RSS Feeds: Fall Fishing for Bass
Once the frosts of September have cooled the waters of streams and lakes, bass are inclined to move out of the deep holes in which they have spent the warm months and to feed actively in shoreline shallows and on reefs until the coming of winter.
A few bass, however, still may be found around the spring-holes and at the mouths of tributary streams where they have spent the summer.
The fall is a fine time to fish for bass, for the fish are fattening themselves for the winter period of inactivity and take lures and baits avidly. Incidentally, some fine sport may be had with bassbugs and other surface lures in the middle of the day, when the sun warms the water.
There is a definite limit to the use of surface lures in fall bass fishing, and that limit lies in the depth of the water. Experienced anglers have learned that even when bass are actively feeding they will rarely strike at surface lures fished on water more than eight or ten feet in depth.
By contrast, an occasional cruising and feeding bass can be caught in water scarcely deep enough to cover its body.
The point, of course, is that bass are not aware of a lure fished on the surface of deep water when they are feeding near the bottom. (In such circumstances live bait or deep-running lures should be used.)
In a large stream or lake where the angler is not able to gauge the water depth from a distance, it is best to concentrate on shore lines, beds of weeds, and rock shoals and sand bars, for in these spots the water invariably is comparatively shallow.
Most importantly, fish slowly when fishing for bass. This is particularly advisable when using surface plugs. Give the area you are fishing a thorough going over. You want the lure to imitate a crippled minnow.
For example, let’s say you find a gnarled sprawl of cypress knees that looks to be just the place where a lunker is hiding out. Cast your plug against the tangled knees and let it bounce into the water a foot or so away.
What to do next? Slow down. Do nothing. Take a minute and have a sip of soda (or whatever you’re drinking), enjoy the breeze or notice the sky.
Then, give your rod tip a casual little twitch to move the plug a half foot and set new ripples around it. Take another minute for doing nothing and twitch the plug again, this time adding a short, quick spurt to make the plug dart and flurry like an injured shiner.
Remember. Slow it down. Let another minute go by and then repeat the twitch and spurt movement, this time follow it by reeling the lure in slowly, along the way twitching and spurting numerous times.
Repeat this performance for each side of the cypress knees (or whatever structure you may be fishing). The idea is to give the spot you’ve chosen a thoroughgoing.
Another thing to keep in mind when fishing with surface plugs is the importance of keeping a loose line. Don’t be so quick to reel in slack line once you set the hook. You may lose fish occasionally but you will net more per strike than you would by keeping tight pressure on the line. Fish that get away are either poorly hooked to start with or else the hook becomes loosened by too much pressure on the part of the angler striving to keep a tight line.
When fishing with plugs, a too-tight line allows the fish leverage to throw the lure. Try pointing your rod tip at the fish instead of holding it high.
All in all, fall fishing is good for catching bass. Just remember, surface lures, while particularly effective for fall bass fishing, can only do so much. The angler has to do his or her part too.
Similar Articles:Van Michaels is the publisher of Fishing Tips Online… a place to find good reading for good fishing.
