SHAD PATTERNS FOR
CLEAR / STAINED WATER Strike King Series 5 Crankbait in summer sexy shad , Rapala Ott ’ s
Garage Slim 06 in big shad , Rapala Ott ’ s Garage Slim 06 in live river shad , Strike King KVD 1.5 Deep Squarebill in natural shad , Rapala
DT4 Crankbait in green gizzard shad .
“ The ideal situation is when you can find fish on the shallow flats chasing shad .”
VanDam has racked up over $ 6 million in tournaments winnings fishing everything from a drop-shot to a spinnerbait ; DeFoe is quickly closing in on the $ 3 million mark with similarly diverse baits . That said , cranking has accounted for a high percentage of their success as professional anglers
And while DeFoe and VanDam have picked up the bulk of their major crankbait-centric tournaments wins in the spring or early summer , both count the fall months among their favorite times to fish a plug .
All About the Bait
It ’ s no secret , but finding baitfish is one of the biggest keys to success in the fall , as bass will follow the transition of shad every autumn .
“ Fall is one of the best times to fish a crankbait because the fish are scattered and chasing bait ,” DeFoe confirms . “ This time of year , you have big shad that were spawning earlier this year and all of those that hatched , so shad are everywhere . I ’ ll always start with shad colors because that ’ s predominately what the bass are eating .”
VanDam echoes that sentiment and sticks with shad as his primary color patterns before switching to different hues of crawfish patterns as the water cools .
“ The ideal situation is when you can find fish on the shallow flats chasing shad ,” he says . “ That and looking at my electronics or looking around with my eyes for balls of shad is what I ’ ll be doing all fall until the transition to winter . Then the bass start to feed heavily on crawfish when the water reaches the mid-50s again .”
While DeFoe and VanDam both rely on shad patterns for most of their fall cranking , they don ’ t just pick one – they make miniscule adjustments based on the water clarity , weather conditions and a handful of other factors .
Adjusting for Water Clarity
VanDam selects crankbait colors based primarily on the water clarity .
“ In Southern reservoirs , the shad are all shallow and some of the tributaries are going to be dirty ,” he says . “ That ’ s when a color like chartreuse sexy shad or gizzard shad is going to be my choice because they have contrasting colors that stand out in dirtier water .”
As he switches to clear and slightly stained water , VanDam goes with more natural colors for crankbaits ( but still sticks with the shad theme ).
“ One of my favorites for clear water is a color called natural shad , which is a print of an actual shad ,” VanDam says . “ It ’ s a real good one and one of the most natural colors you can use . If it ’ s just lightly stained , I like summer sexy shad , which is still natural but more visible at the same time .”
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2021 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 73