F is hing
Story & Photos
BY TYLER BRINKS
t he F al l
Dr aw d o wn
with Greg Hackney
E
ach fall, the water levels are at some of lowest
points all year. Whether it’s due to lack of
rain, irrigation or other reasons – fishing low
water is a way of life during the fall months. Bassmaster Elite Series pro Greg Hackney has a spe-
cific approach to tackling shrinking water levels that
often involves fishing very shallow with moving baits.
AGAINST COMMON THINKING
One adage in bass fishing is that when the water level raises, the fish move shallow with it and when the water falls, the bass also move to deeper water. While this is true many times, it is not always the case during the fall, according to Hackney.
“Falling water has a negative effect sometimes during the year; but in the fall, it can push them up into very shallow water,” he said. “Especially on lakes where fish live offshore for most of the year, a lake dropping substantial amounts can move them up to feed.”
He has a theory on why this happens. “
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When the lake is drawn down, the sun exposes new parts of the bottom that are usually submerged,” he shared. “My opinion is that it creates new growth and that fresh grass and sediment on the bottom bring shad and other baitfish up to feed. This in turns brings the bass shallow.”
CLUES TO FIND THE FISH
Hackney looks for fish activity on the surface, but also has other things that help clue him in on where shad may be; birds and flat areas.
Looking for birds is a tried and true way to locate baitfish activity and it applies this time of year when bass are feeding heavily on shad. In addition to just finding birds, paying attention to the species can also make a difference.
“Blue herons are great signs that fish are in the area and so are pelicans, because they both eat tons of fish,” Hackney theorized. “The only problem with pelicans is they can eat bass just as easily as shad and might spook fish in shallow water.”
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