As overnight temperatures cool, bass action begins to heat up on local waters large and small. The fish are easing their way into their annual fall pattern, signaling one of the hottest fishing times of the year is at hand.
After a summer spent primarily in deeper waters, the fall pattern finds bass moving shallow again, aggressively seeking food ahead of leaner days to come. The food takes the form of small silver baitfish, both gizzard and threadfin shad.
Bass hit baitfish really hard at two times of the year. In the spring they do it before the spawn, and in the fall they do it in preparation for winter because, when the weather turns cold, baitfish numbers will decline in the coldest of waters.
Baitfish won’t start dying in northeast Mississippi waters unless temperatures fall below freezing and stay there for many days. The area usually only experiences a significant shad kill every few years, but the instincts are triggered in bass every fall nonetheless. At this time of year, baitfish gather into tighter schools, and largemouth bass take advantage of this grouping to gorge. The result brings fishing action to all three levels of the water column, but mats of grass are some of the best spots to target.
At this time of year, those tackling bass in transition are best served to have three distinct patterns rigged up and ready to go: a lipless crankbait, a topwater bait and a Carolina rig.
Bass chasing shad trap them along the edges made by the grass line and the water’s surface, and that is where the lipless crank baits and other shad-imitating lures come into play. A Carolina rig can be fished both shallow and deep. It thrives around the outer edges of grass mats. Finally, when the feeding frenzy is on, topwater action can be as good as any to be found.
In a few weeks more, the fall frenzy should be in full force, which means it’ll be Alabama rig time. The Alabama rig puts five baits in action at once and is tremendously effective.
According to state wildlife officials, the Alabama rig is legal to use in almost all of Mississippi’s public waters, except in places where anglers are restricted by the number of lures or hooks per pole. Because of this, the Alabama rig is not legal to use at Grenada, Arkabutla, Sardis and Enid Lakes or their spillways. It cannot be used in the Ross Barnett, Okatibbee or Bluff Lake spillways either. Otherwise, it’s legal everywhere else.
Authorities on the subject point to several criteria that combine to set the fall pattern in motion. Shad, though they’ve been swimming in schools all summer, have grown larger throughout the warm months. Therefore, the bass that feed on them now are getting more for their efforts accordingly. Throughout the summer the shad are on the move, but cooler temperatures send them into the shallows among the grass. Cooler temperatures trigger instincts in the bass that help them feed up now to survive the winter when food may become harder to find. The two instincts put bass and baitfish together and the result is a water-churning sight sufficient to stir any fisherman’s soul.
Running in schools, smaller shad are typically found deep inside coves and pockets at this time of year, while the larger shad will be using more open stretches of water. Choosing baits colored to match water conditions and sized to mimic the shad found in a given spot is the key to setting the hook early and often. Use white or light-colored baits in natural hues in clear water. Fish darker and more boldly-colored baits as water clarities decline.
As to selection, baits such as the Rat-L-Trap, by Bill Lewis Lures, or the One-knocker by XCalibur are in their prime when used to target bass chasing shad. Topwater baits like the Whopper Plopper, by River2Sea, make for an excellent choice as well.
Fishing the correct tackle is key to earning the desired result. For topwater action, the experienced recommend 30-pound braid and a medium heavy action rod. An angler needs a rod with enough flex in the tip to make sure to get the full action out of the bait. Too stiff a rod won’t let the bait work like it’s supposed to, but anglers still need a rod with enough backbone to get the fish out of the grass.
Monofilament line floats so anglers can throw a topwater lure on that, but they tend to get a better hook set on braid because there’s no stretch in the line.
For the weighty Alabama rig, opinions vary. Some take the untraditional approach of using 20-pound Sufix copolymer monofilament. Many Alabama rig enthusiasts use heavy braid, but others like the mono approach.
Monofilament is a lot smoother than braid and can be cast a lot farther,” he said, adding it has plenty of strength for the job.
“I fish an Alabama rig with five quarter-ounce jig heads,” Andy McBrayer, a local angler, said. “I’ve straightened out three hooks in a brush top and not broken the Sufix mono.”
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