Summer to Fall

Summer to Fall

As we have seen the water temps drop and move into the transition time summer fishing is now turning to fall fishing forcing you to make changes in your techniques. The problem is what do you do, especially when the fish are constantly on the move making it difficult to count on a pattern from one day to the next. It’s not easy as the fish are constantly on the move and what they seem to react to seems to also change on a daily basis.

The first thing one must do is find the bait, if the bait fish are present then so are the bass, making the need for good visual skills, good electronics and good instincts a must as the bass move into the fall bite. Subtle differences in things like bait size, color, movement and lure placement all mean something in this period so be creative with every little thing you can think of. The change in bait size can be crucial to catching fish, go to bright colors or subtle colors until something shows it’s the right change and produces a fish. One presentation I always think about in the fall is a double fluke set-up. If you have never done this, it’s time to put it on your must try list. If you rig it on a tri-swivel it will allow you to better keep the two baits from getting crossed; also make one line extension longer than the other allowing the two flukes to be separated by a few inches making it more attractive to be struck by bass. Change your twitch rate when you fish it; move it fast, slow and in-between allowing the double set-up to look like bait surfacing and being chased at the top of the water column. I also like to put a magnum fluke on the longest leader and a small one on the short leader giving the set-up even more real life look and attracting more bites.