TAKEOFF
IN SEASON
Seasonal tips and tricks
other odds and ends
PRO CHOICE:
FAVORITE FALL
TOPWATER
By Paul Strege
TACKLE HACK: ALEX DAVIS ADDS
WEIGHT TO FROGS IN FALL
1. Bryan Schmitt
SPRO Bronzeye Pop 60 in
midnight walker
“I can cover water quickly, it’s
weedless and it gets big
bites in the fall. I can throw it
up in laydowns, too, without
hanging up.”
Hack: Insert tungsten Carolina rig “beads” into a hollow frog before heading out to the
mats. If necessary, cut a slit in the body to insert the weights. Then glue the slit closed.
Explanation: “The added weight provides several benefits,” says Davis. “When the
weights hit each other they create noise, which helps fish to track and home in on the
frog better. It also causes the frog to sit lower in the water, which creates more distur-
bance in the really thick mats and prevents bass from blowing the frog completely out
of the water. Lastly, the added weight helps you cast the frog even farther.”
THIS MONTH: U.S. ANGLERS TAKE ON THE WORLD
2. Matthew Stefan
1/2-ounce white Dirty Jigs
Scott Canterbury Pro Buzz
buzzbait
“I like to tip it with a boot-
tail trailer, specifically a
Keitech Swing Impact FAT
4.3. In the fall, they are usu-
ally chasing baitfish, and a
buzzbait does a good job of
bringing them up.”
OCTOBER
Led by Scott Martin, the USA Bass team is heading to
South Africa to compete in the 2017 Bass World
Championship on the Vaal River in South Africa Oct. 2-8.
Members of the team include Martin (team captain), David
Dudley, Mark Rose, David Fritts, James Watson, Scott
Canterbury, Fred Roumbanis and Lionel Botha. They’ll com-
pete against 15 other national teams from countries such as
Russia, Spain, Italy and Mexico. Learn more at usangling.org or usabass.org.
THE POPCORN CRAWFISH PATTERN
24
Tour veteran Wesley Strader notes that impoundments such as Norris, Cherokee
and Douglas in east Tennessee offer anglers a unique opportunity to capitalize on
active bass during seasonal drawdowns.
“Even though bass normally feed on shad, I’ve discovered they will switch to crawfish
during rapid drawdowns,” he says. “When levels drop 6 inches or more overnight, craw-
fish are left high and dry. Bass will key in on those
areas and wait to ambush the crawfish as they hop
back into the water.”
Productive areas include banks with river rock
or larger chunk rock, areas adjacent to deeper
flats, creek channels and river bends.
“I use two baits in that situation: a buzzbait
tipped with a Zoom Horny Toad and a modified jig.
I’ll strip the skirt off the jig and thread on a Zoom
Z-Hog Jr. as a substitute.
“It’s a really fun pattern to run in the fall. It’s
kind of like they are sitting next to a popcorn
machine, waiting for the kernels to pop.”
3. Chris McCall
3/8-ounce Santone Lures
buzzbait with 3/0
Gamakatsu trailer hook
“On overcast days I like to
throw a plain black color
with gold blade. If it’s sunny
out, I prefer a white one with
a hand-tied white, clear and
blue skirt.”
FLWFISHING.COM I OCTOBER 2017