Fall Time...thinking Big???

[JWOA]

  How big should i go...ive got some huge spinnerbaits but what else???

[AK-Jax86]

10" worms work well. I like the 10.5" magnum worm and culprit worms work well too, haven't used them but I know some other FL angers that swear by them.

[MIbassin]

Big swimbaits if you have any, big spinnerbaits should work well if retrieved slowly. You could also try some of the larger suspending jerkbaits... Just some thoughts

[Bankbeater]

The bass like to go after the 3/4 rat-l-traps around here.  The LM will hit that size before they hit the 1/2 ounce.

[Bluebasser86]

My favorite fall baits are swimbaits and big, bulky jigs. The larger sized squarebills can be really good too. This year has been opposite though. All the shad around here are tiny because they spawned really late due to the cold spring. So right now it's been pointless to fish bigger baits and most of the fish are eating 1/4 or 1/2 ounce rattle traps or 1.0 and 1.5 sized squarebills.

[smalljaw67]

Big is a relative term and depends on the area you are fishing. Where I live, guys love throwing Pointer 78s in the spring, well when the fall jerkbait bite goes into action, the Pointer 100 is the preferred bait. I use the Pointer as it is easy to understand but say that you were catching good fish in the spring on a 3.5 or a 4" soft swim bait, in the fall go up to maybe a 4.5 to 5" model, remember, you still want to match the size of the forage, the deal is that in fall the forage is at its largest body size so go with that. Spinnerbaits are used a lot but an over looked item in fall is the swim jig, what I do here depends on water conditions, when fall hits and the water temp drops we get clear water so I'll use the the same 1/4oz swim jig but rather than a 3.5" grub or soft swim bait I'll use a 4" swim bait, it doesn't sound like much of a change but in my area the growing season is a few months and often you only have a half inch difference is size from spring until fall in forage so keep the size relative to the water you fish.

[cjam93]

Hey guys I was wondering if anyone around NC could chime in on the size baits they throw in the fall? I have had a lot of trouble finding baitfish around here to look at and actually figure out their size. I know itll be different for different lakes, but just a ball park guess would help a lot. Thanks!

[J Francho]

I use an umbrella rig with 5-6" soft swimbaits.

[BennyB]

Hey guys I was wondering if anyone around NC could chime in on the size baits they throw in the fall? I have had a lot of trouble finding baitfish around here to look at and actually figure out their size. I know itll be different for different lakes, but just a ball park guess would help a lot. Thanks!

 

   I know a lot of guys in our Piedmont area have been having luck with Rapala DT-6 and DT-10 lately.   I haven't heard of too many people throwing huge stuff around here.  I was having great luck with 3/8 buzzbaits, but it seems like that bite has just stopped for me in the past couple days.  I also know of people catching larger fish right now on soft plastic craws and worms.

[cjam93]

   I know a lot of guys in our Piedmont area have been having luck with Rapala DT-6 and DT-10 lately.   I haven't heard of too many people throwing huge stuff around here.  I was having great luck with 3/8 buzzbaits, but it seems like that bite has just stopped for me in the past couple days.  I also know of people catching larger fish right now on soft plastic craws and worms.

Ok cool thanks man, I fish Randleman a lot so im right in that area. I have been throwing DT-6 a lot lately but no luck, I dont have any DT-10s I should probably pick some up. The only plastic I have been able to catch anything on lately has been either a speed craw or wacky rigged 5in senko.

[papajoe222]

Years ago, I experimented with larger baits in the fall. Now I'm sure there are plenty of guys that will disagree with my findings, but after three seasons I found no significant difference in the number of fish that I'd caught.  What I did discover, however, was a BIG difference in the size fish I'd caught. The downside to my findings is that I haven't completed the experiment (I'm still throwing big baits in the fall).

I have adjusted the baits I use to those with more subtle movements such as flat sided cranks like a Rapala FSDT10, tighter wobling lipless cranks (removing the split ring will cut down the action on most), and spinnerbaits with one, long/narrow blade and a full skirt.  My numbers haven't gone up enough worth mentioning, but I have noticed that the fish seem to attack these offerings more accurately.  Most hook-ups are on the front treble, or the main hook of my spinnerbait offering.