acenumm1:

I would think the shallow bite should be good with weather. Live bait is always good if allowed in tournament. Crawfish is best this time of year while shad or other bait fish that is present in your lake will work.

denbobway:

Green with black striped rapala with orange underside and shallow mouth spoon.

Wyldekard:

Rapala RNR05 or 07 in Holographic Shad.

BASS Fisherman:

Early Fall: (1) Water Conditions – The cooling autumn weather will start bringing surface temperatures down from 80 degrees to 60 degrees. Although some lakes may have ultra-clear water at this time, others will have turbid areas caused by fall rains. (2) Bass Location – During early fall bass will still be in their summer holding areas, although they’ll move around more and travel the migration routes between deep and shallow areas. As the water and air temperatures drop, bass will move toward the shallow areas and spend more time feeding in them. A sudden rise in a lake or reservoir due to fall rains can cause a mass migration into the freshly submerged weeds and brush. Major tributaries are also prime fall spots, since bass tend to follow foraging fish toward the influx of water. (3) Water Depth – Varies from very shallow to fairly deep, just above the thermocline. (4) Lure Choices – Spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and crankbaits are top choices at this time,
although Zara Spooks and topwaters can be extremely good worked in submerged trees, over major channels and over deteriorating weedbeds. Shallow-running crankbaits or rattling shad-type lures are also excellent. (5) Tactics – Since bass are moving, more spread out and more aggressive, retrieves should be fairly fast. Lures should be larger at this time to match the larger size of the forage. Shad are the top forage on many reservoirs, and anything white or silver can be productive.

Late Fall: (1) Water Conditions – By now, water temperatures continue to drop from 60 degrees down to 42 degrees or so. Water is usually fairly turbid
due to incoming rainwater as well as lake turnover. (2) Bass Location – As the lake cools, bass become even more active, needing to fill up before the coming winter months. They can be located almost anyplace at this time, but shallow areas particularly those close to major migration routes as well as migration routes themselves can be productive. The fish are generally moving back to their winter holding areas, and the same places you found them in early spring can again be productive. The upper ends of tributaries and major creeks can be extremely rewarding to prospect as they provide a concentration of shallow water, migration routes and deep water in a relatively small area. (3) Water Depth – Varies from extremely shallow to relatively shallow (one to 12 feet). (4) Lure Choices – Spinnerbaits, crankbaits and buzzbaits are all good choices now because they are fast-moving, “prospecting” baits and bass are feeding aggressively. As the water temperature continues to drop, pig-and-jigs can become increasingly productive. (5) Tactics – It’s best to fish slow at the beginning of this period, or until the annual fall turnover. While this annual phenomenon is going on, fishing can be really tough because bass tend to be disoriented. Once it’s over and there is a fresh mix of oxygenated water throughout the lake, look out fishing is going to be the best since spring. Retrieves should be sped up to garner strikes from aggressive fish and also to cover a lot of territory. As the weather gets colder, fish tend to drop deeper and become less aggressive. However, a warming day or two can bring on renewed activity, and spinnerbaits and crankbaits are hard to beat at that time.

As temperatures cool in the fall, finding shad is the best way to locate aggressively feeding bass. How many like fishing in the spring best? More than likely, most of you. The reason is clear. As lake water warms, bass begin feeding actively in shallow water. Include some cover in those shallows – rocks, boat docks or weeds – and you have classic spring fishing. What about fall? Fall is spring’s evil twin: Water temperatures fall, bass scatter and anglers grumble in frustration. Nevertheless, fall offer some of the year’s best fishing. The problem, quite simply, is turnover – a period before the fall pattern that jumbles a lake. In a matter of days, lakes change from easily understood ecosystems – where bass act in predictable ways – to hopelessly uniform “bowls of stew.” Bass in the fall – like those in spring and summer – act in predictable ways. They orient themselves to structure, and though it sounds strange, shad actually become the structure. To understand this fully, you need to grasp why and how turnover takes place. Most lake water divides by temperature in the summer. Cold water stays on the bottom; warm water stays on top. The dividing line between the two is known as the “thermocline.” Warm water usually has plenty of oxygen, cold water has almost none. As always, these rules have exceptions. Main lake sections and creek arms with strong current sometimes do not form thermoclines. Also, the thermocline depth is never uniform throughout a lake. The bottom layer of water – the “hypoliminion” – hold few bass because of low amounts of dissolved oxygen. The upper layer – the “epilimnion” – is where most bass live throughout summer. In the fall, lakes literally turn over. Layers mix as the warmer surface layer cools. Wind is the mixing power, and the process can last from several days to a few weeks, depending on the weather. During a mild fall season, lakes turn over slowly. If it’s cold and blustery, they turn over quickly. The entire lake doesn’t turn over at once. Instead, upper areas, such as major creek arms, turn over first. Midlake areas follow and finally the lower end and main lake sections complete the cycle. The effects of turnover are obvious. Bottom scum floating to the surface after a period of cool, windy weather, indicates the process has begun. Turnovers vary by region. In the North, for example, lakes turn over earlier than in the South. The turnover creates relatively even temperatures and oxygen mix throughout the lake. Where most bass in summer were stuck in the epilimnion, they can now cruise and feed at any depth.

As a result, bass feeding habits change in three ways: (1) Finding bass forage – namely shad – becomes the key to finding and catching bass. (2) Bass begin feeding throughout the day. Cooling water temperatures make them more active. They have a biological urge to strengthen themselves for winter. (3) Bass now feed wherever the food is because temperatures and oxygen levels are more evenly distributed.

Turnover cools the lake, so shad seek warmer water in the creeks. As they weaken and die due to cooler temperatures, blustery fall winds blow them into bluffs, coves and pockets of creeks. Bass make their first movement in the fall to the points on the main tributaries. With a surface temperature of 60 degrees, they remain deep but move farther into the tributaries and creeks. At high 50s, bass move to the backs of coves and begin feeding. Shad, seeking warmer water, have moved into these areas. As the water nears winter temperatures, bass begin leaving the creeks to hold near the last major channel banks and swings, just inside the tributary mouth. Catching bass in the fall means finding shad. In the spring and summer, you have dozens of structure options. In the fall – only one: Find and fish the shad schools. You can find them with sonar, but the easiest way is spotting surface schools in creeks and coves. You can see them easily this time of year. If shad schools aren’t working in a particular creek or cove, it’s time to move. Ignore “fishy” looking water. Seek only the shad. Begin your post-turnover fishing trip by searching for shad in the major creek arms. Follow the wind into coves and pockets. When you find a school, throw a crankbait along the channel drop offs leading into the cut or cove. Don’t throw into a school of shad unless you suspect bass are feeding beneath them. A calm school is often holding in a protected area. That’s why it’s better to throw your lure along the channels leading into a cut or cove first. When shad flip on the surface or large schools scatter and dart, bass are probably feeding beneath them. Target the school as if it were structure. Retrieve a crankbait through the school or drop a shad colored plastic grub into the group and bounce it on the bottom. Also, shad will gather around flooded timber, creating rings around the tree trunks. If you find this situation, make a low trajectory cast with a double bladed willowleaf spinnerbait so it hits the tree. The commotion scatters shad. Let the spinnerbait flutter to the bottom. Chances are the lure won’t reach the bottom before a bass hits it. All the Bass tourneys I know of only use artificial lures, NO live bait allowed. Have fun and tight lines.

exert-7:

A chrome or red 1/2 ounce Rat-L-Trap worked on a fast retrieve.

A Sluggo or Fin-S-Fish worked erratically.

A Pop-R or Hula-Popper worked VERY slowly, almost still is good also.

Try any or all these and you might win.

fish33:

This is a great time of year to fish. It is my favorite time of year to catch big bass. The bass should start coming into the shallows again with the cooler weather. I would start out with lipless crankbaits, big spinnerbaits, and topwater for the first hour or so in the morning. Then, slow down with soft plastics and one of my favoirites, the jig and pig. Try a black jig with a blue trailer or a brown and green jig with a crayfish trailer that has green claws. They love ‘em.

As far as using live bait……I catch my biggest bass of the year using big, live chubs. You can catch them out of small creeks with a piece of worm. 5 to 6 inch bluegill and big golden roaches will also work. Take a look at the article on the Ultimate Fishing Site. It’s titled Big Baits for Fall Bass. http://www.ultimatefishingsite.net