Power Bassin' for a September to Remember

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A couple of Septembers ago, my dad and I signed up for a local team bass tournament and struggled to find fish on the practice day. Without a lot of confidence, we started the morning of the event fishing with topwater ploppers toward a shallow, main-lake point that fell off sharply into the old river channel. Much to our surprise, the first four casts produced an equal number of quality bass, each placed quickly into the livewell. The action, however, was over soon after it started, and we were already on to our next spot as other boats were still racing out of the launch site. The explosive “hit-and-run” action that morning perfectly summarizes the largemouth’s frenetic behavior as summer transitions to fall.

Autumn is one of the most pleasant times to be on the water in pursuit of bass. The sweltering air temperatures of summer begin to wane, and the throngs of pleasure boaters are preoccupied with their kids’ return to school, football and the approaching hunting seasons.

Looking over my fishing logbook for the past several years reveals a mixed bag of techniques for the summer-to-fall transition, with quality bites recorded in extreme shallows, offshore and a variety of places in between. Power-fishing tactics dominate this time of year, and the resulting clutter of rods rigged with an assortment of reaction baits is indicative of the “anything goes” mindset required.

The familiar quip, “find the bait, find the bass,” holds especially true in early fall. Anglers need not get too comfortable in any one area of the lake, as shad will be scattered throughout. This is the time to run and gun to keep pace with bass in pursuit of their main seasonal food source.

THE FALL MIGRATION MYTH

There’s a long-held axiom in bass fishing that, during fall, bass in any reservoir move en masse into the major creeks in pursuit of shad. A study by Texas Parks and Wildlife fisheries biologists Todd Driscoll and Jake Norman, however, casts doubts on said notion. During a two-year period, they studied bass behavior on two highly-pressured Texas reservoirs—Lake Fork and Toledo Bend—using telemetry and forward-facing sonar to document the fish’s movements and behavior.

Surprisingly, one of the key findings within their sizable data sample revealed that not one single bass moved toward the creeks in pursuit of shad during the fall months. Yet, it is well established that bass can be caught within these tributaries during autumn. Therefore, Driscoll theorizes that bass in the major creek arms are resident fish that never leave and simply become active as shad schools move into these areas. A key deduction resulting from this study is to not abandon the main body of the reservoir too quickly during the fall months. While the creek arms can be productive, a large bass population still resides along shorelines and structure changes within the main lake.

FISHING THE FLATS

Bass begin moving toward the shorelines while the sun is still blazing hot in late summer, well ahead of the first cool fronts. Precisely what triggers this movement to the shallows is hard to isolate. Perhaps it’s the shrinking daylight hours, or maybe the bass simply follow shad and bream as they begin to occupy shallow water. It’s not uncommon, after all, to see these forage species lounging in the shade of shallow cover. Slow-tapering shorelines with scattered wood cover along a lake’s main body can be highly productive, and finding the areas holding the most bass requires a fast-moving approach to which squarebill crankbaits, spinnerbaits and bladed jigs are well suited.

For squarebills, consider the Bill Lewis ATV 2.5 or Strike King’s KVD 2.5. My top choice in spinnerbaits is a 3/8- or 1/2-ounce double-willow-leaf Booyah Covert, while my favorite bladed jig is a 3/8-ounce Z-Man Chatterbait Elite EVO. Both let me cover a lot of water in a hurry and generate the desired reaction strikes.

Bass in the shallows seem to be on a schedule, so once you locate some on a specific stretch of shoreline, you will likely find them waiting if you return at the same time the following day.

SHALLOW POCKETS

In September, shallow pockets—either on the main lake or in the backs of creeks—have produced some of the biggest bass for me. Success hinges on fishing multiple pockets during midday hours with a Stanley Swim Max swim jig or a hollow-body frog like the SPRO Dean Rojas Bronzeye Frog to find feeding bass. Shad flicking within a pocket is a dead giveaway that bass are chasing them in the shallows.

The most productive pockets may be only 50 to 100 yards in length with no discernable channel offering deep-water access. Bass will lie in ambush in the shade of any available cover within these pockets, whether scattered bushes, stickups or shallow vegetation. Simply pull into one of these areas, make several casts and move to the next one until you locate bass.

SHALLOW DOCKS

Another compelling finding from the telemetry study of bass behavior revealed that, in late summer, some bass separate from the large schools staging offshore and move toward the shoreline. They then take up residence under shallow shade. For the bass in Lake Fork, boat docks in 2 to 6 feet of water were a key piece of cover. Interestingly, this same overhead cover will continue to hold bass through the fall transition.

Moving baits are always a good option for attacking docks from various angles. Soft jerkbaits—such as a 4-inch Zoom Fluke—worked just under a floating dock will draw bass out to attack the lure. Meanwhile, a spinnerbait like the aforementioned Booyah Covert or a squarebill crankbait crashed into a dock’s wooden pilings or metal poles can produce terrific reaction strikes. If skipping a lure is within your repertoire, get a swim jig or hollow-body frog far under the docks to tempt fish tucked well inside the shade.

Don’t overlook the large commercial docks suspended over the deep water of a marina cove, as bass will suspend under the walkways and even the boats parked in the slips. Both soft- and hard-body jerkbaits, as well as swim jigs, can produce bass from under the overhead structures. But this is not a time to hone your casting skills, as the casting alleys around boat slips can be pretty tight. Strike King’s KVD 200 jerkbait, slightly smaller than the popular 300 series, will dive less than 6 feet and is perfect for running under a boat dock.

OFFSHORE HUNT

The bass population, of course, is not monolithic in behavior. Some bass choose to make a living raiding the shallows while others opt to stay in schools and feed on shad in open water.

In September, offshore bass will remain within casting distance of their food source. So, if you find a large aggregation of shad, you’ll find bass lurking under or around the baitfish.

Idling with 2D and side-imaging sonar near submerged channels in the main body of the reservoir or within the confines of major creeks will reveal the location of these shad schools. If equipped with live sonar, targeting specific fish underneath or cruising beside these groups of shad with the aforementioned hard jerkbait, a Rebel Pop-R topwater or a 3.5-inch Basstrix paddletail swimbait rigged on a 1/4- to 3/8-ounce jig head will be the ticket.

In the absence of live sonar on your front deck, cover nearby channel drops and points with crankbaits, jerkbaits and bottom-bouncing offerings like a slab or jigging spoon, such as a 7/8-ounce War Eagle, which falls quickly to reach suspended bass and comes equipped with a swivel to avoid frustrating line twist.

SCHOOLING BASS

One of the most exciting sights in fishing is the sudden appearance of bass chasing shad on the surface. With shad schools on the move with fall’s cooling surface temperatures, this event can happen when you least expect it. Targeting schooling bass feeding on the surface typically requires long casts with a topwater to reach the frenzies before they dissipate.

Though topwater lures of any sort will catch schooling fish, a popper like the Rebel Pop-R or Yellow Magic Popper (a Japanese bait) has a special appeal for bass focused on surface prey. Working the popper rapidly will cause the excited bass to think a frantic shad is breaking from the school, often drawing strikes even after the surface action has settled.

Predicting when and where the next surface upheaval will occur can be a challenge, as the water suddenly erupts with fleeing baitfish and explosive bass strikes, only to be gone in a matter of seconds. Just by staying on the hunt and remaining alert, you will cash in on these unpredictable events. With that in mind, it’s imperative to keep a topwater rigged and within arm’s reach so your lure can be in the mix immediately after you detect surface activity.

BE POWER-FISHING READY

• Line up the weapons of choice to cover the season’s top situations.

Much of the late-summer-to-fall fishing centers around power tactics and reaction lures. When fishing the shallows with moving baits, such as squarebills, spinnerbaits or bladed jigs, 7- to 7-foot 4-inch rods assist with hooksets and provide the leverage to bring big bass to the boat. I’ve come to appreciate Temple Fork Outfitters’ Taction Bass moving baits rod, which has the ideal length and combines a soft tip with a strong midsection that’s excellent for fishing fast-moving lures.

For topwater poppers and jerkbaits, rod lengths of 6 feet 10 inches to 7 feet 2 inches work well. The slightly shorter rods offer a more immediate response when working such lures quickly. The Kistler “Jerkbait Special” is an excellent example with the ideal length and action.

When tossing a hollow-body frog in the shallows, I prefer a longer stick, like a 7-foot-3-inch to 7-foot-6-inch model. It moves a lot of line quickly, which is crucial when setting the hook from a long distance. Speaking of setting the hook, a heavy- or extra-heavy-action rod like Shimano’s 7-foot-5-inch Curado extra-heavy can really drive the steel home.

Match your rods with a fast-retrieve baitcaster (8:1 ratio), which will allow you to keep up with a hard-charging bass once it’s hooked and let you take up line quickly while using a frog or topwater.

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• This article was featured in the September 2024 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe.

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