Fishing the Wild Side: fall bass
Oct 31st, 2016 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Oct 31st, 2016 at 12:00 AM
In riversacross the Midwest, smallmouth bass make a fall migration from their summerranges to deep wintering holes in the main channel. Along the way, they stop atpredictable places to rest and feed, offering savvy anglers some of the year’sbest bass fishing.
One of myfavorite fall fishing areas is the tip of a firm-bottomed, sandy bar borderedby softer substrate and vegetation such as wild rice. Depths of two to fourfeet are ideal.
I use atwo-pronged attack to catch the most bass possible from each spot.
First, Icast a diving crankbait like a LiveTarget ThreadfinShad Magnum Crankbait(http://livetargetlures.com/freshwater/threadfin-shad-crankbait1) tightto the weed edge and quickly crank it down, then slowly bounce it along bottom.Occasionally, I pause to throw slack in the line, which causes the lure to turnand often triggers a strike.
Castingcrankbaits is a great way to pluck aggressive bass off the spot. After theinitial flurry dies down, I toss a Carolina rig into the hot zone. My typicalrig consists of a pegged sinker, 24-inch, 12-pound monofilament leader, 3/0hook and either a creature body or Northland Fishing Tackle IMPULSE Fatty Tube(http://shop.northlandtackle.com/soft-plastics/impulse-fatty-tube/),rigged weedless. You can slowly drag the rig or let it rest in place, allowingthe river’s current to activate the soft plastic.
I use 13Fishing’s 7′-11″ Envy Black Crankenstein (http://www.13fishing.com/envy-black/) casting rod with 10-pound mono forcrankbaits, and their medium-heavy 7′-1″ or 7′-4″ OmenBlack (http://www.13fishing.com/omen-black-omng215/) casting rod with 30-pound Northland Bionic Braid(https://shop.northlandtackle.com/line/) mainline for Carolina rigs.
Bouncingfrom one high-percentage spot to the next with these two tactics is a great wayto enjoy banner days for hard-fighting bronzebacks. The action often lasts deepinto November, meaning there’s still time to get out and enjoy this excitingrite of fall.
Based in Walker,Minnesota, noted fishing authority and outdoor communicator Chip Leer operatesFishing the WildSide, which offers a full suite of promotional, productdevelopment and consultation services. For more information, call (218)547-4714 or email [email protected]