Savage Gear 8-inch Pulse Tail Trout Color : chartreuse blue tools for the task
Now that we ’ ve established where many big fish live in the fall , we come to the second point : Specifically targeting those fish requires very particular lures and presentations . There are two very different trains of thought on “ big bass baits ,” and I advocate for trying both methods on your lake .
The first is presenting a slow-moving meal that a giant bass will deem worthy of eating . In other words , a large swimbait or a jig that represents either a slowmoving fish or a crawfish . These baits , when moved naturally , represent a sizable meal to a bass . The truly giant fish in your lake didn ’ t get that way by constantly chasing every little minnow that swam into view . These fish are ambush feeders , and they wait for the right moment to attack the right meal .
The key with these natural-looking baits is moving them slowly . If a big bass can approach , inspect them , and inhale them whole , all without expending significant energy , you ’ ve got a big-bass bait .
River2Sea Tactical DD 75 Color : hitch
Some of our favorite swimbaits for this method include the Savage Gear 8-inch Pulse Tail RTF Trout , the Bull Shad 6-inch Bacca Burrito and the Megabass Magdraft Freestyle . For jigs , we rely on a 1 / 2-ounce Dirty Jigs Pitchin Jig with a NetBait 4-inch Paca Slim trailer and a 5 / 8-ounce Dirty Jigs Finesse Football Jig paired with a 5- inch Yamamoto Double Tail Grub .
The second method for catching giant fall bass is completely different and takes advantage of a bass ’ instinct rather than its desire to eat . For this , you ’ re going to want to rely on extremely fastmoving crankbaits to trigger a feed response . The right baits , reeled at lightning-fast speeds with a stop-and-go retrieve , can trigger reaction strikes unlike any you ’ ve ever experienced . We ’ re talking trophy bass chasing baits all the way to the surface , climbing over each other for their opportunity to eat it first . It can be truly incredible .
We designed the Tactical DD 75 Crankbait with River2Sea specifically for this purpose . The bait is at its best when burned on a reel with a 7:1 or 8:1 gear ratio in the fall and winter months . The Megabass DEEP-X 300 and DEEP- SIX are two additional baits that excel when applying this presentation . Between those three crankbaits , you can reach any depth with a variety of color options . With all these baits , though , we recommend natural or ghost colors that fish can ’ t get a good look at as they pass by . The harder the bait is to see , the more likely it is they ’ ll chase after it .
While these two methodologies are seemingly at odds , both have proved themselves countless times . One relies on a bass ’ desire to feed while the other triggers fierce reaction strikes . Both methods are incredibly effective , and if you put them to work for you this fall , you might find yourself holding the biggest bass of your life . shallow cove
Bass often wrangle baitfish into the backs of shallow coves and creek arms this time of year , but sometimes it ' s easier to catch quality bass closer to deep water . deep channel
Banks and humps near deep channel swings can be goldmines for big bass looking to ambush bigger meals without having to travel deep into the backs of pockets .
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2022 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 31