The dog days of summer are over. School is back in session. Hunting season has begun. The water is now the place to be for anglers! Here are some quick tips for those looking to take advantage of the fall bite.
If you get out on any body of water with a shad population right now you will notice a ton of 3-inch shad swimming everywhere. Get to the lake in the early morning hours and you will likely see these fish on the water’s surface. Shad pattern topwater baits like a whopper plopper, popper, buzzbait, or walking bait can be just what the doctor ordered. As the day goes on start looking to catch bass along weed edges where bait can be pushed up for a bass buffet to take place. Chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, and swimjigs are my go to baits when this is going on. Also, if you’re fishing places that have a lot of rock and less grass then give a mid-diving crankbait a try!
Speaking of bass let’s not forget about the whites! These guys are going on a shad binge right now and can also be caught on top waters as well as about anything that looks like a shad. Look for schooling fish that can pop up anywhere on the water. The seagulls can be a dead giveaway as to where the action is going on so keep an eye out for them birds!
Since we’re on the topic of shad, pretty soon they will start to die off and the fall heavy metal bite will pick up. I’m already picking up multi-species bags throwing blade baits, jigging raps, and spoons onto structure. Watch your electronics to find schools of bait and game fish stacked up on humps and drop-offs.
You can’t have a fall blog without talking about the brown trout! It hardly needs to be said that tube jigs and jerkbaits are the staples for big browns in the fall. Particularly head out during the low light hours to have a better chance at catching a true trophy brown!
