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Fall 2026
page 54
bait may need to move quickly across one stretch and then nearly stop over another.
This is where control
the bait faster. It can mean quickly recovering slack before a hookset or getting a fish away from cover once it bites.
becomes more important than
The rod becomes the
outright speed.
primary tool for moving the
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while one landing several feet away may never get noticed.
PRO PICKS JERKBAIT:
Ish: Daiwa Tatula Elite Casting Rod Patrick Walters Jerkbait 6’10” with a Daiwa Tatula Elite casting reel 7.1:1.
Brandon: Alpha angler Slasher with Daiwa Steez CT SV.
Pro Picks Walking Bait:
Ish: Daiwa Tatula Elite Casting Rod Brent Ehrler Med Crank 7’2” with a Daiwa Tatula Elite casting reel crankbait rod is doing all the action faster reel to take up slack.
Ish: Daiwa Tatula Elite 7’3” MH Multi-Purpose rod with a Daiwa Tatula Elite 8:1 gear ratio, because by the time you feel the fish, he might be three-feet and you will need to pick up line.
Brandon: Alpha Angler Zilla Vader with Daiwa Steez A 7.1:1.
Brent: For jigs and worms with smaller, lighter setups and weightless Senkos, Daiwa Tatula Elite 7’3” MH Multi- Purpose rod. For heavier baits, Daiwa Tatula Elite 7’4” Ish Monroe Frog Rod with a Daiwa Tatula Elite 8:1 gear ratio reel.
Brandon: Alpha Angler TopHammer and Daiwa Steez A 7.1:1
Brent: All topwater Daiwa Tatula Elite 6’9” ML and Daiwa Tatula Elite 6.3:1 reel.
SOAK IT: MAKE THEM GIVE IN
Then there are fall days when everything seems to stop. A front rolls through. The wind disappears. Baitfish activity fades. The surface that was exploding that morning suddenly looks empty. The bass haven’t necessarily disappeared. They may have simply stopped chasing. That’s when it’s time to soak it.
Jigs, worms, Neko rigs and other bottom-oriented presentations allow an angler to slow the entire process down. Instead of forcing bass to pursue a lure, you’re putting something in their immediate environment and giving them time to eat it.
A cast that took 20 seconds while power fishing might now take two minutes. Here, reel speed serves a different purpose. A faster reel doesn’t necessarily mean fishing
LET THE BASS SET THE SPEED
Fall can change quickly. The same bass that crush a burned spinnerbait first thing in the morning may only follow a swimbait a few hours later. After a front passes, those fish may settle into cover and refuse to move more than a few inches for a jig.
That’s why committing to one retrieve speed can be just as limiting as committing to one lure. Start aggressively when the conditions allow it. Burn moving baits and make active bass reveal themselves. If you’re getting followers, missed strikes or fish that won’t quite commit, shift into the middle gear and work the bait. When the activity disappears altogether, slow down and soak something where you believe those bass are positioned.
The tackle should help make those transitions easier. The right rod and reel combo is about having control over the speed of the presentation. Because during fall, finding the bass is only the first part of the puzzle. The next question is how fast they want you to fish. •