Where to Find Fall Smallmouth vs. Largemouth Bass

As autumn arrives, the cooling water temperatures trigger bass to become more active as they bulk up for winter. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass can be found together in many lakes and reservoirs but they tend to frequent different locations and structure types during the fall season. 

Smallmouth bass become even more oriented to rocky and gravelly areas as the water cools. Focus your efforts on riprap banks, submerged boulders, rock piles, and gravel points near a drop off into deeper water. Smallies will hold tight to the rocks and ambush baitfish that swim by. Dragging jigs, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and underspins along the bottom around rock structure is a dynamite way to target fall smallmouths.

Meanwhile, largemouth bass head towards wood cover and vegetation as the water temperatures decline. Target weedlines, laydowns, docks, brush piles, and submerged timber near drop-offs. Slow rolling spinnerbaits and Texas-rigged soft plastics through and around the cover is a prime tactic for fall largemouths. They'll be looking for one last big meal before winter arrives. 

Take a few minutes and watch as Al and James Lindner give there thoughts on the types of cover and structure preferred by largemouths and smallmouths during the fall period...

Tips for Catching More Bass During the Early Fall

As the days get shorter and the temperatures start to drop, bass fishing enters one of its best seasons - the early fall. The cooling water triggers feeding activity, and bass start bulking up for winter. 

Use these early fall fishing tips to help you catch more and bigger bass during the summer to fall transition:

1. Target Wind Blown Banks

Fall winds pushes micro-organisms and therefore baitfish to wind-blown banks also drawing active bass to those areas as well. Position your boat (or you if fishing from the bank) upwind and work baits imitating local baitfish around available cover and structure to entice feeding bass into biting. 

2. Fish Shallows Early and Late

Bass will still be active in shallow areas early and late when the water is warmer. Focus on shallow structure like stumps, docks, and grass edges, especially on sunny days. Topwaters, walking baits, and buzzbaits can be productive when bass are chasing baitfish in the shallows.

3. Fish the Backs of Creeks 

Creeks often cool down faster than main lake areas. The baitfish and bass will move into the backs of creeks as the water temps drop. Target creek mouths, pockets, and anywhere creek channels swing close to shallow cover.

4. Follow the Bait

Cooling water temperatures trigger shad and other forage species to bunch up, making them easy targets for hungry bass. Look for balls of baitfish near structure on your electronics as well as signs of surface activity and keep moving to find the feeding bass. Match the hatch with shad or perch pattern crankbaits, blade baits, and swimbaits.

5. Fish Slow Tapering Points  

Points that gradually slope out to deeper water form structure that congregates both baitfish and bass. Drag Carolina rigs, deep diving cranks, jigs, or dropshot rigs along these transitional areas. Focus on the shallow end of the point and out toward deeper water.

6. Fish Isolated Cover

Bass will often hold tight to cover like stumps, brush piles, rocks, and docks in the fall. Thoroughly work around isolated pieces of hard cover with jigs, Texas rigs, bladed jigs, and jerkbaits. Making repeated casts to high percentage areas like shady areas or along current seams are often key to triggering strikes from cover-relating bass.

7. Use Reaction Baits Around Baitfish Schools

When you spot a group of bass stacked up on structure and chasing baitfish, use reaction baits to trigger reflex strikes. Lipless cranks, jerkbaits, bladed jigs, and swim jigs can all quickly draw strikes when retrieved around baitfish schools before they keep migrating. Have a follow-up bait (jigs or weighted soft plastics) ready to pitch back to stubborn when short striking your first offering. 

8. Keep Moving Until You Find Fish

Don't be afraid to pick up and move to a different spot when the bite dies off in an area. Bass are usually on the move in the fall and you need to keep moving to stay ahead of them. Eliminate unproductive water, and keep hitting new spots until you dial in an area holding active fish. Once bass are located, slow down and work the area thoroughly before moving to a new location. 

9. Match Lure Selection to Weather Conditions

As fronts move through, cooling or warming water trends are common in the shallows, often causing bass locations and moods to change quickly. Reaction baits like crankbaits and spinnerbaits are better on warming trends, while jigs and soft plastics excel in cooling conditions. Pay attention to weather and make appropriate tackle adjustments.

10. Have Variety in Your Fall Tackle Arsenal

Because bass are in transition during early fall, having a wide variety of bait types and colors is essential. Make sure you have baits that cover all depths of the water column and structure/cover you may be fishing. When the bite is tough, switching to finesse-style baits and techniques is often the key to triggering more strikes.

As the weather cools during the early fall period, get out there and give these fall bass fishing tips a try. Adjust to the changing conditions, and you'll be reeling in the fall lunkers throughout this cooling water period.

Fall Flipping Tips

Many anglers feel fishing in the fall can be one of the most rewarding yet frustrating seasons during the year.

Why?

Because the bass tend to be scattered from shallow to deep as they transition from their summer patterns. 

One thing for sure however, there will always be some of the bass around shallow cover and a great presentation when fishing shallow... flipping!

Given the wide range of flipping bait sizes and styles, selecting the right combinations is often critical for triggering strikes. 

Take a moment and watch as 2022 Bassmaster Classic champ Jason Christie explains his approach to flipping in the fall.

Try Swim Jigs Around Wood for Fall Bass

When most bass anglers think of lures for fall bass fishing their attention usually targets spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, jerkbaits and shallow-running crankbaits. 

What's one bait that is often overlooked? A swim jig especially when fishing around shallow wood in the backs of creeks or on points!

Cobining it's extremely snagless design, the range of weights available and the ability to use a variety of different trailers, a swim jig, the swim jig can be the perfect choice for a presentation to work through woody cover that many fall bass never see!

Take a moment and watch the following short video discussing the use of swim jigs for fall bassin'

Though the video discusses one company's swim jig, the same principle can be applied to your favorite swim jig brand as well!

Check out Omnia Fishing's great selection of swim jig gear by clicking on the following link!

Omnia's Swim Jig Gear

Late Fall – Early Winter Bass Fishing Using Suspending Jerkbaits

Many anglers have been throwing minnow baits (now commonly called jerkbaits) such as Rebels and Rapalas since their early days of bass fishing.  Though originally designed as either a floating or sinking bait, astute bass fishermen quickly determine a little modification to these minnow baits provides a lure that can be more effectively fished at intermediate depths.

Once modified, the altered minnow bait would then either rise much more slowly or sometimes suspend at depth (of lucky enough to get the weight balance right).

Even though is provided an answer to the intermediate depth problem, it was less than a perfect solution. The modification process was by trial and error and sometimes the jerkbait minnow lure was rendered useless during alteration.  Usually a costly effort in both and money!

Are Suspending Jerkbaits Really Special?

Late Fall to Early Winter Bass Transition

At a time when many anglers hang up there rods and winterize their boats, the hardiest of the breed of bass anglers keep their heads in the game despite the cooler weather …

I came across a video earlier today where Pro bass angler Gerald Swindle talks bass fishing tactics and strategies for approaching the late Fall to early Winter transition.  Swindle films the video on Logan Martin Lake on the Coosa River in Alabama after the water temperatures have fallen into the low to mid 40s.

During the video, “G-man” as his fans call him, notes that although 30-plus bass per day outings are rare this time of year, patience and persistence will often pay off with quality …

Watch the video and see what I mean 

Good luck with your late fall/early winter bassin’

Beginning of the End: The Late Fall Period

Regretfully, the opening part of the title is true for may bass anglers!

Even so, the waning part of the fall season can be one of the best big bass periods of any given year…

When the late fall period starts, the migration patterns of the early and mid fall periods are reversed as both baitfish and bass move back out from the creek arms and bays into the main lake area.

Bass will still be actively feeding; they are more prone to be feeding later in the day when surface water temperatures are warmest. This response is related to the actions of the baitfish whose activity is closely tied to the activity of phytoplankton in the open water environment.

During the latter mid to late parts of the day when the Sun is highest, phytoplankton activity increases in the upper portion of the water column drawing the baitfish up as well.

The concentration of baitfish near the surface again creates a situation the bass can capitalize on since the water surface becomes a barrier the bass can use to corral the baitfish making feeding more effective. During the late fall, it is quite common to see pods of baitfish suddenly busting on the surface in the main lake area as the bass are basically herding them against the surface.

Fishing Through The Mid-Fall Period

When they refer to fall bass fishing the “Mid-Fall” period is the one they are talking about. By this time, water temperatures have fallen to the low sixties/upper fifties and the bass have really strapped on the old feed bags. The techniques will be similar in nature to the early fall period but the location of your quest shifts further into the back of creek arms and bays.

The reason for this is the fact that the bass are following the schools of baitfish which are searching out their primary forage plankton. Plankton tend to thrive in the upper end of creek arms and backs of bays since those areas are usually receiving more concentrated levels of nutrients they feed on. One indication of a rich phytoplankton population is the presence of a greenish coloration to the water (the phytoplankton are green due to the presence of chlorophyll for photosynthesis).

As the creeks discharge water into the creek arms, the water is often laden with the requisite nutrients derived from fertilizer runoff thereby feeding the phytoplankton which in turn feeds the baitfish with the bass hot on their proverbial tails!

Which creek arms might be best?

Simply the creeks with an active in-flow of water since the influx carries both the nutrients required to feed the plankton and it provides a constant source of dissolved oxygen helping offset the oxygen depleting effect of dying plankton and other vegetation.

Mid-Fall Fishing Techniques

Five Fall Bass Fishing Tips

Fall arrives with both the air and water temperatures starting to cool. Not only do we get the benefit of more comfortable conditions but so will all fish species in bass reservoirs across the land!

Changing environments cause bass to alter their behavior as well. Knowing how these changes impact your favorite reservoir’s bass locations and actions can definitely help improve your bass fishing success.

One of the best things about bass fishing in the fall..

It’s another time of year when all bass have the “feed bag” on as they prepare for the winter slowdown. A great time to catch not only lots of bass but a true wall-hanger too!

Best Fall Baitfish Lures

 Is there any time of year that bass are more focused on baitfish than the fall?

I don't think so!

Since bass are so keyed on baitfish when putting on the fall feed bag, what are the best lures to throw and increase your success?

Watch the following video and see!

According to bass pro Jeff Sprague the top five include:

1. Walking baits
2. Lipless crankbaits
3. Squarebill crankbaits
4. Chatter-type baits
5. Jerkbait

Those may work for him but personally I would add spinnerbaits and buzzbaits to the list as we;;!

Do you have any favorites?

KVD Talks Finding and Catching Fall Bass

When bass fishing's G.O.A.T. talks about finding bass, it's always time to listen.

Take a few minutes and hear what Kevin VanDam has to say about locating and catching fall bass in natural lakes and ponds during the fall...

Fishing Deep Spinnerbaits for Fall Bass

Bass often relate to deeper water cover (standing timber, submerged weedbeds, rock piles, brush piles, etc.) at both the beginning and end of the fall period. In both cases, these bass typically feed on available baitfish such as shad, herring down south and shiners, perch and bluegills in northern areas…

When bass are holding around these deeper types of cover, the spinnerbait can be an excellent lure choice to probe through cover due to its snagless design and general appearance like a small group of bait…

Take a moment and listen to Lake Fork guide Stephen Fatherree describe his approach to the proper equipment and the presentations he uses to catch deep water fall bass using spinnerbaits!

Have you added spinnerbaits to your early and late fall bass lure arsenal yet?

Fishing for Early Fall Bass with Chatterbaits

The days are getting shorter…

Air and water temps are getting cooler…

Baitfish are schooling and migrating between available types of cover and the bass have put the feed-bag on prepping for winter…

What a great time to tie on a chatterbait and catch some of the biggest bass of the season!

Bassmaster Elite Series pro Stephen Browning explains why a chatterbait is one of his favorite baits when chasing early fall bass in this short video…

Time to tie one a chatterbait on for your next fall bass fishing trip?

I’ll have one rigged when I go out for sure 😈

KVD On Catching Late Fall Largemouths

What does Elite Bass Pro Kevin VanDam do to catch late fall bass in the north country?

A few points come to mind…

• Focus on small natural lakes with lots of good weed-lines
• Look for irregular weed-line features like inside bends
• Use small baits with slower fall rates and compact profiles mimicking baitfish and crawdads

but just don’t take our word for it, watch the following short video where KVD explains the details!

I am not sure about you but I love fishing in the fall and am sure these tips will come in handy when I do!

Lures for Late Fall Fishing

As the year moves through the various seasons, we anglers notice changes in bass behaviour as well as the effective baits to catch them!

Rapidly cooling water mean slowing of the bass' metabolism meaning it's often time to switch to slow presentations as well.

Take a moment and listen to FLW Bass Pro, Terry Bolton describes three great lure selections for late fall bass fishing…