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Summer heat, and the corresponding reduction in oxygen content of
the warmer water, normally moves most
aquatic life from the shallow zones, causing the bass to move towards
open water along with the forage. Fall,
likewise, is a time of change for the bass; and, it probably has
the most significant and compelling effects of all
the seasons. What takes place during this period has a major effect
on the survival of the species.
In the fish world, Fall is also a time of prosperity. The earlier
spawns of the food chain are now large enough
to be good forage. The waters begin to cool in the shallow zones,
recalling that forage which had previously fled
the Summer sun. Mother Nature sends Her signal that the long Winter
season is imminent and all Her subjects
must prepare accordingly. The result is a feeding spree that makes
for the year's finest angling experiences.
In order to become a truly competent and predictably successful
bass angler, it is imperative that the
fisherman understand his fish and its habits. While minor environmental
changes, such as wind, weather fronts
and fluctuating water levels, have short-term effects on bass, seasonal
changes are much more pronounced
and enduring.
The effects do not wear off in a few days, returning the bass to
their old habits and patterns of the week
before. These are major happenings, with long term impacts. In order
to take maximum advantage of the fine
fishing opportunities of the Fall season, we must recognize that
two periods of `transition' will occur--
Summer-to-Fall and Fall-to-Winter. The peculiarities of each, and
the responses of the bass, are very
predictable, allowing us to locate the fish with minimum difficulty.
And, remember the primary success rule
associated with bass angling: "Catching them is easy; finding
them is the hard part."
Let's start off by looking at the first transition phase, Summer-to-Fall.
Then, we'll explore the Fall-to-Winter
changes. And, finally, we'll discuss the Fall, itself, in detail.
By recognizing the characteristics of each, we will
be able to anticipate the responses of the bass and his movements.
The warm waters of the Summer months result in a consistently higher
body temperature and correspondingly
high metabolic rate in fish. Accordingly, the bass actually consumes
more food during this period than at any
other time. This constant requirement to feed forces bass to be
very mobile and to continually follow the forage.
Summer bass patterns are not necessarily deep water oriented, as
you may previously have been led to believe.
The fish are not normally found in the shallow zones, but the majority
are also not too deep, either.
The forage, as we have previously stated, has been driven from the
shallow cover zones by the heat and low
oxygen levels and is generally found in open water areas where water
currents, either natural or wind-induced,
are found. These currents cause a `mixing' of the water, precluding
stratification by temperature, insuring
oxygen absorption, and providing acceptable seasonal comfort without
the necessity of going deep. This is the
reason that hot weather bass are normally found on open water structures
and channel drops, and as shallow
as eight feet. The lack of water mixing is why few Summer bass will
be found in shallow coves and pockets.
As the Summer-to-Fall transition begins, the water temperatures
start to drop. The shallows again become
supportive and the forage, followed by the bass, begins to return.
Movement to the shallow cover zones appears
to be a very orderly function. The keys to these movements are the
feeder creek channels and other deep water
areas directly adjacent to shallow cover.
As the Winter season approaches, another transition occurs. The
bass will, again, move back to the open
water. But, this time, his primary goal is not to establish himself
near the food supply. His lower metabolism in
colder water requires that he only eat a small amount every three
to five days. His drive is to locate acceptable
structure upon which to pass the colder months. A major prerequisite
of this structure is that it not be effected
by water currents and cause the bass any undue expending of energy
to inhabit it.
While the bass is not going into hibernation, he will enter long
periods of dormancy not unlike it. Accordingly,
the structure must be away from natural current flow and deep enough
that the wind-induced water movements
are negated. The deepest most bass will ever be found is during
the Winter period.
Now that we know where the bass will be coming from in the Summer
and where he will be going to when
Winter arrives, let's get into the Fall period, itself. First, understand
that Fall bass are feeding bass. There is a
strong instinct to feed heavily and prepare the body for the Winter
period. In addition to simply surviving the
Winter, the body must also be able to support the initial body build-up
for the coming spawn.
Second, Fall bass are normally oriented to large, shallow areas
of cover which are near deep water. Where
the shallow cover used during the Spring was generally as thick
and dense as could be found, Fall is a bit
different. The more productive areas will be large flats with relatively
thin cover, such as stump beds, intermittent
brush growth, and sparse weeds. And, again, the areas should be
very near deep water. The close proximity of
deep water is possibly the most important factor in initially evaluating
the potential of a Fall feeding `hot-spot'.
Of course, the angler notes the early signs of the pending Summer-to-Fall
transition by the weather changes.
However, on the water, there are some other specific occurrences
to watch for. Given that he has
systematically determined some potential Fall feeding areas, the
angler should closely note the gradual
increase in bait fish activity in those areas. These are a sure
sign that the migration is beginning. Also, the start
of surface feeding action by individual bass indicates that their
'advance party' has arrived. The fisherman lucky
enough to be on the water regularly can even determine when the
Fall feeding period peaks and when the
transition towards Winter begins, by the amount of activity observed.
While critical during the Spring spawning preparation, the passage
of a cold front has little effect on Fall
bass. The winds which follow may cause a short disruption, due to
the turbulence created in the shallows, but
their effects will be short-lived. Of course, as the fronts become
more and more severe, the transition to Winter
will begin.
Cold fronts may actually have a positive effect on Fall bass fishing.
Shad, the primary forage, is very intolerant
of cold and a rapid change in temperature will cause many to die.
This condition is noted by the bait fish flipping
on the surface and, then, slowly fluttering towards the bottom.
Bass will not surface feed in this instance, but will lie below
the shad school and pick of the dying shad as
they sink past. A vertically-jigged spoon is a deadly lure at this
time. Bass, congregated in a Fall feeding area,
will not always be actively pursuing the bait fish within the cover.
At times, they may be either resting between
feeding excursions or waiting for the weather or water conditions
to stabilize. Still, they are extremely
predictable and fairly easy to locate. The main thing to remember
is that they will remain near the cover area
and probably on the first significant structure break-line. This
break-line is usually definable in terms of the
adjacent deep water.
For example, suppose we have located the bass feeding actively in
the stumps and brush on a submerged
ridge-line near an old creek channel. When the action slows significantly,
the wise angler would do well to
re-orient his lure presentations to the edge of the channel drop-off.
If our Fall honey-hole were to instead be a submerged island, the
break-line used during slack feeding periods
would normally be the edge of the sharpest drop into the deepest
adjacent water. When we start to get into the
fine details of structure, such as in this instance, we are beginning
to consider what is called sub-structure. That
may be better defined as `structure on structure'. This is important,
in that it plays a major role in accurately and
continually locating the bass as they progress into the transition
towards their Winter habitat.
Fall bass are very susceptible to `action' lures. Their active feeding
level makes them extremely aggressive
and they are prone to attack nearly anything that moves. Therefore,
a fast-moving bait is more likely to trigger
an instinctive strike. And, in addition, it allows us to cover more
water with more casts, normally resulting in
more fish caught.
Of all the lures available, possibly the best Fall choice is the
free-running, vibrating crank plug. Familiar
examples most anglers will readily recognize are Cordell's `Spot'
and Lewis' `Rat-L-Trap'. These are highly
versatile baits, the depth, speed and action of which are easily
controlled by the angler. A very fast retrieve
speed is usually the best approach, with the running depth determined
by the distance the bait is first allowed
to sink. If a significant cold front has recently passed and the
shad forage is experiencing a resultant mortality
rate, as earlier mentioned, a stop-and-go retrieve will closely
imitate the dying bait fish.
Another excellent lure choice is the spinner bait. Few lures appeal
more to an aggressive, feeding bass.
However, the angler must keep in mind that the spinner bait is primarily
a lure to be used around cover. While it
can still be effective at times, it is not a good choice for open
water bass or those holding on drop lines. If the
bass are not active in the cover, itself, opt for another lure choice.
Shallow running, `lipped' crank plugs are good choices if the cover
happens to be stumps or brush. Their
nose-down running position allows this type lure to crawl over most
hard obstructions and be relatively snag-
free. When the bass have moved out of the cover zone and onto the
break-line area, lure selection must be
made by first considering the depth to be fished. Because the fish
are still relatively active, a fast-moving crank
plug would be the first choice. It should have a tight, strike-inducing
wiggle and run on or very near the bottom.
A fast retrieve should be used until it is proven ineffective. Then,
gradually slow down and, possibly, revert to a
stop-and-go action. I prefer the new Fat Free Shad series for this
approach, in that they tend to float upwards
slightly or suspend (depending on the model) when stopped momentarily.
That bit of added action can be a real
turn-on to the bass.
Late into the Fall, as the temperature drops become more extreme,
the bass may become somewhat
reluctant to take the fast-moving lures. When this is noted, the
reliable worm, or jig-and-pig, may be the ticket
to success. By running through the various retrieve choices, from
short, quick hops to a slow crawl, the angler
should usually be able to find one that is successful.
The reluctance to take the fast-moving lures, coupled with late
Fall conditions, indicates that the Fall feeding
spree is winding down. Now, the angler should start to pay close
attention to the action found on the drop-offs.
As it starts to noticeably decrease, he should begin to explore
increasingly deeper, open water structure which
is out of direct current flow. By doing so, the angler will be able
to `follow' the bass and determine what will be
the eventual Winter honey-holes.
Other than reminding the reader that Fall is such a great time to
fish, the real value of this material lies in the
message that successful bass angling is simple a matter of `mind
over fish'. Approaching the sport with an
understanding of the habits and lifestyles of the bass will greatly
improve the probability of success.
"FALL
BASSIN' PATTERNS"
In the Fall, all wildlife feeds heavily in preparation for the coming
Winter. Fish and other aquatic creatures are
no exception. Bait fish and other forage of the bass gather in the
cooling shallows for one big feast. The predator
bass follows and the excellent fishing of the Fall season begins.
There are a number of successful bassin' patterns which may be found,
each dependent somewhat on the
changing weather and water conditions. The following are some of
the ones to look for;
1. Large, shallow
cover areas will hold large numbers of Fall bass when conditions
are reasonably stable.
These will be very active fish, prone to readily
take a lure. Spinner baits and free-running, vibrating crank
plugs (Spot, Rat-L-Trap) produce excellent results.
Fast retrieves are usually the ticket.
2. The outer
edges of weed beds and stump fields may produce the most bass, if
they are not found directly in
the cover areas. This is always true for the
larger fish. Lures here should be kept near the bottom.
Experiment with retrieve speeds until the best
is found. Lipped crank plugs and worms are recommended.
3. The first
well-defined drop-off out past the shallow cover may be best if
recent water levels or weather
conditions have been unstable. Bass in these
positions will be relatively inactive. Keep the lure on the bottom
and the retrieve slow. A Plastic worm or jig
is the first choice, followed by a slow crank plug.
4. There is
always a period of good top water schooling activity in the middle
of the Fall. Use top water and
shallow crank plugs when casting to the breaks.
When the bass go down, try to find their holding area and
go with a plastic worm.
5. Early Fall
bass are in a period of migration towards the shallows. Look for
them along the edges of feeder
tributary channels, usually near the bottom.
Depending on the depth of the channel edge, use lipped crank
plugs and worms.
6. Late Fall/early
Winter bass will be schooling tightly on major structure breaks
near deep water. Use a
plastic worm or jig and pig and keep the retrieve
very slow.
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