Fall Bass Fishing: Some Proven Tips From Anglers

Bass are cold-blooded fish and change their habits and feeding patterns according to the weather. If fall is coming, nature started to cool down out there. And, it’s the prime time for bass to feed and stock for the upcoming cold season. So, we’ve made a guide that includes the best fall bass fishing tips for the anglers.

It’s all about fishing the moment for most anglers. Others overlook the fall bass fishing in lack of proper instructions. Let’s check out the following tips to catch some bass into the boat right away.

fall bass fishing tips

Important Bass Facts:

  • Water temperature gets down to 45 degree Fahrenheit (F).
  • Bass eats too much during fall.
  • Shad travels near and back of creeks.
  • Best bass fishing lures during fall: Spinnerbait, Crankbait, To-water bait, and Underspin

In the Fall, what do bass eat?

Bass begin to prepare for the winter in the fall. During this time, they eat almost anything that comes their way. They don’t have time to be picky because they need a lot of food and want to gain weight quickly.

Bass will eat almost anything, not necessarily shad. Bass eats about any type of bait such as cranks and soft plastics during the fall. They tend to be more active towards evening or at night than other fishing days since water temperature is cooler outdoor. So, bass should be fished in the fall and early winter.

During the fall season, Bass prefers the following foods:

  • Frogs
  • Bluegills
  • Minnows
  • Crawfish
  • Shad
  • Seasonal insects

How does fall changes bass fishing?

During the hot summer, the bass spends more time in deeper water to stay cool. They only go shallow in the dawn and late in the evening, initially during late summer when laying eggs.

Moving towards shallow water:

Bass starts moving towards shallow cover often during autumn. During this time, they will drip and wander along creeks and rivers. So, these are the locations you will find the most of your targets.

Bass spend most of their time in these areas feeding those shad and crawfish. They find as much as needed to feed their bellies up at this time of the year.

Lure presentation:

Decide your lure type according to the amount of cover you are fishing with. Use the best baits for your presentation to cover the right amount of water depth and keep it moving. Choose the perfect colored lure based on the weather condition.

If it’s a dark and cloudy day, try with natural color lures. Otherwise, use bright color lipless baits for a sunny day.

What are the best places for fall bass fishing?

Deepwater is the home for large and baby bass during summertime. They leave the place when the weather starts to cool down in the fall. It’s time to look for food to feed them up and stock for the upcoming longer session of cold.

Bass habits changes based on the weather, and they remain inactive during the winter season. So, autumn is the time to move up shallow water to feed them frequently. So, this is the place where you can predict your prey.

Another thing to be considered, that what food they are looking for at this time. They love to chase down baitfish in the fall. The base also likes shad, minnows, and other tiny meals that gather at tight schools at this time. These things relocate towards the backs of bays, narrows, and spring arms. So, the bass starts following them into these certain areas.

Remember, the group of baitfish moves from place to place and it’s the biggest challenge for the anglers. You may not able to catch a single bass from where you got tons yesterday. So, keep tracking the baitfish is the best way to find bass in the fall.

What are the best baits for fall bass fishing?

Lipless crankbaits:

I recommend the crankbaits for fall bass fishing. You know, most of the bass are moving towards the shallow water during fall. They gathered upon groups of shad at this time of the year. So, find the right place with a good amount of cover, which is very close to creek channels. That’s the place you need to place your baits.

It’s better to choose shad pattern crankbaits, which come in the same size as local baitfish for increasing the success rate of your fall fishing.

Spinnerbaits:

It’s another favorite choice of mine for fall bass fishing in the cooler water. Crankbaits dip excessively low for the shallow water, which may destroy your presentation badly. Spinnerbaits works great in such a situation in fall turnout, where bass may not want topwater baits.

Remember to choose the blade of your spinnerbaits wisely according to the water clarity.

Buzzbaits:

These are unlike most topwater baits that do not sink. Buzzbaits comes in a weedless design and is perfect for fishing lots of fish fast and covering water. So, if you’ve found the group, buzz bait can be a great choice to catch big bass in the fall.

Rubber worms:

If nothing works well when you are dealing with a lot of covers, use rubber worms that stick to the cover. They are so effective in bass fishing because of their real-life look and feel to bass. Bass holds it into the mouth longer than any other lures.

Don’t forget to slow down your presentation with the rubber worms to get the best results on a fall evening.

Plastic Worms are an option.

During the fall season, most bass fisherman avoid using plastic worms. However, I recommend that you keep at least one soft plastic worm in your tackle box.

Bass don’t behave normally during the fall, so bringing one with you won’t hurt. At the very least, you can try your luck. During an autumn fishing trip a few years ago, I caught two largemouth bass with a plastic worm.

Swimbaits:

If you want to catch big bass, swimbaits are the best bait for you. Use other reaction baits primarily for covering water to find schools. When you’ve got the schools, use a swimbait to catch the giant bass. Duckett said, “It’s a great way to get through schools in the fall”.

How to catch bass during fall?

Fall bass fishing is a lot like angling in spring. You may want to make some modifications on your approach depending on the time of year and whether you are fishing from shore or from a boat.

Despite differences between different species, using similar techniques will usually get positive results regardless of what you catch.

If fall bass fishing is new for you, do some reading and try to read the detailed instructions on how to fish fall bass.

Use mid-depth crankbaits:

Mid-depth crankbaits, work well on shallow flats from early summer through autumn. Many anglers use their soft plastic baits deeper in the water column where schools of feeding bass often gather.

This technique allows the fish to hold in the cover – often for several minutes before breaking water. Depending on conditions, you could catch bass that are spooky or willing to bite your bait without diving too deep into cover where it might be difficult to retrieve at times of low light and reduced visibility.

It works well with casting soft plastic baits deep  as the crankbait comes up at a shallower depth where schools of bass are most likely to be found in open or shallow structure areas. Crankbaits tend to generate strong strikes but this is not always true as there are times when we need small baits, slow fishing and stealthier tactics to find schools of fish.

Use Large Swimbaits:

When you fish from a boat, the idea of using large swimbaits is not going to be exciting because there isn’t much current action in most lakes. However, swimming baits will work well for casting directly to fish underwater and can be effective at night when light conditions are not ideal.

large swim baits for fall bass fishing
Image: Tactical Bassin

You will have an easier time retrieving your soft plastic bait from deep water as the weeds, timber and slower moving cover will make a splash sound when a fish strikes it.

Use Topwater bait:

Bass fishing with topwater bait like an artificial frog is very interesting. They are very accurate and attracts bass most.

Casting smaller topwater lures can put more pressure on them than fishing with large slow swimming baits. Overall, it is worth giving a try to these baits for fall bass fishing.

What are the best tips for fall bass fishing?

The following fall bass fishing tips you must know for catching plenty of fish:

  • Find the schools of baitfish
  • Fishing fast and avoid sitting or standing on a spot for a longer session
  • Keep your boat moving or walking through the bank of the river following the movement of the bass. You can capture some fish near boat ramp as well.
  • You can find hungry baby bass near creek channel and shallow flats.
  • Use fast-moving lipless baits that are weedless so that can be used in different types of cover
  • Bass starts moving here and there in the fall as the weather is cooling down. They love to move towards shallow water from deep water at this time. But, they can be on the deep as well. So, be prepared with your baits or lures for all the situations.
  • Bass can be found near weeds, docks, rocky shores, or somewhere in the middle. So keep moving, and try different techniques to find bass in the fall.

If it’s the time for fall fishing out there, pack the fishing gears now and get out on the water for your favorite bass fishing. Before that, read these tips twice to make you a pro angler for fall bass fishing. It’s a bit different way of fishing, which we are used to. Through these fall bass fishing tips, you can be the winner of the game.

If you would like to add any tips for fall bass fishing, feel free to drop them in the comment section. Otherwise, you can get some tips about ice fishing before the water freezes. In the meantime, read about our guide on ice fishing fish finder reviews.

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