The two times of the year when bass fishing is at it's best are:
1. In the early Spring of the year.
2. In the Fall before the Winter sets in.
In the early Spring of the year, we call this period the
"Pre-Spawn" or "Pre-Spawn Period". The reason that this time of the
year is one of the best times for bass fishing is because the bass are grouping together
into areas called "Staging Areas". These staging areas provide elements that the
bass need before going into their spawning grounds or beds, but this period will be
covered in another article at a later date! Now, the Fall of the year is the other
"Best Time" of the year for bass fishing because of the following conditions:
1. The water temperature is cooling down which means (in most cases) that
you have a greater amount of oxygen.
2. This time of the year you will find that bass more often than not,
school together.
3. The cooler temperature from the warm summer temperatures allow the
bass to become more active.
4. This is one time of the year when bass will strike just about anything
that you throw at them, although, there are certain patterns that work better than others.
(which will be covered in this article) and there are more reasons, but these are the
primary ones.
The first things you need to know when setting out for Fall fishing is :
1. Knowing the temperature of
the water.
2. Knowing the natural forage
of that certain body of water.
3. Knowing areas where deep
water is close to shallow water.
4. Knowing where aquatic plant
life is located. (If any)
The reasons for the above is that A. the cooler temperature will make the bass more active, which in turn will increase the digestive system making the bass feed more often. B. Bass will eat natural forage in any given body of water, so color patterns and size of baits are to replicate the natural forage. C. Bass will normally be in areas where shallow water areas are close to deep water areas for a "Comfort Zone". For example, if you have a shallow water area that holds bass, and it is close to deeper water and a weather front (whether it be a cold or warm front) moves in, it will effect the shallow water. The temperature will change much faster in the shallows than in the deeper water. The deeper water will hold more of a constant temperature, thus making the bass move down in the more constant temperatures (or deeper waters).
As I said before, almost any artificial bait pattern will work during the
Fall period. However, the following are some of the more preferred baits to use for Fall
Fishing :
1. Lipless Crankbaits (Rattle Traps, Cordell
Spots, Etc.....)
2. Top Water Baits (Zara Spooks, Floating
Minnows, and Chug Bugs)
3. Plastics (Curly Tail Worms & Lizards,
Crawls)
4. Spinner Baits (Slow rolling or working like
a worm on the bottom)
5. Jig & Pig combos
6. Crankbaits (Deep divers working on the
downward slops or drops)
These are just some patterns that might help you to improve your catches. If you have any questions, you can attend my 3-Day Bass Fishing School where you can learn many, many, years of experience in a short time, or you may Email your questions to me at : The_Bass_Coach@Yahoo.com
Written By:
The Bass Coach
(Roger Lee Brown)
Originator and Founder of the Pro-Tec School of Bassin', Inc. Full time Guide and Bass Angling Instructor. U.S. Coast Guard Certified. State of South Carolina Certified Boating Safety Instructor. Pro Tournament Angler.
The Bass Coach
300 Beaver Drive
Manning, SC 29102
(803) 478-7740
