August 06, 2020 4 min read

fall bass fishing tips

Autumn is one of the most magnificent times of the year. It's filled with beautiful colors of changing leaves, comfortable weather, and fishing for the biggest bass possible.

What might surprise you is how many techniques need to change to have success with bass in the fall. Some bait will catch all year long, while others won't as the season rolls into the autumn months.

If you're looking to focus on bass fishing this fall, then be sure to read this article for fall bass fishing tips. The more that you learn, the more success you will have.

1. Know the Right Bait

In the fall, bass seem to become more aware of different techniques that fishermen use to catch them. To lure them in, you need to have the right type of baits in your repertoire.

Jigs are a type of bait that you'll experience success with all year long. You can choose from bladed jigs, hair jigs, casting jigs, finesse jigs, or flipping jigs to do the trick.

No matter where the bass congregates or your fishing style, jigs are especially useful to have during your outings.

You might also consider crankbaits such as shallow cranks, lipless cranks, or deep cranks that are especially successful during the fall months.

Before your next outing, be sure to take the time and stock up on different types of bait that you can try. If one proves more successful, then ride the hot hand!

2. Pay Attention to the Water Clarity

The water clarity of where you choose to fish plays more of a role than you might imagine. Bass tend to behave differently depending on the visibility of the water.

If the water appears dirty, then the bass will get as close to the shallow soil as they can and stick around wood or rock. If you notice any stumps around, you can bet there are bass clinging to the foundation of it.

When the water is relatively clear, you can expect to have more success reaching 4 to 6 feet deep in the water.

3. Monitor the Patterns

Say what you will about bass, but they don't stay stagnant for long. During the fall months, there are many different patterns that you'll be able to identify. They follow wherever their baitfish tend to go.

As soon as the water temperature starts to drop under 65 degrees or so, the baitfish will congregate around rock banks and stumps in the water. The bass will follow, giving you an edge before you even cast your line.

Remember, they could be as far as 30 or 40 feet below, so cast plenty of fishing line and use a visible jig or crank to grab their attention.

When the water temperature drops below 60 degrees, they will move away from any creeks and find at least 10 feet of depth before they suspend. Once their baitfish move, closer to shallow water, the bass will follow.

It's important to note that if the water cools down reallyquickly this fall, the bass won't go back to their creeks. They'll essentially be sitting ducks wherever they can find wood covering, so you can use that to your advantage!

4. Follow the Green Plants

One thing that's important to know about bass in the fall, largemouth bass especially, is that they heavily prefer to be surrounded by green plants. As the fall goes on and the water gets closer to freezing, there will be less greenery left in their water.

Possibly the handiest of late fall bass fishing tips is to follow the greenery. The bass will opt to be around green vegetation, which helps you rule out many different spots.

You might consider taking a mental note of where the last patches of greenery are within the lake or creek that you're fishing. It's a safe bet that there is largemouth bass hanging out around it.

5. The Colder It Gets, the Shallower You'll Fish

Perhaps you're looking to bag a big catch this fall. Some fishermen wait until bagging a large one before they call it quits for the year.

If that's your preferred method of ending the season, then it's important you understand the characteristics of the bigger fish.

As was previously mentioned, the water temperature plays an important role in your fall fishing strategy, and the same rings true for bigger fish.

Keep an eye for when the temp hits 50 or below. As soon as the temperature drops, the bigger game will move to shallower depths. Keep that in mind as you prepare your rod and fishing line for that day. You never know when the big one could catch!

6. Let the Weather Give You a Hint

Last, but certainly not least, is allowing the weather to tell you where to fish for bass that day.

In the fall, different weather affects the behavior of the bass. On a windy day, you can expect them to follow the baitfish to the shallows.

When it's a sunny fall day, the bass will go back to their roots (pun intended) and go back to stumps and wood covering where the depth drops.

Use These Fall Bass Fishing Tips to Your Advantage

Now that you've seen several different fall bass fishing tips that you can use, it's important for you to implement them into your plans this autumn.

Be sure to read this article to learn more about finesse jigs and how they can help you catch larger bass.

To stay up to date with our fishing tips, be sure to sign up on the online form at the bottom of this page!


We write really great emails