Fantastic Fall Fishing
By Tom Cannon

One of my favorite times to be on the water is in the fall. I love to run my Procraft bass boat up into the back of some creek in search of a limit of shallow bass. The colors of the trees lack of jet skis and big boats, plus the chance to see some Wood Ducks, just makes for an awesome day. In my opinion there isn't a better time to be on the water.

Okay, some of better trips have been in the fall, and of course I have some tried and true techniques, but I have also learned about some new tricks that may help you catch a few more largemouths. First, I think about shallow water, like I always do. This time of year the bass will head to the backs of creeks and pockets. Although textbooks claim they are aggressive that is not always the case. Often the fish are sluggish due to fronts or possibly feeding a lot. A wise angler tries the two-pronged approach.

Number one, I always try to catch the aggressive bass first. I toss a shallow crankbait like a Storm Subwart, a Lunker Lure Buzzbait, or a Vibraton Spinnerbait to shallow cover and docks. Normally a fast retrieve works best. Try and cover a lot of water in your efforts to hook fall bass.

Number two, which seems to be the majority of the time any more, is the subtler, slower approach. This involves flipping and similar slow presentations. One trick I like to use is to cast a soft jerkbait to schools of shad. I use a super new jerkbait manufactured by Culprit called the Shad Rat. This little dude is quite the ticket, since it has a slot for the hook to rest in order to ease the hook set. The Shad Rat is available in a dozen or so color, but I generally use only the Pearl or Arkansas Shiner color.

Now for a couple slick tricks… I always use a 5/0 Gamakatsu EWG worm hook when fishing the Shad Rat. Occasionally I will add some weight to the hook to make the Culprit bait sink faster. I do this with solder wire or Storm Suspend Strips, wrapped around the hook shank. Next I bite off the fin part of the tail, leaving only a straight tail. I have found this "new" tail really vibrates when it slowly flutters down toward the bottom.

Oh yeah, the biggest thing I have found to increase my catch ratio with the jerkbait or other topwater lures is the right rod. I picked up a new Castaway rod this spring and have used it quite a bit. The particular rod I have is the Castaway SB66. This stands for Surface Bait, six foot six inch. Since the name denotes surface bait, it is safe to say it works great with topwaters. The folks at Castaway really put the good stuff in this rod. It is versatile enough to throw little Chug Bugs, big spooks, or light jerkbaits such as the Culprit Shad Rat. The handle is long enough to allow two hand casting, but short enough so that it isn't always catching your gut or clothing when twitching a bait. Also the rod tip has a lot of play built in so it requires very little effort to walk the dog. Yes, the folks at Castaway have designed the perfect Surface Bait rod. Amazingly it fits into most anglers' budgets since the price is about $ 70.

When it comes to fall flipping, I just head my Procraft Bass Boat into the backwaters and look for shallow docks. I point my Procraft into the little ditches where only "stupid" people go, and then I break out the flipping stick. Typically I have two bait rigged up. A Lunker Lure Rattleback Jig with a matching Culprit Chunk Claw trailer for the deeper stuff, like three feet or so. My other rod will sport a Culprit Wooly Booger for the super shallow stuff. This nasty looking plastic creature is ugly; sometime I think bass just hit it because they don't like its looks. This is definitely reaction bait. Anglers should be ready to set the hook immediately with the Woolly Booger. I like the Black with red flake and the Watermelon colors for fall. Be sure to use good strong line in the twenty to twenty-five class when flipping due to lots of hazards.

Keep moving and cover lots of ground. Fall bass will often be "here today, gone tomorrow" type of fish. Plan on burning a lot of gas and keep your trolling motor on high, but you'll experience some sensational fishing.

Good Luck!.