Largemouth Bass Autumn Fishing

 

 

Bass feed on large schools of gizzard shad and minnows living in the same general areas.

 

Cooler temperatures arrive in mid to late fall (and early fall in the north), but can take as long as November in the southern United States.

 

As the temperatures drop, shad and other baitfish begin moving to the mouths of the creeks and later venture farther back into the creeks as the shallower water in them tends to cool down.

 

Naturally the bass will follow the shad into the creeks. Once water temperatures in the shallows drops below 40°F/5°C, all remaining largemouth bass will have cleared the shallows with the migration to the deep beginning as the temperature drops below 60°F/15°C.

 

While the Largemouth Bass are in creeks and streams, they’ll gorge themselves in anticipation of the upcoming winter months so give them something to eat like leeches, worms and crayfish.

 

You should have in your arsenal of lures for fall bass fishing

• a spinner or spoon that will do a good job of getting their attention
• Also try casting a chrome or gold colored 1/2 ounce Rat-L-Trap on a 6-foot 6-inch medium-action composite crankbait rod.

Fishing Tackle

The Daiwa Zillion Baitcaster rod is a low resin, high volume fiber rod that can take a lot of hard strikes and stand up to a good fight.

 

The Abu Garcia TP3000 reel is a good choice for fast or slow retrieves, spooled with 12 to 15 lb test line. In the north, a 12lb test will be more than sufficient.

 

To find Largemouth Bass in fall, it’s important to understand their lifecycle and habits.

They are nonmigratory fish and will stay in the same part of the lake unless environmental factors change by

• a reduction or elimination of their food source
• an elimination or reduction in their environmental cover
• an introduction of a threat

The bass can be found on main lake points and humps such as submerged stock tank dams. Even though you can find them on the bottom of the lake, usually they’re suspended. This makes them even more difficult to catch.

 

The same characteristics that apply in summer apply here. If there’s a lot of human activity during the day, they’ll venture out at night.

 

However with the days getting shorter and the nights becoming colder, fewer bass will be making the trip to the shallows less frequently.

Needing fishing gear?