Upsizing Fall LMB

[txchaser]

I feel like I have a pretty good playbook for winter, prespawn, spawn, post-spawn, summer. But fall, I really don't have any sense for where and how to target big fish. When they start moving up out of the depths for fall, where are they headed on weedy/shallower lakes? And on deeper lakes? 

I can find the spots where they were this summer, and start working back up shallower, but anything more precise for the fish that don't live just chasing shad around all day? 

Eating monster gills? Snacking on this years spawn? Hunting craws? Only pull up shallow to eat until it really starts to cool down? 

For context, fall water is 70 here now, and not falling fast. Winter might get under 50 for a little bit deep into the winter, unless we get some crazy cold snap for multiple days. 

[WRB]

A good friend was Andy ‘Cooch” Cacaccia who was a icon at the California Delta or River system as Cooch called it.

Cooch designed the Wadda jig and promoted the 1 ton jig when targeting Fall bass. 

What is a 1 ton jig you ask? It’s a 1 oz jig with a big pork trailer.

Cooch presentation was dragging the heavy jig to kick up a mud trail and look like a big ole crusty crawdad common in the fall. Find red clay soil bank and drag a 1 ton jig!

Tom

[Pat Brown]

I was gonna say jig but @WRB's answer sounds more specific and fun so I'd go with that.  😎😎😎👍👍👍

[Jig Man]

It’s been the opposite here lately.  The Jewell Pee Wee with a small twin tail has been the best.

[einscodek]

Fall water 70 I'd still be fishing weeds and vicinity but not in my parts up here waters broken 60F and weeds dying.

[Bazoo]

It's been pretty cool at nights and some days are chilly and windy now. I'm still getting bites on topwater, some on warm days, and some on cool days.

 

I was telling a buddy about a topwater bass I got yesterday. He said his buddy told him its too cold for topwater... but, it ain't.

[casts_by_fly]

1 hour ago, einscodek said:

Fall water 70 I'd still be fishing weeds and vicinity but not in my parts up here waters broken 60F and weeds dying.

 

Not sure which bit of NJ you're in, I'm between I78 and I80.  water temps are right about 56-58 depending on the lake.  Grass is dying like you said.  Even still, all of the bass I found Tuesday were in what was still left of the grass and pads.  

[einscodek]

3 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

 

Not sure which bit of NJ you're in, I'm between I78 and I80.  water temps are right about 56-58 depending on the lake.  Grass is dying like you said.  Even still, all of the bass I found Tuesday were in what was still left of the grass and pads.  

When I say broken 60F, means broken below the 60F levels and the fish I found were suspended off ledges mid depth near weed flats.  No fish caught near the receding brown weeds for me.  On my way out spotted big baitfish being busted in the middle of the lake must have been 50 of them jumping at the same time.

[Bigassbass]

In ponds right now bass are in the deep and they move up into the shallows later in the day.  Easily caught with lipless cranks, jerk baits, worms and live bait.  Lakes  they should be in creeks are arms close to deep water.

[papajoe222]

That's fall fishing.

Some days they're up shallow, sometimes up to the bank shallow. Other days you'll find them on deep structure. Some fish will stay shallow and never venture to deep water. Given a choice, I'll start deep and work shallow. It's easier to keep my jig in contact with the bottom as I use light, hair jigs with a trailer. Working down hill, it's difficult to keep contact and distinguish between the jig falling and a light pick-up by a fish. 

[T-Billy]

On 10/20/2023 at 12:36 PM, einscodek said:

Fall water 70 I'd still be fishing weeds and vicinity but not in my parts up here waters broken 60F and weeds dying.

Don't rule them out. Contrary to popular opinion, dead, brown milfoil has produced some biggins for me. They'll use it until it breaks up.

[einscodek]

6 hours ago, T-Billy said:

Don't rule them out. Contrary to popular opinion, dead, brown milfoil has produced some biggins for me. They'll use it until it breaks up.

Decaying cheese absorbs oxygen so its not ideal at least in the patches on my lakes but

I gave them the benefit of the doubt but they returned no fish not a one.  Effort more fruitful elsewhere in my parts they are deeper and out of the weeds.

[Scott804]

11 hours ago, einscodek said:

Decaying cheese absorbs oxygen so its not ideal at least in the patches on my lakes but

I gave them the benefit of the doubt but they returned no fish not a one.  Effort more fruitful elsewhere in my parts they are deeper and out of the weeds.

Wait till ya catch em on floating dead weeds... bite like no other 

[txchaser]

Water was 70-72 degrees last weekend. I ignored what I was seeing on the sonar, bait was in 20 FOW, creek channel, near standing trees. I should have just marked that depth and started fishing it. I did for a little and caught a dink, then somehow convinced myself I wasn't doing the right thing. 

 

Turned out to be a bad choice, everything I caught was small up shallow too. 

 

[LrgmouthShad]

On 10/20/2023 at 12:00 AM, WRB said:

A good friend was Andy ‘Cooch” Cacaccia who was a icon at the California Delta or River system as Cooch called it.

Cooch designed the Wadda jig and promoted the 1 ton jig when targeting Fall bass. 

What is a 1 ton jig you ask? It’s a 1 oz jig with a big pork trailer.

Cooch presentation was dragging the heavy jig to kick up a mud trail and look like a big ole crusty crawdad common in the fall. Find red clay soil bank and drag a 1 ton jig!

Tom

I am giving this a shot

[KP Duty]

On 10/24/2023 at 2:09 AM, T-Billy said:

Don't rule them out. Contrary to popular opinion, dead, brown milfoil has produced some biggins for me. They'll use it until it breaks up.

I watched an episode of 'the bass pros' tv show years ago where gary klein won an event pitching a jig to decaying milfoil.  Gary said he refined his pattern by only targeting the brown, decaying milfoil because it gave off more heat.  

[Pat Brown]

If you have ANY living healthy vegetation remaining anywhere.  Fish it.  😉

[T-Billy]

1 hour ago, KP Duty said:

I watched an episode of 'the bass pros' tv show years ago where gary klein won an event pitching a jig to decaying milfoil.  Gary said he refined his pattern by only targeting the brown, decaying milfoil because it gave off more heat.  

Nice. I believed that bull about fish not using it because it uses oxygen instead of making it for decades. Then a few years ago out of frustration I started pitching it and low and behold it was the hands down best pattern all the way up until it broke up. 

[txchaser]

 

On 10/20/2023 at 12:00 AM, WRB said:

A good friend was Andy ‘Cooch” Cacaccia who was a icon at the California Delta or River system as Cooch called it.

Cooch designed the Wadda jig and promoted the 1 ton jig when targeting Fall bass. 

What is a 1 ton jig you ask? It’s a 1 oz jig with a big pork trailer.

Cooch presentation was dragging the heavy jig to kick up a mud trail and look like a big ole crusty crawdad common in the fall. Find red clay soil bank and drag a 1 ton jig!

Tom

 

This was worth a couple of extra fish last weekend. Thank you!