Fall Fishing for Bass

The second wave of great bass fishing for the year is upon us. It’s getting close to fall, the leaves are turning and the air is getting crisp. I love this time of year, the hunting seasons are opening up and the bass are biting again. It is the start of fall and the bass are just like God’s other creatures. They feed heavy in the fall preparing for the lean winter months that lay ahead. Fall fishing is a little like spring fishing with a couple of twists. The fingerling bait fish that hung around the edges of the moss in the spring have grown up during the summer and have become a full meal to a hungry bass. Also, what shad that have made it through the summer have doubled and in some cases tripled in size. The good side of this natural growth is with maturity comes a sense of adventure. In the fall, baitfishes are no longer just sticking to the weed beds around the shore lines. Instinct pushes them to venture into the waters away from the weed beds where big bass are secluded under stumps and rocks. I find that bass will venture even closer to the shallow waters in the fall. I was out and about the other day surveying one of my best bass spots and was not surprised at all to see mature bass already lying in the flats. They might have been in two feet of water. It was hammer time on the dragon flies. Every one of them that touched the water became dinner for a bass ready to ambush them. Summertime’s extreme heat creates an oxygen shortage in the water, driving the bass to deeper waters to lessen the stress factor. That problem has dissipated in the fall and the bass get very active because of the favorable water conditions. Cold fronts bring lower temperatures, which balances the oxygen supply in the water. But now there is another disadvantage that has popped up for the bass. The daylight hours are rapidly getting shorter and bass have got to try and eat as much as possible in a shorter amount of time. It’s time to take advantage of that fall bass activity these situations have created. I usually go right to the areas I had good luck in the early spring. I will fish the shallow flats and coves with an old creek bed running around or through it. The shad are going to be in the creek beds this time of year. If you can find the shad, you can count on the bass being very close also. Take your time and fish the areas carefully, make a mental note at what depth the fish are hitting your lure. That same depth should work for all locations on that body of water. It has been my experience that the water is usually down in the fall. We usually don’t get the heavy downpours in the fall as we do the spring. These conditions are actually more manageable to fish in. The water is much clearer. The diminished rainfalls during the summer months have given the lake or pond a chance to settle. Once again, I fish the fall the same way I do spring with some simple but effective variations, using more stick bait and top water lures in this situation. Remember the bait fish bass feed on are larger during the fall. Your optimum fishing times in the morning and evening will be extended as a result of the fall feeding frenzy. The competition for the food source get’s pretty intense this time of year. A bass’ instinct is telling it to devour and store up as much food as possible for the winter. The bass is basically letting its guard down a bit in search of these food sources. Now is the time to get out there and take advantage of the situation.

Micheal"Large Mouth Mike"Bray Mike is an accomplished Pro Competition Fisherman. He has placed first place in many regional tournaments and has placed very well in national tourneys. He is a Large Mouth guy, but just loves being out on the lake. We are happy to have Mike on board to check out more about him visit The Livewell Ed Wampler Ed Wampler was born with a fishing pole in his hand.  He comes from a fishing family. As a kid his vacations were spent on the lake camping and fishing, he’s just never stopped. Ed has over 50 years of fishing experience. He has chased after just about every sporting fish there is in the south.  From those elusive cats to every species of bass the south has to offer.  You can even find him in the rivers trout fishing.  Good ole’ Ed loves to catch them all. Ed has fished lakes in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas. He was a founding member of the Arkansas Striper Club.  For the last five years he’s been the Vice President of the Oklahoma Striped Bass Association.  If you can’t find him on the lake fishing, you’ll find him telling someone about it over a cup of coffee.  He’s had his own guide service, taking his clients to lakes in Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Summer Time Bass Tactics

This is the time of year to change your tactics when fishing those Lakes and ponds in this hot weather. We deal with a lot of moss and grass in the water around here.  This is one of the first things I look for when going after a big lunker bass. Baitfishes hang out around the grasses for safety and of course the bass that feed on them are looking for that next meal. I like to fish these areas early in the morning and evenings. We fish with spinners, lipless crank baits, and buzz baits. We fish parallel to those grass and moss beds as to cover as much territory as possible with each cast. Many of the protruding edges along the grass line are the most productive. These areas provide cover for the bass and give them a angle to ambushing baitfish. We catch a large number of bass using plastic jigs and Worms in the middle of the day. This is our approach later in the morning and mid day, when fish start searching for deeper waters. With the air and the water temperatures warming, bass seem to want the slower action. A thin grafite rod is what I use so I can feel the slightest movement. I let the worm/jig fall as slowly as possible before moving it on the bottom. Largemouth bass tend to prefer teasing them with that worm. This time of day you have to talk them into biting that rig. When they hit I go with them for a split second and then hammer him to set that hook, my pole going from nine o’clock to twelve o’clock. You’ll feel the pull and see that rod bend.  My worm rigs are a product of 39 years of perfection.  I like to use Shakespeare’s 17 pound test Premium Monofilament Cajun Line. I know there are more expensive lines out there, but this line does the job and has never broken on me and is just about invisible in the water. I accompany that with a No.3/0 hook and a 1/8-ounce slip weight.  The plastic worm itself must be an 8” flip tail, watermelon, motor oil, purple, or black, the color changes with conditions. In the afternoon heat of the day I’ll throw a medium to deep diving crank bait. I have at least 50 different ones in my tackle box; again it depends on the conditions as to which one I will use. I like to throw that lure out into the area I am fishing, let it set a couple of seconds and then reel seven to ten turns, stop a couple of seconds, reel seven more times, stop and then reel it on in. This seems to really get the attention of the bass I am after. Yes bass bite in hot weather, you just have to put a little more effort into it but believe me it pays off! Get a big jug of ice water and a good hat. Now you’re ready to do battle with those bass that will fit so well in your frying pan! Good Luck, Jim “Duckie” Newcomb ShellShocked Outdoors

Spring Time Bass Fishing...

Spring is spawning season for those favorite game fish we all love. It’s time to get aggressive and fish those shallow waters for the big ones and those that will fill a frying pan. Always remember to fish around those willow trees, dead logs and weed beds. This always provides for better fishing this time of year. Try using bright colors in clear water. We’ve been having good production with those frogs and buzz baits early in the morning and late in the evening. Troll for those Sand Bass as far up in the Lake Feeder Rivers and Creeks as you can go. The old white jig or anything like it seems to work well. My favorite is the white Roadrunner with the red head. Of course that live bait is delivering the hottest bites. Take care of those minnows and they will perform much better.
Striper's are also in the spawn this time of year. They too will be found up in the river. They will spawn but in most lakes the hatch will not survive. The striper hatch emerges with no fins yet can live for a short time until their fins develop, if they have flowing water. They must have about 25 miles of flowing water so they can float in the currents. Otherwise, they will settle to the bottom and die. This is a good thing for stocked lakes where the wildlife departments are controlling the populations to create better fishing situations for all.
Well get those smaller baits on that hook for those sand bass, or get you a big old bait on and drag it around and maybe you come with an unforgettable Striped Bass of a life time. Whatever you do enjoy the beautiful outdoors God has blessed us with. 
We will explore more “Striper” and other fishing favorites later. Let us know of your “fishing tips” so we can share them with our readers.
Lets G.O. Fishin'