Adjusting To The Fall-Winter Transition
By Jaxton Orr - November 20, 2020Toward the end of fall, bass will relate heavily to cover such as weed lines, suspended grass flats, submerged rock and wood. When bass are relating to rock, any crank bait that dives deep enough to ricochet off of the rocks is key. My favorite (and most successful) crank bait to throw during the fall-winter transition is the Rapala DT series in the dark brown crawdad pattern. I am also a big fan of a Ned rig and a football jig in any type of green-pumpkin to amber-red pattern during this time. When fishing wood, it is always a great idea to have to have a structure jig and a square bill tied on. The fish are very lethargic this time of the year and it may take ten to fifteen casts on a given laydown just to get a single bite.
Personally, my favorite way to catch fish during the late fall months are on prominent weed lines and grass flats. Weed lines act as highways for the bait fish to travel. Largemouth are predators and strategically create their own camouflaged cubby holes just inside the grass lines where they can ambush any bait swimming by. Ideally, I position my boat on the outside of the weed line and cast perpendicular and parallel to it using a vibrating jig in a natural color (hint: it always helps to have a sprinkle of red or orange in the skirt). My absolute favorite rod to throw a vibrating jig on is the AXC70MHF, hand crafted by St. Croix Rod. Since the water temperatures are so cold during the fall-winter transition, it's always very important to reel painfully slow because the cold water slows the fish's metabolism and causes them to be lethargic.
The fall-winter transition is definitely an ideal time to get out, catch an abundance of fish and possibly set a new personal best. No matter where you live or how cold the water temperatures might be, the fish are there and ready to bite. Success is simple: fish where the fish are, throw the right baits and have the right equipment to get them in the boat.