®
M CR A A T N CHK IB NAG IT S
Story & Photos
BY SCOTT M. PETERSEN
to target areas
F
all is a season of change. Cooler nights will
trigger transitions – tree leaves start to
change colors and drop to the ground. With
the falling leaves, the summertime high water temps will also take a dive.
Bass will also find the season a time for transition.
Bass that spent the warmer summer months located
offshore – chasing shad, bluegills and craws, will soon
be transitioning back towards the shallows, readying
themselves for the change in seasons.
Many of these late season moves are not what
some bass would like, but food sources dictate this
move. The meals that the bass depend upon will
move towards the shallows
(maybe to spawn
or get ready
for the
season’s upcoming changes) and the bass will have to be right behind them.
With bass on the move, anglers will have to move as well and a good part of a fishing day can be spent trying to figure out where the bass are in their transitioning journey.
SEARCH FOR STAGING AREAS
As the bass leave their deeper holding spots of summer, the movement will not be one big push to get to the shallows. Their movement will be in stages
– just like their movements in the spring.
When it comes to tracking bass
movement, crankbaits
are a great bait
to help
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