Brandon Coulter’s Five Must-Have Fall Baits

Brandon Coulter shows you the five baits he relies on in the fall. Photo by Mason Prince

October 9, 2019 • Mason Prince • Major League Lessons

MLF pro Brandon Coulter has fished all over the country in every different season. Tapping into his years of experience as a pro, the Tennessee angler put together five key baits he says you should throw in the fall.

13 Fishing Walking/Popping Trash Panda

Coulter likes to throw a frog come fall. A 13 Fishing Trash Panda is the tool he chooses to get the job done. Photo by Mason Prince

Coulter says that if you can find some vegetation, especially in the southeastern United States, a 13 Fishing Walking or Popping Trash Panda is the bait to tie on. Both baits have some key features that Coulter thinks make them different than any other frogs.

“When you’re popping a bait a lot the weights seem to fall out of frogs,” Coulter said. “The popping frog has a weight inside of the frog that doesn’t dislodge. That walking frog skips really well because of the way it’s shaped. I can skip that frog in places where I can’t get other frogs.”

When to throw a Walking Trash Panda: heavy and sloppy grass or skipping underneath docks.
When to throw a Popping Trash Panda: scattered grass and when the fish are chasing shad.
Tackle to use: 7-foot-4 heavy rod, baitcasting reel with an 8:1 gear ratio, and 65-pound braid.

13 Fishing Dual Pitch 108

Topwater and fall go together like peanut butter and jelly. While there are plenty of options to choose from when it comes to topwater baits, Coulter goes with a 13 Fishing Dual Pitch 108.

“As a walking bait, it really narrows down the tail which really helps for hook-ups,” Coulter explained. “Walking baits are notoriously bad at hook-ups because the tail can be a bit too wide. That slimmer tail really increases your hook-up ratio.”

When to throw it: in open water when you’re targeting schooling fish, or targeting shade.
Tackle to use: 6-foot-10 medium rod, baitcasting reel with an 8:1 gear ratio, and 30-pound braid.

13 Fishing Joy Stick

It’s not always just about topwater in the fall. Coulter likes to use a 13 Fishing Joy Stick in the grassy areas on his home lake of Watts Bar Reservoir.

“This is just a perfect all-around bait,” Coulter complimented. “You can wind a bait like this over grass, make it drop into holes in the grass, you can pitch it, or you can cast it out deep. It does a lot of things really really well.”

When to throw it: fishing scattered grass, letting the bait fall in the holes of the grass.
Tackle to use: 7-foot-3 medium-heavy rod, baitcasting reel with an 8:1 gear ratio, and 30-pound braid.

13 Fishing Invader

Finally, Coulter likes to flip and pitch a 13 Fishing Invader in heavy grass when he can find it. Coulter sites the rabbit ear tail as one of the key things he likes about the creature bait.

“That rabbit ear tail gives it such great action,” Coulter said. “It slips through the grass very easily and the action it creates going through the grass seems to attract the fish to it more.”

When to throw it: perfect for pitching in grass, and when the fish are feeding on the bottom. Look for a recent crawfish hatch, that is a great time as well.
Tackle to use: 1-ounce punch weight, 3/0 Mustad Flipping Hook, 7-foot-11 heavy rod, baitcasting reel with an 8:1 gear ratio, and 65-pound braid.