Hi All-
I'm just wondering if anyone has some good Fall bass tips to share...
The big bass sites online really emphasize the movement of shad into shallows and up creeks, with bass following, but as far as I know, shad aren't around here too much, since they can't survive below 42 degrees.
Soooo.... What patterns / tips can you all share for fall bass in New England (other than hitting the striper runs in the harbor!).
Thanks!
-G
I'm just wondering if anyone has some good Fall bass tips to share...
The big bass sites online really emphasize the movement of shad into shallows and up creeks, with bass following, but as far as I know, shad aren't around here too much, since they can't survive below 42 degrees.
Soooo.... What patterns / tips can you all share for fall bass in New England (other than hitting the striper runs in the harbor!).
Thanks!
-G
there still are baitfish and they should be following a similar pattern - moving up shallower as it is warmer and this is where the plankton is. out here, a lot of the time it is the bluegill and other sunfish. as a side note though, they recently released a ton of shad fry in the charles in waltham and there are other places around here with stocked shad. but i mean in general, i think you can follow the usual advice like fishing shallower, wood, points, isolated cover, grass beds, greener weed patches etc. and as always, if you're out there, try to find the pattern and see what the fish want and are going for. could be different in each body of water at any given time.
I thought this video on fall fishing was fantastic.
lots of info including shad stuff but hey its a fall fishing video!
as long as you can deal with his "ahs" this guys vids are great.
http://www.bassfishin.com/videos/video.php?v=29
the website is actually really good too.
www.bassfishin.com
I used a white spinnerbait today in murky water based of his recommendation of using a white jig to look like a shad. It worked great, I tied my all time record largemouth weight... another 4.5 pounder!
lots of info including shad stuff but hey its a fall fishing video!
as long as you can deal with his "ahs" this guys vids are great.
http://www.bassfishin.com/videos/video.php?v=29
the website is actually really good too.
www.bassfishin.com
I used a white spinnerbait today in murky water based of his recommendation of using a white jig to look like a shad. It worked great, I tied my all time record largemouth weight... another 4.5 pounder!
If you fish a jig change to fall patterns, murkey waters stick with white/w a bit of flash in it. Sometimes you got to down size your jig
or spinner bait when water temp drops. Best advice slow it down
if you are cranking use a shalow runner from the banks out.
This is New England not the south different rules up here.
And always fish a lure you are confident with summer,spring, fall.
Don't forget the every popular worm.
Good fishing
Jack
or spinner bait when water temp drops. Best advice slow it down
if you are cranking use a shalow runner from the banks out.
This is New England not the south different rules up here.
And always fish a lure you are confident with summer,spring, fall.
Don't forget the every popular worm.
Good fishing
Jack
it's pretty much like the Spring, only without a spawn. Now it's all about feeding, not reproducing...
I tend to use bigger baits in the Fall as the baitfish, whatever they are, are bigger now than in the Spring. In the Spring I'd go all the way back in a cove or pocket in the skinniest water, sometimes not even a foot deep... in the Fall, I'd concentrate abit more on halfway back in the coves - still shallow, but closer to deep(er) water.
In some bodies of water there is the Fall turnover - where the upper/lower water column mixes and fishing slows down for abit. Fishing's been super-slow around here where I live in Middleboro, but should pick up soon.
I know there are regional favorite techniques - like red baits in Texas in the spring(not like a crawfish pattern, which is a universal springtime thing, but literally RED!) - but overall, things are pretty similar as far as the actual bass fishing goes... at least in my personal experience. I still do what I did down in Oklahoma - start fast with horizontal baits to find active fish, then slow down with more vertical presentations. I fish as fast as I can and still catch fish... I only slow down when I have to, i.e. the fish tell me so! Whereas down south I'd use a shad patterned bait, here I'd use a yellow perch pattern(or whatever the main forage is in the body of water I am fishing). I also tend to use more natural colors here too, as on average, the water is more clear here.
The main difference is that up here it's mainly natural lakes, whereas down south it's mostly reservoirs(dammed-up rivers). The correlation down south are farm ponds... but up here, it's often on a much bigger scale, as most farm ponds are quite small. So, up here, there aren't that many creek channels and such, but often just a bowl shape with not alot of structure, so cover becomes the 'structure'.
structure = bottom contour, points, etc.
cover = weeds, wood, rocks, etc.
Wachusett is an example of a reservoir... compare it's shape to Assawompset Pond, which is Mass' largest natural lake.
The fish work with what they have in their environment... and fishing a natural lake IS different than fishing a reservoir, but generally-speaking, a bass is a bass.
**of course, there are no hard-fast 'rules', only generalities.
***sorry I run off at the mouth... I love talking about this stuff.
I tend to use bigger baits in the Fall as the baitfish, whatever they are, are bigger now than in the Spring. In the Spring I'd go all the way back in a cove or pocket in the skinniest water, sometimes not even a foot deep... in the Fall, I'd concentrate abit more on halfway back in the coves - still shallow, but closer to deep(er) water.
In some bodies of water there is the Fall turnover - where the upper/lower water column mixes and fishing slows down for abit. Fishing's been super-slow around here where I live in Middleboro, but should pick up soon.
I know there are regional favorite techniques - like red baits in Texas in the spring(not like a crawfish pattern, which is a universal springtime thing, but literally RED!) - but overall, things are pretty similar as far as the actual bass fishing goes... at least in my personal experience. I still do what I did down in Oklahoma - start fast with horizontal baits to find active fish, then slow down with more vertical presentations. I fish as fast as I can and still catch fish... I only slow down when I have to, i.e. the fish tell me so! Whereas down south I'd use a shad patterned bait, here I'd use a yellow perch pattern(or whatever the main forage is in the body of water I am fishing). I also tend to use more natural colors here too, as on average, the water is more clear here.
The main difference is that up here it's mainly natural lakes, whereas down south it's mostly reservoirs(dammed-up rivers). The correlation down south are farm ponds... but up here, it's often on a much bigger scale, as most farm ponds are quite small. So, up here, there aren't that many creek channels and such, but often just a bowl shape with not alot of structure, so cover becomes the 'structure'.
structure = bottom contour, points, etc.
cover = weeds, wood, rocks, etc.
Wachusett is an example of a reservoir... compare it's shape to Assawompset Pond, which is Mass' largest natural lake.
The fish work with what they have in their environment... and fishing a natural lake IS different than fishing a reservoir, but generally-speaking, a bass is a bass.
**of course, there are no hard-fast 'rules', only generalities.
***sorry I run off at the mouth... I love talking about this stuff.
Awesome post ^. Thanks!
Glad to see that I'm not completely insane as I generally throw bluegill or perch or silver/generic minnow/baitfish/shiner colors.
Its always tough to sort through all the tips online & adjust for northern-strain vs. Florida or hybrid strain largemouths -- and northern vs southern water conditions.
Your post did a great job sorting through some of those regional differences that confuse a noob like me!
BTW, anyone use chartreuse up here? I've never really used it in my line-up, but I know some swear by it...
-G
Glad to see that I'm not completely insane as I generally throw bluegill or perch or silver/generic minnow/baitfish/shiner colors.
Its always tough to sort through all the tips online & adjust for northern-strain vs. Florida or hybrid strain largemouths -- and northern vs southern water conditions.
Your post did a great job sorting through some of those regional differences that confuse a noob like me!
BTW, anyone use chartreuse up here? I've never really used it in my line-up, but I know some swear by it...
-G
Awesome post ^. Thanks!
Glad to see that I'm not completely insane as I generally throw bluegill or perch or silver/generic minnow/baitfish/shiner colors.
Its always tough to sort through all the tips online & adjust for northern-strain vs. Florida or hybrid strain largemouths -- and northern vs southern water conditions.
Your post did a great job sorting through some of those regional differences that confuse a noob like me!
BTW, anyone use chartreuse up here? I've never really used it in my line-up, but I know some swear by it...
That's all Charlie Moore can catch fish on! lol
-G
^ no kidding! That's what's confusing... All our confederate brothers drawlin' on about crawdads & chartreuse... Although I saw some guy who was slaying them on TV at Champlain on chartreuse lures... Although I haven't caught many fish period, every time I throw chartreuse, I lose! Lol.
Imo,natural colors will work at anytime any place.I have never caught anything to speak of on those bright,gawdy colors.When was the last time you saw a neon green baitfish(perch are the only thing even close,yet compare them to each other),even in the dirtiest waters.In fact I notice just the opposite,in darker water the gamefish and baitfish always seem darker as well.The fish have survived this long without the help of glowing baitfish.I think the"something new"factor and pure reaction strikes are the only reason they get bit at all.Bright fancy unnatural colors do catch tons of fishermen though.Dont look at what the pros show you on their half hour sponsored show when they are selling lures,watch what they use when its tournament day and they are trying to get paid and stay sponsored.I bet you see alot of things like shad and natural colors
I have a chartreuse and white spinnerbait that has been my go-to lure when throwing spinnerbaits. I would say the skirt is maybe 2/3 white with 1/3 chartreuse and it seems to work pretty well over the years.
I've said this before, but the lipless crank baits have been killing it for this season...went out last week and caught about 20 bass...nothing huge, but just a lot of fish. I like the red -eye shads in chrome,gold chrome or clear...natural colors, as Bam said.
I've said this before, but the lipless crank baits have been killing it for this season...went out last week and caught about 20 bass...nothing huge, but just a lot of fish. I like the red -eye shads in chrome,gold chrome or clear...natural colors, as Bam said.
re: volume4130
man, my spots have practically shut down... I may have caught 4 or 5 fish all month long, although one was my biggest pickerel ever(at Snipatuit), and I got a 2 1/2 lber at Lake Rico on a 4" Senko last week. I've gone multiple days without so much as a nibble...
re: chartreuse
It mainly depends on water color. Here, natural colors work best, in my opinion.
I have some chartreuse on some of my spinnerbaits, and on the tails of some pumpkinseed-colored lizards, but that's it... down south I'd use it alot more because where I've lived(Oklahoma and Texas), the water's alot more off-colored than here. Down there, I'd use black Gene Larew Salt Craws with chartreuse pincers on the back of a black/chartreuse Stanley jig flipping willow bushes. At Lake Thunderbird in central OK, the water often looks like a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee... light with three sugars please. LOL
When I lived out west in Las Vegas, the water was so clear at Lake Mead it coulda been out of a cooler at the office! I wouldn't even dream of using chartreuse there... It's a canyon-type reservoir, crystal clear water and it gets deep FAST - Lake Mead is something like 500(!) feet deep... lots of trout and monster stripers there too, along with bass. Light line and natural colors are the rule there(and hope a striper doesn't spool you! LOL).
The marinas at Lake Mead have been having a rough time due to record low water levels... some have had to be moved or shut down all together. A marina doesn't work well if it's on dry land...
Last edited by tony93 on Tue Sep 28, 2010 9:34 am; edited 2 times in total
man, my spots have practically shut down... I may have caught 4 or 5 fish all month long, although one was my biggest pickerel ever(at Snipatuit), and I got a 2 1/2 lber at Lake Rico on a 4" Senko last week. I've gone multiple days without so much as a nibble...
re: chartreuse
It mainly depends on water color. Here, natural colors work best, in my opinion.
I have some chartreuse on some of my spinnerbaits, and on the tails of some pumpkinseed-colored lizards, but that's it... down south I'd use it alot more because where I've lived(Oklahoma and Texas), the water's alot more off-colored than here. Down there, I'd use black Gene Larew Salt Craws with chartreuse pincers on the back of a black/chartreuse Stanley jig flipping willow bushes. At Lake Thunderbird in central OK, the water often looks like a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee... light with three sugars please. LOL
When I lived out west in Las Vegas, the water was so clear at Lake Mead it coulda been out of a cooler at the office! I wouldn't even dream of using chartreuse there... It's a canyon-type reservoir, crystal clear water and it gets deep FAST - Lake Mead is something like 500(!) feet deep... lots of trout and monster stripers there too, along with bass. Light line and natural colors are the rule there(and hope a striper doesn't spool you! LOL).
The marinas at Lake Mead have been having a rough time due to record low water levels... some have had to be moved or shut down all together. A marina doesn't work well if it's on dry land...
Last edited by tony93 on Tue Sep 28, 2010 9:34 am; edited 2 times in total
boys like they say jigs jigs jigs but remember rocky areas and cover as well as drop offs. Honestly the pigs wanna eat so worms too!!! and forget about that bright colored stuff go with the dark colors and many casts to the same areas work the lake carefully.
Smokecity Tip (but the hell do i know anyway ha ha)
Smokecity Tip (but the hell do i know anyway ha ha)
