TAKEOFF
IN SEASON
Seasonal tips and tricks
other odds and ends
By Paul Strege
TRY THIS: FOOTBALL JIG/SWIMBAIT COMBO
one of ontario pro chris johnston’s fall favorites for up north is a football head
fitted with a swimbait. It’s unconventional, but has proven highly effective for bass
relating to hard-bottom points and flats.
“Fish are looking for either shad or gobies in the fall, and that lure mimics both
very well,” says johnston.
The rig: 1/2-ounce football-head jig with a 3.8-inch jackall Rhythm Wave in
prism shad or green pumpkin pepper
Key tackle: 10-pound-test powerpro braid with an 8-pound-test fluorocarbon
leader
Target areas: “I start on deeper points, focusing on ones located adjacent to
wintering areas,” says johnston. “hard bottoms are best, with a chunk rock or
rock/sand mix, in the 15- to 40-foot depth range.”
Presentation: dragging, or casting and creeping it slowly back
SEASON TOTALS
FOR THE BFL
Another T-H Marine FLW Bass
Fishing League season is behind
us, and the stats generated by
FLW’s weekend warriors are
impressive.
Here’s a rundown of some of
the 2018 BFL’s stats from 120
regular-season derbies:
67,197
TOTAL NUMBER OF BASS WEIGHED IN
BY BOATERS AND CO-ANGLERS
7,095
TOTAL NUMBER OF FIVE-FISH LIMITS
BROUGHT TO THE SCALE
158,998 POUNDS, 2 OUNCES
TOTAL WEIGHT BROUGHT IN
THROUGHOUT THE SEASON
FALL PATTERNS — WORK CREEKS BACK TO FRONT
18
Most people know that the backs of creeks are good target areas on reservoirs
in fall, but according to FlW tour pro clark Wendlandt, some folks have the
approach backward.
“Most everyone knows that, as a typical rule of thumb, shad work their way to
the back of the creeks in the fall,” he says. “A lot of people work their way into
those areas, but I prefer to go back as far as I can and work my way out. What I’ve
found is that I intercept
active schools of fish
more quickly by utilizing
that approach.”
Wendlandt generally
follows the creek channel
on his way out, searching
for subtle depth changes
or signs of surface activi-
ty. shallow-running
cranks and topwaters are
his primary baits.
PRO’S CHOICE:
MOST OVERLOOKED
LURE
1. David Williams
Swim Jig
“As long as fish are shallow,
they will eat a swim jig. It
mimics lots of different types
of baitfish or bream.”
2. Matt Arey
Spoon
“I think a spoon is a killer fall
bait. Lunkerhunt makes one
called the Spud that’s shaped
a little differently to cause it
to glide backward. It catches
a lot of fish around here [the
Carolinas], or all over, really.
In the fall they’re 100 percent
bait-oriented. You have a lot
of fish that migrate to the
backs of creeks, but you have
a ton of fish that stay off-
shore and relate to these
giant schools of bait.”
3. Greg Bohannan
Spinnerbait
“A plain old 1/2-ounce, dou-
ble-willow spinnerbait is still
one of my favorites. I catch a
lot of fish on it throughout
the year. It hasn’t received
as much attention as other
lures in recent years, but is
still very productive.”
FLWFISHING.COM I FALL 2018