Slow down, you’re moving too fast, make the fall transition moments last.
Sounds like terrible song lyrics, but resisting the urge to rush fall transition is something that MLF pro Todd Faircloth recommends.
“People rush the fall bass transition deal a little bit, especially in the south,” Faircloth asserts. “It’s just now getting cooler, and it takes a few cool fronts before the actual fall transitions starts. Don’t speed into it.”
Understanding this, it leaves the following question: How do you know the fall transition has begun after a few cool fronts have dropped the night temperatures?
Faircloth recommends that anglers start looking for the lake surface to explode (just a little).
“The first thing I look for, something I learned growing up in southeast Texas, is surface activity,” Faircloth says. “It’s a visual thing. If you see fish busting the surface, birds diving on fish, or shad skipping across top of the water, those are all good signs that you’re fishing in a good area. Or, at least, an area that should have active bass.
“The visual deal just lets me know the fish are in that fall transition mode. Obviously, you’ll cast in the general vicinity of busting fish, but it’s really more of a clue the fish are aggressive.”
Think grass and creeks when you’re pursuing bass in the fall. Especially in southeast Texas.
“The bigger tributaries usually hold larger schools and bigger bass,” Faircloth observes. “I suggest starting about halfway back in the creek and to keep moving shallower as the bass move up to feed. Around here, in southeast Texas, fishing in the creeks usually means fishing around grass and flats. Lakes are a little lower due to fall drawdown, so you’ll start to see grass at the surface. Start fishing points of grass, isolated patches, or look for a drain coming into the creek you’re fishing. All of those areas can be good.”
Get to walking the dog or ripping a Red Eye Shad to catch these early-bird transitioning bass.
“The Strike King Sexy Dawg is probably my favorite lure for fall bass fishing,” Faircloth says. “I like walking baits when fishing flats. I’m not fishing one piece of cover, so the walking bait covers water quickly. That lure will also pull fish up to strike it. I generally fish the medium size, but on some lakes with great big fish, I’ll switch to the larger model.
“The Red Eye Shad lipless crankbait in 1/2-ounce or 3/4-ounce is my second option. So many anglers just throw it prespawn. Back when I was fishing a lot of team stuff, lots of the championships were in fall here. Lipless crankbaits were a major player back then. Me and my dad would fish together: One would throw the 1/2-ounce, the other threw the 3/4-ounce. The guy with the bigger lure caught the biggest fish and the smaller lure caught more. Great option for the fall.”
Faircloth will keep fishing slower presentations until the fish tell him to make the switch.
“I’ll often be fishing a jig or plastic in the grass leading up to the fall transition,” he says. “Once the bass stop hitting that as much, and you start catching more, either while swimming the bait back to the boat or the bass are hitting as the bait drops closer to the surface, it’s time to switch up to a moving bait. It’s like a light goes on and they change how they’re feeding.”
Don’t fear the weather fronts in the fall.
“During prespawn when we have cold fronts, fishing can get tough,” Faircloth says. “Anglers will be fishing shallow while most fish are still deep. It can be tough. Fall fronts are actually a triggering mechanism for the bass to go shallow. Fall is the best time of the year to catch fish when a front comes through.
“This time of the year is probably the best time to go fishing. Sure, you’re more apt to get the biggest fish of the year during prespawn, but during the fall, you’ll usually catch more fish, and a better average size, too.”