Seasonal Transitions
Early Fall Bass Fishing: Adapt to Shallow Water
EARLY FALL BASS FISHING : ADAPT TO SHALLOW WATER
Cool nighttime temperatures can drop water temps fast. A lot of bass seek out shallower areas to feed, following schools of minnows and pods of young-of-the-year baitfish. The key to success lies in adapting your presentation to trigger reaction bites from these shallow-water dwellers.
Understanding Shallow Water Bites
Shallow water bass in early fall can be more aggressive at times, and less cautious than their deeper-dwelling pounds. They are often looking for a quick meal and are more likely to strike at baits that provoke a reaction. A good program to employ means ditching the slow, methodical retrieves and opting for more aggressive presentations. Another key to this productive pattern involves covering a lot of real estate, which puts your bait in front of more fish while keeping the scenery interesting.
The Importance of Crankbaits
Crankbaits are an essential tool for targeting shallow water bass particularly in the transition periods. Their tight, erratic action is perfect for triggering strikes from aggressive fish. However, it's important to choose the right crankbait based on the depth of the water you're fishing. I consider 1-10 feet of water the shallow water zone.
Crankbait Tips
- Whenever possible, try to crash your bait into structure such as rock or wood.
- Keep your bait moving! Burn cranks back to the boat to fool bass into chasing a fleeting meal.
- Rip a crankbait through the tops of submerged weedbeds – this can draw the most savage strikes reaction!
Shallow Diving Crankbaits
These are ideal for targeting bass in very shallow areas - typically under 5 feet deep. Popular choices include the 3DB 1.5 Squarebill, 3DR-X Series Flat Crank, and the 3DR-X Crank SR (shallow- runner). Yo-Zuri's patented 'Wave Motion Technology' sends out some serious vibration through the water. Great buoyancy and a tight wobble gets the job done!
Mid Depth Diving Crankbaits
As the water depth increases, you'll need to use medium diving crankbaits. These baits are designed to reach fish mid-depth structure. The Yo-Zuri 3DB Deep Crank and the 3DR-X Crank MR (mid-runner) are deadly choices to crank the 5-6 foot depths efficiently. Like the other Yo -Zuri crankbaits, they are made of super durable ABS resin material with a nearly indestructible detailed finish.
Deeper Diving Crankbaits
Finally, when fishing down to the deepest of the shallow water areas my go to choice for a deeper diving crankbait is the 3DB Deep Crank and the 3DR-X DD (deep diver). The wobbling-rolling action and large eyes creates a natural predatorial strike response, especially along the weed edges.
FISHING DEEP DIVING JERKBAITS
Deeper diving jerkbaits can also be effective for targeting shallow water bass. These baits are designed to create a more erratic action than crankbaits, which can be especially effective for triggering strikes from aggressive fish . When fishing jerkbaits impart action to the bait using a series of short jerks followed by brief pauses. This will cause the bait to dart and twitch erratically . As the water gets colder, extending the pause is a great move to get bit. A suspending jerkbait is enough to drive even the most tenuous followers to commit.
My go-to bait is the 3DB Jerkbait 110 Deep. The 110 Deep is a high-quality jerkbait designed to mimic the movement of a wounded baitfish. These three treble hook baits are super durable with a 3D Prism Finish. One of my most favorite features of this bait is the Weight Transfer System which allows me to bomb that bait on a long cast, even into the wind, effortlessly.
Additional Early Fall Fishing Tips
- Pay attention to the weather: Cloudy days and wind can make shallow water bass more active,
- Watch for changes in wind direction – this can really fire up fish activity,
- Experiment with different colors and sizes but start with a bait that best mimics the predominant bait fish in your water body.
Will Nalley
The 3DR-X Flat Heavy Minnow: A Hot New Hardbait Series For Each Phase of Fall
Less sunlight daily, leaves are changing colors, and water temperatures progressively dropping…that means fall is upon us! Fall is the time of year when many fish species are feeding heavily on minnows, so using a minnow-imitating hardbait like the new Yo-Zuri 3DR-X Flat Heavy Minnow series can be highly effective when pursuing everything from panfish to predators.
The new 3DR-X Flat Heavy Minnow comes in three sizes (1 5/8”/40 mm, 2 3/8”/60 mm, and 3 1/8”/80 mm) and eight colors including naturalistic trout, smelt, and metallic patterns. The Flat Heavy Minnow is a suspending hardbait that comes in Yo-Zuri’s patented scale prism pattern and built-in rattle system which draw fish in from a distance. A unique feature that sets the Flat Heavy Minnow apart from other hardbaits is that it does not just sink, but it notably flutters as it falls through the water column. This fluttering movement mimics a dying or injured baitfish that often entices fish to strike before retrieving the lure even begins. When the characteristics are added all together, the 3DR-X Flat Heavy Minnow series makes for a dynamite hardbait that fish cannot resist throughout the transition from summer to fall, peak fall, and late fall periods.
Early Fall
As summer transitions to fall, predators like walleyes, northern pike, and bass move in and out of weedlines in search of prey. Making long casts more than forty feet with the 3 1/8” Flat Heavy Minnow tied to 20 lb test Yo-Zuri SuperBraid parallel to the weeds is a solid way to draw attention from predatory species. Focusing on depths of ten to twelve foot of water and retrieving the Flat Heavy Minnow halfway down the water column works very well as fish will oftentimes feed up as they lie in ambush in and near the weedlines. A pull and pause retrieve maximizes the flutter on the fall in this scenario, which increases the number of fish that will bite.
Peak Fall
As emergent vegetation dies and surface temperatures progressively drop, large schools of large slab crappies suspend as they prowl over some of the deepest water in a given system chasing schools of minnows. This might mean that they are five feet down over fifteen feet of water or it could mean they are suspended fifteen feet down over thirty feet of water depending on the lake. In this scenario, pairing the 1 5/8” 3DR-X Flat Heavy Minnow with Yo-Zuri 4 lb or 6 lb Hybrid line can be highly effective as it can be cast far from your fishing vessel to decrease spooking fish while getting down to the fish before they move. Casting beyond the school of fish and going with a lift-pause-fall-repeat cadence one to two feet above them can be a great way to chase suspended slabs. The key during the cast and retrieve is to keep the line taut as big crappies will regularly uphit the Flat Heavy Minnow, oftentimes swallowing and/or T-boning the lures.
Late Fall
Late fall is the time when water temperatures have plummeted, turnover has come and gone, and a great deal of vegetation has been diminished. This is an excellent time of year to use the 2 3/8” 3DR-X Flat Heavy Minnow for trout as they thrive in cold water. Trout can sometimes be a bit more challenging to catch as they can be found at any stage of the water column from the bottom to the surface as they feed on insects and minnows before the upcoming freeze. Any of the available trout-based patterns can be strong choices this time of year when tied to Yo-Zuri 6 lb T-7 Fluorocarbon. The key to retrieving and/or trolling the Flat Heavy Minnow is to move quickly (1.5 miles per hour or more) through the water column as the goal is to get reaction strikes. If the lure is moving too slowly, trout may be less inclined to strike. Because trout can be located anywhere in the water column, I usually start speed fishing in grids in the middle of the lake and work my way outward toward remaining weeds near the shorelines. Taking this approach allows for fish to be found and fish behavior to be patterned more quickly so that more time can be spent in the more productive zones of the lake.
Fall offers a bonanza of great fishing for a variety of species. Stock your gear boxes with the new 3DR-X Flat Heavy Minnow series and get ready for some great northern pike, bass, walleye, crappie, and trout fishing throughout the phases of fall.
Tight lines and safe travels!
- Mark Maule
