One of my favorite baits is the IMA Suspending Vibe 70.
The reason I like it so much is because the bait suspends! This lure will literally stay in the middle of the water column and not drop to the bottom, which is exactly what you need when you find suspended schooling baitfish.
At this point you can really slow it down and twitch it to create reaction strikes that the fish simply cannot say no to. It’s important to match the hatch, so pick colors that will compliment and mimic the baitfish in your fisheries.
LATE FALL
As we move later through the season, the fishing changes, because the water temperatures are now dropping much faster. Typically, in November through December, we have temperatures that drop from 65 to 50 degrees.
Imitate the Baitfish: At this point, the fish are still gorging on baitfish, like shad, in preparation for their winter long slumber. It works to stay consistent with your electronics and continue to follow the bait.
During these colder days of fall, my go-to bait is the umbrella Rig. You can fish this bait slowly, as it
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mimics a school of baitfish. On your retrieve, I recommend snapping your rod tip to make the umbrella flex or pulsate to make the bait look as if
it’s fleeing. I like
throwing bladed
multi-arm rigs
like the Heavy
Limits five-wire,
bladed umbrella
rig. I typically
stay with this
bait throughout
most of the later
fall.
Target Locations: Once the water reaches about 55, the shad die off and the fish tend to go deep again. This is the time that I look for offshore structures, holding larger boulders or rocks, island tops etc.
These areas are going to be warmer due to the heat in the rocks and that’s what the fish will gravitate to. I fish these target areas with a dropshot, dragging a jig, or Carolina Rig.
These techniques are slow, so the bait will stay in front of the fish for a longer amount of time giving the fish a chance to strike.
Dropping temps: In colder water, the bass don’t want to exude a lot of energy, because their metabolisms have really started to slow down. As a result, I recommend that you throw big swimbaits as they would rather eat one large meal than spend a lot of energy chasing smaller bait in the cold water.
Without a doubt, fall fishing is the most exciting time of the year! Fishing shallow on reaction bites in the early fall, or chasing the fish that are chasing bait with umbrella rigs makes it so much fun. This is when you have the greatest odds to land your personal best. Be ready, because you never know when that big boy might just show up looking for a meal!
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