The fall season can be a great time of year for bass fishing. When the weather starts to cool and you can feel that chill in this air, is when I really start to get excited about fall bass fishing. The fall presents an amazing opportunity for anglers as bass start to feed aggressively as they prepare for the winter.
The “fall feed” can be one of the most exciting times of the year, but it can also bring some challenges with it as well. Understanding the right baits to use and what areas to target is key if you wish to have success catching bass in the fall.
For this reason, I have put together this article and asked several bass fishing anglers to share their favorite lures and strategies they like to use this time of year. My hope you can take these lures and information and apply it this fall to help you catch more fish. Let’s get started.
The Best Fall Bass Fishing Lures and Baits
Frog & Swimbait
Angler: Matt George
Matt’s Choice: Spro Bonzzeey Frog and Reaction Innovation Little Dipper Swimbait
When the nights start to cool I start to get really excited. During the summer months a population of bass will stay shallow while another group moves off shore into deeper water. When the nights cool the fish know winter is around the corner and those deeper fish will rejoin the population of bass that stayed shallow during the summer. This is the time of year where bass will school up and become really predictable. They start to round up baitfish and push them into the backs of coves. If you can find a cove that has a little bit of current or influx of water that is even better and that’s where you will find the largest population of fish.
I throw the Frog around shallow structure and grass. I will use a two prong approach and find a group of fish with the frog and catch as many as I can on that. Sometimes these fish will be grouped up in a very small area and after you create a big commotion by dragging several bass out of a patch of grass you will have to switch tactics. You might think you caught all the fish out of that small area when the bite slows down on the frog but don’t move on quite yet. These fish are grouped up for a reason and it’s very likely there are still fish there.
I will then start to pick that area apart with the little swimbait. I rig the Little Dipper on a 1/8 oz weighted 3/0 Gamakatsu EWG hook. The majority of bluegill and bass fry from the spawn earlier in the year are now only a few inches and that’s what the majority of fish will be feeding on. I’ve noticed if you are throwing a bigger bait in the fall you won’t get bit. The fish are specifically feeding and targeting that size of bait so match the hatch. I will fish It around the edges of the same grass patch and then pitch it through little holes in the grass and dead stick it, then hop it once or twice and that’s when I normally get the bite. Try this two prong approach and you will catch fish.
Swim Jig
Angler: JB Spilker (Krakenbass.com)
JB’s Choice: V&M Cliff Pace The Pulse Pacemaker Swim Jig
I like to throw a swim jig off points, and up shallow where the water flows into the reservoirs. This is a good spot to find bass in the fall. The swim jig goes through grass really well, and gets some big bites! For additional tips on how JB fishes this swim jig check out his article: The Best Swim Jig for Bass Fishing for some more information.
Weightless Fluke
Angler: Trevor Tippetts (tnt_fishing)
Trevor’s Choice: Zoom Super Fluke
The weightless fluke really shines next to grass & cover or shade lines when the sun is high in the sky. You can fish it slow next to structure or fast on top if fish are chasing bait. As the water temperatures continue to drop, bait fish will start dying off and this is when a weightless fluke can be a big time producer.
Lipless Crankbait
Angler: Aaron Warner – Tiltfishing.com
Aaron’s Choice: Rat-L-Trap Lures 1/2-Ounce Trap
In my mind its hard to beat fishing a lipless crankbait in the fall. This a versatile lure that allows you to cover a lot water at different depths. Bass are always on the move chasing bait fish this time of year and a lipless crankbait is a great way to get some reaction bites from some hungry fish feeding up for the winter.
I typically will throw a 1/2 oz lipless crankbait in chrome or a craw pattern. The noise and combined with the flashiness of this lure can really drive bass crazy and entice them into striking.
Soft Plastic Worms
Angler: Adam Deem (YouTube.com/fishingwithAdam)
Adam’s Choice: Yum Dinger
A soft plastic worm is an excellent way to catch bass during the fall season. My go to soft plastic worm is a 4 or 5 inch Yum Dinger. I will either wacky rig this bait weightless or on a jig head. I look to throw this bait at any sort of cover or structure that I can find.
Medium Diving Crankbait or a Zara Spook
Angler: Sam Barrus
Sam’s Choice: Zara Spook, Strike King Pro-Model 5XD Series (red or white colors)
When using a crank bait, I’ll throw in up to 14 ft of water around rocky drop offs or shell beds starting off with a fast retrieve and slowing it down until they bite, I’ll throw the Spook over grass, walking the dog with a wide side to side and steady retrieve.
Hard Baits & Drop Shot
Angler: Shifty Shurtliff (Shiftoutdoors.com)
Shifty’s Choice: Berkley Digger Crankbait & Yum Sharp Shooters
Hard Bait – That’s easy. The Berkley Digger crank bait in the GILLY color. I use both 4.5 & 6.5 sizes. Soft Bait – I like to drop shot. I find myself using YUM SHARP SHOOTERS in the 4.5 size the most. Not because they are cheap, but because they work for me.
CrankBait
Angler: Seth Hausman (@sethhausman)
Seth’s Choice: 6th Sense Quake Thud Lipless Crankbait
Seth looks to target areas that have deep points leading into creeks. His preferred lure choice in this situation is a crankbait. This allows him to imitate baitfish and cover a lot of water.
Ned Rig and Swimbait
Angler: Maegan Birdsey (IG: maegantheasian)
Recommended Choice: Z-Man Finesse T.R.D, Strike King Rage Swmmer
I fish the Ned rig slow. I’ll cast it out then slowly drag it back towards the boat. I’ll alternate my retrieve with the swimbaits until I find a speed that the fish can’t resist.
Squarebill Crankbait
Angler: Stacy (fishsteeler.com)
Recommended Choice: Lucky Craft LC DRS Deep Rattle
Stacy looks to target rocky areas or riprap with a squarebill crankbait and he likes burn it hoping to get a reaction strike out of some hungry bass.
Jig with Trailer
Angler: Tj Hiatt
Tj’s Choice: Dirty Football Jig
The right jig and trailer combination can be deadly in the fall. I’ll mostly target areas around rock and hard bottom, usually off shore.
Chatterbait
Angler: Clinton Martinez
Recommended Bait: Z-Man Original Chatterbait
Clint looks to fish the chatterbait around isolated structure and brush piles. The chatterbait is a versatile bait that allows you to cover a lot of water making it an excellent choice in the fall.
Is Fall bass fishing good?
The fall season can be a great time to fish for bass. As the weather starts to cool bass look to prepare for the winter by feeding heavily. This increased feeding behavior presents a great opportunity for bass fishing anglers. Fall bass can be an exciting time of year to fish, but it’s important to understand the fishes behavior if you wish to have success out on the water. Let’s go over a few tips that will help you catch more bass this fall season.
Fall Bass Fishing Tips
Tip 1: Find the Baitfish
One of the most common and perhaps important fall bass fishing tip that you will hear from most bass fishing experts is to find the bait fish. The bass are keying in on baitfish this time of year so if you can find them you will find bass. Here a few simple tips that will help you find baitfish
How to find Baitfish
- Visibly look for them flickering on the service
- Seagulls in the area or diving down is also a good indication their is baitfish around
- Look for white wading birds (Egrets) as they also eat bait fish
Tip 2: Use White Based Baits
The fall is an excellent time to use a white profile bait. Bass this time of year or keying in on bait fish and a white squarbilll crankbait, buzzbait, or spinnerbait is a great way to imitate shad or other baitfish.
Tip 3: Find the Right Cover
Green weeds and rocks can be great areas to find bass in the fall. The green weeds offer oxygen and bait fish making them definite fish holders. Rocky areas (rip-rap, boulders, rockwalls etc) can be excellent places that will hold bass. Remember in the fall the water cools down which slows down the fishes metabolism. They will likely be holding to slightly warmer water temperatures
Tip 4: Be on the Move
In the fall I will typically be fishing with some type of reaction style lure. This allows me to cover a lot of water and figure out the most productive areas. Bass are always on the move this time of year so covering a lot of water can be super important. Once I find a spot that holds fish I will than look to slow things down by throwing a jig or a ned rig.
Tip 5: Shallow Water and Transition Areas are Key
In most cases bait fish will move up shallow all the way until the peak of the fall and at that point they will than start to move back deeper. Early fall is a great time to target transition areas such as a point next to shallow water or a creek. Mid to late fall you can find bass in shallower water chasing baitfish.
Final Thoughts
The fall is well known amongst anglers as the feeding time for bass as they try and fatten up for the winter. The “fall feed” is a great opportunity for anglers to catch both quantity and size, but there are some challenges with unpredictable weather, low water levels, and bass on the move. However, by having read this article and understanding the fish’s behavior and what baits to use, you will be well on your way of having some killer bass fishing days this fall. Best of luck out there.
Tight Lines!
