Here we are at the beginning of October with the dog days of summer quickly coming to an end but bringing with it one of my favorite times of the year. Yes, I’m gonna’ have to stop fishing at night which is, for me, a real bummer.
But at the same time, this time of the year is one of my absolute favorites! The approaching fall means that the bass are going to start really feeding heavily in preparation for the winter. This is either going on now or will start very soon no matter where you fish. Furthermore, you should be able to catch them fairly easily from shore or a boat.
In my opinion, no angler should allow this season to go by without spending a substantial amount of time on the water because you stand a very good chance of not only catching some big fish but hefty numbers as well.
Time To Speed Up
To target these fish, you’ll need to think in terms of putting away those slow moving baits in favor of faster presentations. A great place to start will be with some shallow running cranks like the Strike King KVD 1.5 and 2.5. The Spro Little John is another awesome bait for plying the skinny water. These are a couple of my go to lures for shallow crankin’.
I also like to get out the River2Sea tandem of the Crystal Buzz and Crystal Spin. I work both of these baits moderate to fast in areas around vegetation and on long points and flats. This is where you will have bass chasing schools of shad and when they get into a feeding frenzy, they don’t usually take the time to scrutinize a bait before they crush it! Yeah buddy, this can be some kind of fun!
Soft Plastics And Jigs
I always have a soft-plastic swim bait tied on like the Netbait BK swimbait. I will use both the 4 and 5 inch depending on what I find when I hit the water. These are particularly productive in weedy areas where some of the other lures might get hung up. I let the fish dictate the retrieve speed. There are even times when burning it produces where nothing else will.
Another alternative is a soft plastic jerk bait. I prefer the Strike King Perfect Plastics Caffiene Shad or the Big Bite Bait Jerk Minnow. I use the 5inch in both and really work these fast. Cast it out, count it down then double time it back to you! When you get a strike on these baits, it can be absolutely bone jarring!
Swim jigs are another great option for this time of year. I have a lot of confidence in the Dirty Jigs California Swim Jig and their Finesse Swim Jig. I use either single tail grubs or small swimbaits as trailers for both and try to match the color of the predominant forage fish. I have caught more fish by using a yo-yo type retrieve while keeping the jig moving. Here again, I like to allow the fish to tell me how fast they want this bait moving.
Top Water
Finally, I love catching them on top-water lures and have my preferences here too. Like that’s a big surprise? I have caught so many fish on the One-Knocker Spook that it is always in the front of the tackle box. The Spook has also accounted for some of my biggest fish in early fall. The Rapala Skitter Pop presents a different look and sound that consistently puts fish on your thumb.
Buzzin frogs certainly have their place and are fun to catch bass on. The Attrax Mystic Frog and the Gambler Buzzin Frog have been the most productive baits for me in this class. They offer an easy to fish alternative that is downright fun.
Speaking of frogs, I wouldn’t be without my hollow belly frog baits. I prefer the Strike King Sexy Frog and the Koppers Live Target Hollow Belly Frog. Between the two, I use them over matted vegetation and in open water. Yes, you can use heavy mono to fish these baits but braid has been my choice for throwing these lures.
This is also a great time of year to take newer anglers and kids out to the lake. They have the opportunity to catch numbers of fish who simply aren’t going to be as selective as they can be at other times. Yes, this is a great time to do some fishing and the more frequent, the better for the next several weeks.
See ya’ on the water …