Best Baits For Fall Bass Fishing
Fishing the Fall Transition can be a very challenging time for any bass angler. Many of the lakes experience a turnover, which is where cooler water from the bottom of the lake rushes up to the surface as the upper level of the water column, which has been hot all summer and is now cooling, sinks to the bottom. This scatters bass as they try to find the best water possible, looking for oxygen and stability. During this time, with stress levels up, these fish can be hard to catch.
Eventually the lake stabilizes and the bite turns on. Bass are feeding heavily going into the winter and the ways to catch them are as varied as the anglers themselves. Shallow water anglers, often called bank beaters, can catch bass feeding on shad and bluegill. Some of the best options to target these fish are buzzbaits, like the Accent B2B. The buzzbait can cause these bass to react instinctively and you can cover a lot of water. Always target structure like lay downs and docks. This bite is often best early in the morning but can go all day under cloudy, low light conditions.
For the offshore angler, especially those utilizing Forward Facing Sonar and targeting deep brush, timber and rocky points, small swimbaits are one of the best techniques. A 2.8" Keitech style paddle tail on an underspin or ballhead jig works best at targeting bass out feeding on schools of bait. You can cast these down to the fish or even if they come up schooling, these baits will provoke feeding fish to strike.
For the angler who does both, jigs and shakey head worms have the versatility to be casted shallow or on deep structure. In fact, these two baits will work all winter and should be a staple for any angler fishing the late fall and early winter bite.
These are just a few options and all are pretty versatile. The simple fact is the fall can be some of the best fishing of the year and with a little practice and time on the water, any of the above will put bass in the boat for you.