From the boat......................
Jeff
Ryan - Staff Writer
Fall Crankbaits, etc.....
The date is
September 1st, and the smell of late summer fairs
and corn dogs linger. The air crisp, the wind
light, these are days to catch fish. The weather
conditions change drastically from a week to
week, what once seemed a never ending heat wave
is giving way to a new season. Fall is my
favorite time of the year to catch bass. The
season brings many new variables into the summer
doldrums. Very quickly the memories of scratched
limits two weeks ago is now a frenzy, and every
cast may be the next addition to a trophy bag.
Fall fishing not
only brings the beauty of nature out, it also is
a time for bass to prepare for the long northern
winter. This change in the weather is a key
signal to the Largemouth bass that times are
changin'. The season also gives way to a change
in water temperature from the continuous
shortening of the days and the suns position in
the sky above. With this, weeds begin to die...and
the forage starts to move around as well. The
dying weeds actually are blessing in early fall.
Why? If you can find green healthy weeds combined
with some bait fish, you have the simple
ingredients for a nice bag.
As the weeds die
back and the fish begin to feed on the bait fish,
one simple thing you need to know is the bait
fish from the early hatch are now mature and
bigger than ever. Keep this in mind when choosing
a bait to fish with. In the fall, I like to tie
on three or four lures for deciding how the fish
will bite on that day. The all-time favorite lure
of mine to fish in early fall is the crankbait.
When the fish put the feed bags on and start
chasing anything erratic, I have two rods with
different sizes, just to get it right. A favorite
and now discontinued crank I love is the #7
Rapala Down Deep. This crank in any array of
colors can clobber the bass. I especially like
the thumper bearing inside that makes the noise I
believe calls the bass from any direction. One
good weed line can make up a winning stringer in
any local tournament. So if you've never fished
with one, it's almost too late. But any quality
crankbait will do.
A second tactic I
like to use in fall is the Jig-n-Pig combo. Any
fisherman who overlooks this presentation is
costing himself a kicker fish in many
circumstances. The jig is a deadly weapon in
fall, coupled with a fresh pork trailer or a
plastic chunk this lure can out fish all others.
You can fish it directly in the weeds or outside
the weeds and over chunk rock (a personal favorite.)
The bulk of this lure and the clacking of a
rattle mimic a crawfish very well. For bass this
is irresistible. My favorite colors for this bait
are black/blue or crawfish hues, these colors are
a consistent producer in any body of water. A
slow roll over rock in early morning and hold on...
your next picture opportunity is a hook set away.
And the last
presentation to early fall bass is a change up
lure. It is a Ninja Jig, made by Gambler, a
versatile lure that can take a number of trailers
and size baits. I like to fish it with a Yamamoto
grub in any one of Gary's natural colors on a 1/8
to 3/16 oz. jig head. This presentation is very
similar to the jig/pig combo but it has a little
less bulk and a little more erratic action with
the numerous tentacles on the bait. Fished on
weed lines close to lay downs or timber can put
you in the money on any given fall day.
The fall season
brings many things, from changing leaves to duck
hunting season, but nothing compares to what is
going on underneath the water at your local
fishing hole. The bass are bellying up to the
dinner table and the dinner bell just won't stop
ringin'. So when you look at the sky and see a
wall of clouds and the air is crisp. Take some
advice and tie one of these lures on. Cast it out....and
hold on. Please practice catch and release....and
GOOD FISHIN' jr
