further ado, here are 5 bass baits for the month of September, that should play across a majority of the country.
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1. Topwater
Topwater is still a great player in the month of September, especially in the cool and calm mornings. Tough to go wrong with bone or black, especially in low-light situations. But if you’ve got some matted vegetation, lily pads, or my favorite, duckweed, a hollow body frog is tough to beat. A buzzbait will work great too, and can get you some bigger fish on average.
Colors: Broken Bone, Night Aurora, True Gill
Berkley Toad Riveter Buzzbait – $9.99
Colors: Black, Gold
Toad Thumper Swamper Frog – $9.99
Colors: Bad Bone, Black, Bad Gill
2. Power Shot/Drop Shot
A drop shot is one of the most versatile and one of the most effective techniques that you can honestly probably use every month of the year. I have one tied on pretty much year-around, and it’s really become a confidence bait for me over the years. When I need a bite, pick up the drop shot. If you’re on the bank, it’s great. If you’re fishing around shallow flats or near docks, it’s great. If you’re fishing deep rock way offshore… still great.
But ever since Seth Feider had a 3rd place finish on Champlain, I’ve played around with a power shot/flip shot more and it’s been fantastic for those deep weedlines. Same general setup as a dropshot, but you’re fishing a baitcaster with a bigger hook, braided line, heavier weight. Flip it into the grass just like you would a Texas rig or a jig and you’ll start stacking them up. It’s finesse meets power in the best way. I like a bigger finesse worm, but creatures can work too. If you’re focused on smallmouth, or are on a fishery with little to no grass, a standard drop shot will still play.
Colors: Yoga Pants, Green Pumpkin Goby, TW Green Pumpkin Black Blue
Berkley MaxScent Hit Worm – $9.99
Colors: Green Pumpkin, Black, Cinnamon Blue Flake
3. The Compact Flipping Jig
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 money. And for me, it’s just a fun way to fish. If I can catch ’em on a jig, I’m a happy dude.
But when the grass starts to die off, they’ll generally get tighter to other cover or structure and pitching a jig around is a great way to catch them. I like a small, compact jig with some kind of craw or twin tail grub trailer, and once the water gets cold, I switch to a chunk trailer with little action of its own.
Right now, 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 is great for skipping around docks too.
Black Sheep Custom Tackle Mini Flip – $8.99
4. The Chatterbait
Once fish start to move off their typical summer spots and push up a little shallower, they can be roaming around and a Chatterbait is still one of the best search baits on planet Earth. When bass are scattered across shallow grass flats chasing bait, or moving up onto points, 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. I also really like the Tungsten Chatterbait… it just feels like a slightly different sound that the bass aren’t as accustomed to.
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
5. Texas/Punch Rig
For me, flipping and pitching around shallow cover is always gonna play, doesn’t matter what time of year it is, but come September, it is super versatile. If bass are still out deeper, you can definitely flip deeper grass lines and weed edges. But as the grass tops out and mats up, throw on a heavier weight (3/4 ounce – 2 ounce… use the lightest that will work) and punch right through there. Heavy rod, heavy lines, heavy weights… it’s a fun way to fish.
If you’re in the north, grass will start to die and break away from the bottom as it gets colder. All that loose grass will blow into pockets on the bank and you can flip through those loose grass mats to find BIG bass. Some of my biggest bass all year are found in these kinds of mats and it generally doesn’t take too much to get through (maybe 3/4 ounce). They’ll move with the wind, so you gotta find them each day, but they’re money in the fall up north.
If you haven’t found a favorite flipping bait yet, here are a few craw/creature profiles I really have had a lot of confidence in, especially the Bronco Bug… it just gets bit, but in thicker grass, try flipping that Stank Bug. Flipping a tube is also a VERY underrated option, especially up in northern grass. I like to use a ring hook for that.
Rapala Crush City Bronco Bug – $6.99
Colors: Black & Blue Flake, Green Pumpkin Blue, Candy Bug
Berkley Powerbait Maxscent Stank Bug – $8.99
Colors: Green Pumpkin, Black Blue Fleck, Green Pumpkin Blue
Big Bite Baits Craw Tube – $4.99
Colors: Tilapia, 1099, Confusion
And for a more detailed bait recommendation, specific to your exact location and waterbody, check out the Bass Forecast Bait Advisor. Just input your ZIP code or share your location, and Bass Forecast will give you 5 bait recommendations, a bite rating, and suggestions for peak feeding times.
Bass Forecast Bait Advisor
What is Bass Bait AI – Powered by Bass Forecast
Our advanced bass fishing algorithms analyze over 11,000 factors, including weather shifts and bass behavior, to predict what baits will give you the best chance at success for any GPS location. Just enter your location, and it does the calculating for you. Giving you the complete bait breakdown for major and minor Bass feeding times in any bass fishing location. Click HERE to learn more.
