water. Later, you can expect them to
transition toward the backs of deeper
coves for the sole purpose of corralling
big balls of bait. If you can find a ledge
or point that is located on or near a
current break or bend in the river, the
spot can be very special.
Reservoir fishermen should look for
main-lake points that separate the different
arms of the lake. Main-lake and
secondary points with relatively easy
deep-water access and narrow bays
close by tend to be the most productive.
Shallow fish will begin abandoning
the sparse, dying weedbeds that
you’ve been catching them in all summer.
They move to remaining thick
weed clumps or hard structure such
as rock piles and chunk rock. We’ve
found that the biggest fish tend to be
on either the deepest weedbeds or, as
the weedbeds eventually die, on hard
structure such as rock piles and
wood. This is where side-viewing
sonar and a good topographic map
chip can really help with finding the
key locations.
As the fall season progresses, bass
will begin bunching up along ambush
points and pockets. The shallow fish will
use the backs of bays or cuts to corral
schooled-up baitfish. Early morning and
later in the evening are the best times to
target big fish up in the shallow water
because larger, wary fish tend to get a
little skittish once the sun gets up.
Once you find the bass, fall fishing
is as good a time to catch a personal
best as in spring, especially once you
understand how to ignite the school.
Firing Up the School
When bass school up in the fall,
our most productive way to catch big
fish is to “trigger” them with
reaction baits. Triggering a
bass or school of bass is
best achieved when fishing
reaction baits quickly. The
key is to not give the fish ample time
to be picky or indecisive about eating
the lure.
Bass are natural predators and
impressive killing machines. When you
can tap into a bass’ natural instinct to
feed, the results can be amazing. All
you have to do is convince one of the
many fish in the school to eat, which
kicks in a giant bass’ predatory
instincts, and it won’t want to miss out
on an opportunity to feed.
It doesn’t even matter if you catch
the smallest fish in the school first. The
result is often that the entire school will
trigger into a feeding frenzy for a short
period of time. At that point, you no
longer have to try to fool a giant bass
into eating. The biggest fish, which are
usually very wary and skeptical,
become easier to catch because they
get caught up in the moment with the
school going crazy around them.
Believe me, it works. On more than one
occasion, I’ve caught a double-digit
bass only because I caught a small
bass the cast before. You can literally
catch a 10-incher and a 10-pounder on
consecutive casts.
Once you get the first bite, it’s very
important to make quick follow-up
casts to keep the school fired up to
capitalize on the flurry of activity.
Dirty Jigs Pro Buzz with a River2Sea D Walker
River2Sea
Tactical DD
Techniques for the Transition
My two favorite techniques to take
advantage of schooled-up bass during
the fall transition are cranking and topwater.
For shallow cranking, I turn to a
squarebill. A little flash goes a long way
when trying to stand out from thousands
of real shad, and Lucky Craft’s
American shad color is where I start
when I need that extra flash. A skirtless
buzzbait is a good realistic presentation,
too. I find that a 1/2-ounce
buzzbait tracks better than other
weights. When paired with a River2Sea
D Walker swimbait, you get great
action and durability that will last
through countless fish.
For the deeper fish, I typically start
with a deep-diving crankbait. The flash
fades away in the deeper water, so I
prefer bold colors such as sexy shad.
My favorite deep-diving crankbait for
fall largemouth bass is the Strike King
10XD, but for smallmouth and spotted
bass it’s the River2Sea Tactical DD.
This season, if you find yourself
wondering how your epic summer topwater
bite vanished, remember that the
fall transition happens quickly. Pay
attention to the length of days and the
overnight temperatures. As soon as the
days get shorter and the overnight
temps start to drop, start thinking
about these tips. Follow the baitfish to
shallow bays or deep ledges to find the
mega-schools. Tie on a quick-moving
crankbait or topwater to ignite the
school. Then hang on, because you just
might catch the fish of a lifetime.
Strike King 10XD
Lucky Craft
LC 1.5
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