Fall Largemouth
The biggest change in fall fishing occurs more in how the largemouth bass changes their habits more than any time of the year. Bass will more often follow the forage or bait fish than any other time of year; this can make them harder to locate as most anglers are used to looking for structure. Structure is certainly a pattern, but bass tend to move more to the open water, flats, and bays than any other time of year.
The lakes are always full of bait fish in the fall and bass move to the baitfish for easy feeding and ignore their tendency to hang on structure. Point being is do not ignore open water points or movement even though it appears to be removed from grass lines or structure that you are traditional use to fishing. This is one of the biggest reasons that crank baits running from 5 to 8 feet of water are so effective in the fall. You can be fishing hundreds of yards off structure and catching fish in the fall just because the bait has moved to the open waters. Long extended points where you are removed from the traditional structure become wonderful places to catch bass this time of year. The bass are active and feeding up for the winter cold and the bait moves in many different directions for safety pushing the bass to follow them to open water.
Have you ever wondered why in the fall the bass turn on and off like a light switch, the reason is remarkably simple the bass feed in large groups in the fall? They feed two three times a day, the rest of the day they suspend and become very lethargic in the warm water. Your fishing habits in the fall can many times be timed like clockwork as bass can be feeding one minute, your catching fish and then gone and not feeding the next. Therefore, I fish so many reaction type baits in the fall, because outside the feeding times the bass can be extremely hard to catch and the only way is to trigger their instincts to react.
Do not let the slow times of fall fishing discourage you, just look at some nontraditional areas away from structure and you will find the bass.
Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service
www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com
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Email: bassguide@comcast.net
Call: 256 759 2270
Capt. Mike Gerry