What's the best lure for this time of year?

[Outdoors]

I live in North Carolina, and currently the weather has started to get in the high 60s and early 70s.

 

In my collection of non-top water lures, I have crankbaits, lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits, plastic worms and lizards, a single chatterbait, and recently brought one of those LiveTarget sunfish.

 

 

 

 

[Sword of the Lord]

Lipless, spinners, chatters, topwaters. Moving lures. They're actively feeding. And Senkos are good always.

 

This is a really active period for bass though so think movement. Anything that is swimming.

Can't forget jerkbaits

[Outdoors]

Just now, Sword of the Lord said:

Lipless, spinners, chatters, topwaters. Moving lures. They're actively feeding. And Senkos are good always.

 

This is a really active period for bass though so think movement. Anything that is swimming.

Can't forget jerkbaits

Never tried topwater around this time, but I may have to give it a go.

[MIbassyaker]

Don't know how far you're getting into fall season down there, but up here a week or so ago (last time I was out) it was ALL spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and chatterbaits. 

[RPreeb]

Fishing a pond here in NE Colorado this evening, all I could get bit on was a Berkley Powerbait 4" watermelon red glitter.  I tried plastic swimbaits, a couple of crankbaits, a suspending jerkbait, and a 5" Senko.  Landed one and lost one to a birds nest the first time I tried to cast the 4" worm.  Ended up switching over to my spinning rod an dhad a bunch of bites that didn't take, then a couple that did and only landed the one, about 13".  

 

Tell you what though... the skeeters were biting a lot stronger than the fish!

[Russ E]

if you are having the late warm weather we are having, the fish are in a bit of a funk right now.

water temp was 76 degrees today. seems like the summer patterns are not working anymore and the fall patterns have not started. finessed a few fish with the ned rig. and caught a couple slow rolling a chatterbait.

 

[geo g]

There is no one best lure for all over the country this time of year.  It depends on conditions, weather patterns, depth, water temps, current, and structure.  Under tough conditions, If I had only one bait for all conditions, anywhere in the south and east coast, it would be a 4 to 6 inch senko, watermelon red, Texas rigged,with floro line, weightless, to a light 1/16 weight.  It has saved me on tough days all over the east coast from Florida to Maine.  You can throw it in the junk, open water, deep, shallow, fished fast or slow, dead stick, jerked, pulled slow along the bottom.  It has caught fish of all size for me.  It may not be the best all the time, but it is a steady producer.   It is something I don't leave home without.

[RPreeb]

Temps have been all over the place here.  80's to near 90 to start last week, then down to the 60's, back up to around 80, then only in the 50's the last couple of days.  Today was mid 60's and sunny without a breath of wind, and that lack of wind is very unusual here in the fall.

 

Supposed to be high 50's tomorrow, then warming into the 70's by the weekend.

[NCbassraider]

Like the OP,  I am in NC.  Its has been very hot until just 2 days ago when daytime temps just dropped into the 70's so water temps are still close to 80 as of today but dropping fast with these cool nights.

 

They are not quite chasing yet so it is still senkos, jigs, etc. here.  The coming days should see them start moving more and cranking season will be under way.

[burrows]

Spinnerbait, chatterbait,squarebills and flukes,rage menace and senkos.

[JustJames]

4 hours ago, Weedwhacker said:

if you are having the late warm weather we are having, the fish are in a bit of a funk right now.

water temp was 76 degrees today. seems like the summer patterns are not working anymore and the fall patterns have not started. finessed a few fish with the ned rig. and caught a couple slow rolling a chatterbait.

 

Down here in SoCal too, this year the warmer weather stay longer, water temp still above 70. I can't find any good size bass only a few on Texas rig meniac grub.

[Bluebasser86]

9 hours ago, Outdoors said:

Never tried topwater around this time, but I may have to give it a go.

Topwater can be great this time of year.

 

[scaleface]

 Pretty much the same lures I throw in the summer . I match the lure to the conditions more so than the season so brushpiles , laydowns , points , humps or just cruising down a bank I'm going to be throwing the same thing . Heres the main difference between fall and summer for me . In the summer I usually avoid the silted in extreme back of coves and creeks in the fall I will hit them .  

[Pro Logcatcher]

I live in NC as well and have had luck with spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. 

[lo n slo]

sw piedmont NC checking in with surface water temps in mid-upper 70's. been finding them schooled up in the mouths of coves....along with the bait. when i start seeing either one on my sonar i start throwing. lure choice is yours, just be sure not to fish underneath them. you can catch a few before they get wise to you. some secondary points have been working too. we could use some rain!

[d-camarena]

Start by NOT throwing the sunfish

[Outdoors]

3 hours ago, d-camarena said:

Start by NOT throwing the sunfish

Are they horrible, or just not good for this time?

[Koz]

Here in SC the daily temps are still in the 80's but the water is finally starting to cool down. I've had great results on a purple and bright green Rat-L-Trap lipless crank the past few weekends and nothing hit that one in the summer.

[standman]

28 minutes ago, Outdoors said:

Are they horrible, or just not good for this time?

I HAD a the Jawbone sunfish for a while and had no problem catching fishwith it.  Why “had”?  It went swimming with the fishes when the braid snapped while casting.