back to school ( s )
Troy Morrow prefers to downsize his baits when fish school in the fall .
think ‘ small ’ for the fall transition
Troy Morrow has learned to think “ small ” as summer bends into fall . Adjusting to a late-season menu shift from blueback herring to threadfin shad earns him extra bites .
“ Bass start to transition to a more open-water bite in fall ,” says Morrow , who makes his home in Eastanollee , Georgia . “ Most of the fish transition from herring to a diet of small threadfin shad . They take quantity over quality . You just have to downsize your bait going into fall .”
Savannah River reservoirs vary in character . Clark ’ s Hill , for example , features expansive flats and long , tapering points , while Hartwell cuts through steeper terrain and boasts more rocky structure . On both types of waters , brush and cane piles host major bass congregations before bass start roaming at summer ’ s end .
“ Blueback is a colder-water fish , so it can get elusive in late summer ,” Morrow says . “ That ’ s why bass then lean more toward threadfin shad , a smaller bait . They ’ re more available during that summer-to-fall transition . Threadfin like hot water and will be up in the water column . Bluebacks are deep then , seldom near the surface .”
He recalls a late season bite on Clark ’ s Hill when schooling bass were gorging on tiny threadfin . Baits the size of your thumbnail can be hard to cast . Morrow answers that challenge with his own little trick .
“ I can take a bait like a Heddon Super Spook Junior – a decent-sized little bait – but go to a clear version of it with a feather ( treble hook ) on the end ,” he says . “ It still looks like that smaller bait because all they really see is that little feather .”
Heddon Super Spook Jr
PHOTO BY JODY WHITE the key is the cast
Jason Lambert ’ s impressive record on Tennessee River reservoirs includes a record-setting 101-pound , 9-ounce total weight at a 2018 FLW Tour Event on Kentucky Lake .
The pro from Michie , Tennessee , prides himself on his ability to locate prime structure on main river and secondary channels .
“ Current is a big factor on the Tennessee River ( ledges ),” he says . “ Bass are sitting in one spot in giant schools , in ambush positions where there ’ s a current break , waiting for bait to come to them . When it happens , it ’ s a feeding frenzy .”
Creek intersections with the main river channel , island heads , channel bends and other elements comprise prime schooling structure . Depths at these locations can vary from 10 feet to more than 30 feet .
Ledge bass are shad eaters , chowing down on threadfin or the larger gizzard shad . Lambert carefully scouts prospective hot spots with his electronics , making the most of features like SideVu and ClearVu .
His detailed observations have enabled him to refine his approach to offshore bass .
“ I honestly hardly ever stop to fish for ledge bass unless they ’ re sitting a certain way ,” he explains . “ I want them to be in contact with the bottom and in what we call ‘ attack formation ’ — linked to the bottom , aligned with the current . The fish tell you pretty quickly how to catch them . It isn ’ t always the same bait , but it is always the same cast . Once they start biting , you have to replicate that cast over and over because they want that bait coming in the same direction .”
A bass ’ predatory nature stokes its competitive fire . The sight of one bass feeding goads others to follow — a habit that can break up a school . Bass may move several hundred yards in a day and shift to structure at a different depth . “ On Chickamauga , I caught fish in the morning at 24 feet , then caught them in the afternoon at 32 feet ,” he says . Favorite baits for ledge bass include the Duel Hardcore crankbait series , Castaic Jerky J soft plastics and the 8-inch Castaic Heavy Metal Flutter Spoon .
How do you keep from pulling bass off structure ? “ There ’ s something I do a little different from everybody else ,” he says . “ But that ’ s one thing I ’ d rather not talk about .”
50 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2021