often will be schooled up. Finding the right area can produce all fall as many will often replenish with fish each day and even multiple times during the day.
all of my fishing techniques, but for crankbaiting during the fall it nearly always leads to an extra fish or two.
ROd/Reel/line
My preferred cranking rod is a 7’6” MH abu Garcia Veritas Winch. i had used a 7’ crankbait rod for years and the extra length on the rod is amazing when it comes to longer casts and control of the fish. i pair it up with a revo Winch and 10 or 12-lb Seaguar abrazX fluorocarbon. i’m a big believer in fluorocarbon for crankbaits, but have talked with several pros who believe monofilament is the way to go, especially as the water gets colder later in the fall. The reel i use has a 5.4:1 gear ratio, the slower retrieve has always been my go-to for added power, even as the current trend is for faster and faster reels.
the bAits
There are not many techniques that can fill a limit quickly like a crankbait when the fish are grouped up during the fall. When the bite is on, it can be the best way to cover ground and find the aggressive fish. it is hard for me to select just a few different crankbaits for fall fishing, but i have grouped them into three categories i nearly always use; shallow crawfish imitators, medium range baitfish imitators and slender minnow imitators. as it gets later in the year, i will always have a Megabass deep X-200 tied on; because i feel like the slight action is ideal for the cooler water temperatures.
RetRieVe
one of the great things about a crankbait is that you would have a hard time fishing it incorrectly. if you cast and reel all day you will catch fish, but there are certain things i do to increase my odds. instead of a straight retrieve i always vary it every ten to fifteen cranks, because it seems to trigger bites from fish that are following the bait. i would say that the majority of my bites occur right after i change the retrieve and i will very rarely do anything different anymore. one other thing i will try is to speed up my retrieve, looking to hit the crankbait into something. The deflection off of a stump or rock is when many strikes occur. Varying my retrieve throughout the day is a good gauge of the activity of the bass and i will always adjust it to what is working best. Fall crankbait fishing is one of my favorite techniques to catch bass. The action is often fast and furious when you get into them.
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“MOpping Up”
This is a phrase you sometimes hear from tournament anglers and i am a firm believer in this philosophy. once you catch a few fish from one spot and the bite slows down, using an entirely different presentation to “mop up” and try for an additional fish is a principle i do not see enough people using. i will typically go back through an area with an entirely different color and usually much bigger crankbait. often, the fish are still stacked up in the area this time of year and it’s likely you have just caught all of the most aggressive fish first. i now use this approach for
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