W
ith the summer heat fading away, we bring
a warm welcome to longer nights and
shorter days. The cooler weather of the fall is arguably my favorite time of the year to fish. The lake is
quiet with very little traffic, the outside air temperatures are
comfortable and best of all, the bass are going into a heavy
feeding cycle in preparation for the colder winter months.
These are all great reasons to head to your favorite lake and
go fishing.
Now oftentimes the fishing can be great and we will
land on top of schools of gorging bass. In these situations,
you can catch them on practically any presentation. From
topwater lures on the surface to jigging spoons deep. When
they are on the feed, they are easy to catch. However,
there are more times when we are searching for these
concentrations and the bite can be rather tough. The fish
that are targeting large schools of shad will feed, roam, and
rest. When they are not actively
feeding, they tend to be a bit
more finicky. Another variable
that makes it a tricky time to fish
is the water tends to be gin clear
and still, with bluebird skies.
Here are my go-to
presentations and theories to
catch these less active autumn
bass.
DOWNSIZING
The first thing to do when bites are scarce and the fish seem to be picky is to downsize your presentation. Starting first with your line, I would suggest a 4- or 6-pound fluorocarbon leader. The lighter line is obviously less visible; however, it also allows the bait to move more freely. This will convince more fish into taking a shot at it.
Second would be downsizing your lure selections. I will typically use an assortment of soft plastics that can be fished meticulously in the strike zone. Generally finicky fish do not want to chase or exert extra energy so a slower moving bait is preferable. My first go-to is a dropshot. Usually paired with a small shad profiled soft plastic. And again, very small offerings less than three-inches are tried and true fish catchers. The second rigging of choice would be a Ned rig. The ability to fish this bait slowly and even dead-sticking will surely tempt some takers.
And finally, my favorite of all is the fall float-n-fly. This technique incorporates all the qualities it takes to get bites. Light line, small profile and a very like-like yet stationary appearance is the perfect equation to have great success under these conditions.
FLOAT-N-FLY BREAKDOWN
RIGGING
There are a few different ways to setup a float n fly rig. The basic principle is fly (I prefer 1/8-oz), slip float (7/8” or 1”), and bobber stop. Many anglers will use a thread type bobber stop which works great and is adjustable. However, my preference is to use the leader knot (Alberto) that is tied from braid to fluorocarbon as my float stop. The distance between the fly and the stop will vary, but my best success has come with a 9’ to 14’ leader.
TECHNIQUE
After determining the leader length, we can then determine our targeted fishing depth. The idea is to make a cast in water that is slightly deeper than the length of the leader. After the cast the fly will sink, once the float meets the stop, the float will stand in an upright position. The counter weight of the fly is what makes the float stand. Therefore, if after the cast the float does not stand, this means the depth in which the cast was made was less than the length of the leader. After a few shakes towards deeper the float should stand.
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Fall 2023
page 35