As bass prepare for winter, they’re looking to fatten up on oversized snacks. Imitating those snacks can equal a bonanza for you
As the calendar’s midpoint approaches, a lot of big bass will be in various stages of their postspawn cycle. The whoppers can get pretty finicky this time of year, but four Bassmaster Elite Series anglers shared their insights into how they track down and engage September/October giants.
Seth Feider — Upper Mississippi River
When Feider’s looking for the biggest fish in the system, that means he’s targeting smallmouth on main or secondary river current spots. That could be sand drops, island heads or sandy flats behind wing dams — anywhere the big brown ones can corral baitfish in 3 feet or less.
“That time of year, the gizzard shad will come up from the main channel and get shallow, and those smallmouth are running them in super-shallow places,” Feider said. “That represents a big meal, so you’re looking at smallmouth in the 3 1/2- to 4-pound range to be able to target those gizzards.”
During this time of summer/fall transition, Feider knows that shallow scenario can produce throughout the day. During the brighter hours, the fish might slide into the deeper section of their feeding zone, but that’s still only a foot or two.
Daybreak, Feider said, is a straight-up skinny-water smackdown.
“Especially in the morning, some of those fish will be in 10 inches of water,” he said. “They’ll run those big gizzards up on the sandbar and just use that [meager depth] to pin them down.”
Describing his ideal conditions, Feider said he likes a little cloud cover, as it decreases visibility and relaxes big, savvy smallmouth that are keenly aware of their shallow-water vulnerability. Minimal wind is the biggest criteria, Feider said, as this ensures he can detect the requisite visual clues.
“I don’t care for wind because I want to read the current seams as best I can, and sometimes you might see a big gizzard jump out of the water,” he said. “Ideal conditions for me would be slick calm and cloudy.
“I don’t think the wind hurts [this pattern], but stuff could happen and you might not notice it. With calm water, you can see anything that moves.”
Feider favors a big walking bait because it matches the profile of what the fish are eating. For maximum gizzard-mimicking display, he throws a Rapala Jowler 127, a walking bait with a cupped mouth that spits and sprays on the retrieve. A big Storm Saltwater Chug Bug also gets the job done.
“You want a big walking bait because they’re targeting 6- to 8-inch baitfish,” Feider said. “Also, because they’re so shallow, a topwater is the best option.
“I don’t think they’re really picky in that scenario. They’re up there to eat. They’re trying to feed up before winter when they slide out to the main channel.”
Of his positioning, Feider offered this insight: “In some of these areas, especially in the secondary rivers, they get kind of tight, but I want to be a full cast length from them, especially with that big topwater bait. You can throw it so far, you’re not very close to them.
“You definitely don’t want to get in tight on them. If you do, they’ll disappear into deep water and you’ll never see them again.”
Feider’s quick to note that this is typically not a numbers game. Those big smallmouth usually run in little wolf packs that provide fiercely aggressive targets, but catching one or two will scatter the rest. On the upside, this highly replicable pattern can literally provide a full day of action.
“They’re so shallow, they get boogered easily,” Feider said. “But you can circle back on them later in the day and go back for whatever else is left there.
“On a lot of the spots, there might only be one 4- or 5-pound smallmouth all by itself. But if I caught that fish, I’d definitely double back later, because those spots will reload.”
BAIT: Rapala Jowler 127
WHY: Mimics gizzards
WHERE: Dirt shallow
John Garrett — TVA Lake
Not that he disagrees with the more-is-better notion, but Garrett believes nothing delivers September/October results like the solo act. He’s going with one good fish magnet at a time.
“I’m looking for an individual target — a stump, brushpile or rock,” he said. “Typically, that time of year, those big fish do not group up. More times than not, they’re by themselves and on isolated cover.”
Garrett says most big TVA fish will be in midrange depths of about 6 to 14 feet. Once fall exerts its dominance in this transitional time, the fish will start advancing shoreward for their pre-winter gorging.
“As we start getting a few cool nights, they start sliding up, but [during September and early October], it’s not quite cool enough for them to be up shallow,” Garrett said. “Also, that shallow range in TVA reservoirs does not have a lot of cover, so the fish hang in that midrange to have something to hold on.”
Describing fish aggression, Garrett said, “They’re getting there.” This, he said, expands the opportunity from its understandably contracted summer framing.
“In September, they definitely bite better than in July and August,” Garrett said. “September/October can offer daylong bite opportunities, whereas [in] July/August, it’s mostly morning and evening.
“I like midday that time of year. Mornings are cooler, especially after a cooler night. Fish disperse and suspend at night, and cooler nights extend that into the morning. So [10 a.m. to 2 p.m.], the fish are more stable and not shocked by a cool morning.”
Garrett likes a “super-simple” approach. His dynamic bait duo comprises a 3/4-ounce football jig in the PB&J or green pumpkin color with a matching Strike King Rage Craw trailer and a 9 1/2-inch Strike King Zeus Worm Texas-rigged on a 5/0 hook with a 3/8-ounce weight.
“If I’m in more of a brush scenario, I like to throw the big worm first, because it’s weedless, but if I’m fishing a stump or a rock, I’ll throw the jig first,” Garrett said.
“If I’m fishing a piece of wood cover, I’ll pull my bait up to the cover and give it a good pop. If there’s a fish sitting in that cover, you can get it to react.”
If Garrett cannot get the fish to commit — or if he gets a half-hearted nip — he’ll reach for a drop shot. Realistically, that’s a rarity, as the fish he’s targeting present a yes-or-no deal.
“Most of the time, they’re looking for a bigger profile,” Garrett said. “Most of the time, big fish don’t miss that big bait.”
BAIT: Strike King Zeus Worm
WHY: Weedless
WHERE: Thick brush
Caleb Sumrall — Southern Grass Lake
True to his Louisiana roots, Sumrall’s ultra-confident with hydrilla, and when it comes to that matted vegetation, he can be a little edgy. Actually, he’s all about that edge, because trying to tackle the mat’s entirety is time consuming and largely inefficient.
“You can catch fish deep in a mat, but you can’t be efficient,” he said. “The edges are all about fishing efficiently. It’s very hard to troll though the middle of the mat.”
Equally important is the fact that the aggressive fish will be on or close to the edge where feeding opportunities are greatest. Further refining that thought, Sumrall visually breaks down a grass mat’s perimeter to identify those juicy junctions where big fish do their best work.
“I’m looking for points, cuts and ditches along the edge — any type of irregularity,” Sumrall said. “The fish are going to relate to anything different. That could be a high spot, a hard spot [or] a log that comes out.”
Calculating the value of finding by fishing, Sumrall employs a one-two punch that starts with a Spro Bronzeye Frog 65 in the natural red color. For maximum impression, Sumrall adds a few drop-shot weights to his frog’s inner belly to create a deeper track that helps ensure fish can actually spot it through the density.
“I vary the retrieve; I might use a stop-and-go cadence,” Sumrall said. “You have to give those fish time to come get the bait.”
Particularly helpful when the warm-season algae known as “cheese” coats the mats, a frog often calls up the big fish. When they just bump the heavy top layer, that’s a sign to Power-Pole down and target the active zone. In Sumrall’s experience, there’s no better way to do this than punching.
“I’ll punch the edges with a Missile Baits D Bomb, a 1 1/4-ounce weight and a black/blue punch skirt with green pumpkin strands,” Sumrall said. “That skirt keeps the profile really slender and allows it to get in and out of cover easily. When the sun gets up more, I’ll switch to a bream color with some chartreuse in the punch skirt.”
Relying on his Power-Pole MOVE trolling motor for stealth, Sumrall pitches at a 45-degree angle. Working ahead of his progression affords him a buffer to capitalize on last-second opportunities.
“If I pass a good spot, I still have time to flip back and have a chance at that spot,” he said. “When I get a punch bite, I get the fish in the boat as quickly as possible and flip right back in there.”
Calling this frog-and-flip deal a technique he can run all day, Sumrall said he doesn’t expect a fast-and-furious bite, but diligence often meets with bucket-mouth rewards.
BAIT: Spro Bronzeye Frog 65
WHY: Calls big fish
WHERE: Grass mats
Frank Talley — Timber Lake
When describing his preference for flooded trees, Talley pulls no punches. He has a type, and he’s not ashamed to say so.
“I’m looking for suspended fish on the biggest pieces of timber I can fish,” he said. “A piece of pole timber the size of your bicep is not what you’re looking for. I want a tree that’s more like a 55-gallon drum.”
Positioning is key, and one of Talley’s favorite locations is a creek channel bend, especially where a tree sits right at the edge with part of its root structure overhanging the drop. Another good one: big trees at the ends of tapering points.
“Those spots hold the bait that time of year — the threadfin shad and the gizzard shad,” Talley said. “When you find that combination of a big tree in one of those positions, it can be good.”
Talley’s big-fish lineup includes a Strike King 10XD crankbait in either the gizzard shad or Tennessee shad 2.0 color, a 1/2-ounce underspin with a Strike King Z-Too or a Zoom Fluke and a 10-inch Zoom Ol’ Monster in green pumpkin, plum or red shad Texas-rigged on a 5/0 offset Owner Haymaker Hook with a 1/2-ounce pegged tungsten weight. He likes to start with a fast-paced crankbait presentation, and, while definitely taxing, Talley said this technique can be very rewarding.
“It’s a job to burn that big bait all day, but it pays off,” Talley said. “You’re trying to get those big fish to peel away from the tree, so I reel it close. If there’s not much branch structure, you can bounce it right off that tree — a 10XD deflects really well.”
Talley follows with the underspin, but he notes that it’s more than a countdown and straight reel presentation. He’ll turn the handle three times and then twitch his rod tip to flare the blade like a spinnerbait.
“A big bass will follow that underspin, and if you give it a little action, that triggers them,” Talley said. “I catch nine out of 10 of my underspin fish with a little bit of action.”
After the reaction baits have done their jobs, or if the fish are holding deeper on a tree, Talley will clean up with the big worm. Big fish typically bite this action-heavy soft plastic on the fall, but if not, Talley lets the worm hit bottom and then he’ll use short hops to work it away from the tree.
Dispelling the common timber intimidation factor, Talley advises avoiding timber snags with a measured pace. Even when burning a crankbait, he’ll downshift for close quarters.
“If you really concentrate, you can feel your line coming over a limb, so you just have to slow down,” he said. “That’s why I peg my Texas rig weight — so the bait and the weight stay together. And with a 10XD, I crank timber all day and I [seldom] have any problem.
“The reason people get [snagged] is because they reel too fast when their bait is coming over a limb. When your bait hits the tree, it wants to roll, and that’s when you end up getting snagged.”
BAIT: Strike King 10XD
WHY: Big profile
WHERE: Big timber
