All across the North, fall is in the air. While my home state of Florida is somewhat oblivious to seasonal change, I vividly remember the anticipation of autumn from an earlier life on the Great Lakes. There’s simply no better time of year.
Hardcore sportsmen juggle the eternal debate of hunting vs. fishing. Even those outside of the hunting realm still face conflict as multiple species present world-class angling. Bow season or bass? Jumbo perch or hunger-crazed muskies?
While I’ve always been partial to prespawn, the best bass bite of the year is undebatable. Fall is simply where it’s at. Largemouth show up from out of nowhere. Smallmouth go bonkers.
I’m often reminded of how much – or how little – we actually know about bass, especially those in the North. Research will tell you that bass hibernate throughout the winter, yet field evidence has always suggested otherwise. Any avid bass angler in this region can confirm that the biggest bass of the year – the heaviest and healthiest of them all – are often caught at ice-out. And we already know that autumn brings a time of feeding. So what happens in between?
Regardless, let’s get back to the point at hand. Cooling water temperatures combine with reduced day length to bring us a period of indisputable good fortune. Bass of all species feed heavily during mid-day hours.
Cover is reduced thanks to a loss of weedbeds, compressing the fish. This also reduces areas for food fish, most notably yellow perch and bluegill, adding to the appeal.
Reduced temps also signal a migration of open-water bait, like shiners and shad, to shallow waters and those near current. River mouths and channels become important gathering areas. These are more defined, concentrating the available food source and making easier targets for anglers. Often, a super-highway of ambush areas is the result.
Fast-moving baits intercept the aggressive bass best. Covering water becomes easier. Power-fishing techniques like lipless cranks and spinnerbaits come back out of the rod locker, dusted off after what seemed a never-ending season of finesse. Power allows for heavier line and bigger rods, more efficient at catching big bass fast, and getting back in for another. Efficiency elevates.
Angler numbers are fewer. Drawn by the smell of the woods, many would-be anglers can be found in tree stands, committed to putting in long hours away from the water. Waterfowl numbers increase with the seasonal migration, drawing even more outdoor lovers in a different direction. Football keeps the boat ramps clear on weekend afternoons.
The weather can be a factor, but the nastier, the better, in terms of the bite. Outside of the Great Lakes, the biggest smallmouth bass I ever caught was on a windy, cloudy day, cold enough to require a hat and gloves. The 7-2 brute ate a jig and Super-Chunk in 7 feet of water, fished on a flipping stick. What fun.
My wife took a 6-plus on a magnum spinnerbait the day after a snow storm. Another 7 came just a few days before Christmas during a warm winter. All were supremely fat.
Largemouths shine, as well. I can remember a circular reed clump on Lake St. Clair that took about 30 minutes to fish. After five consecutive laps – all producing a dozen or more fish – I decided to move on, convinced I was simply catching the same bass over and over. Thirty torn plastics lay on the floor of my boat.
Often, autumn bass move before the weather or water temperature signals. This can be a strange phenomenon. Everything looks right, the cover or structure look perfect, but the area will be void of bass. The tendency is to go in reverse – comb the places that were producing the last time out or revert to summer patterns.
“They haven’t grouped up yet,” you’ll hear at the ramp. Or “we need a cold snap.”
Usually, the opposite is true. Move toward winter locations. What you may find is a group of bass unknown to any other angler. This happened to me several times on the big water, and I was able to ride those fish for months before other anglers got clued in. This can occur in both shallow or deep water. In essence, it's winter snowbirds leaving town early.
DO NOT SLOW DOWN. I cannot stress this enough to anglers hoping to hit the autumn bonanza. On the big lakes, it may take multiple days to find the motherlode. But it’s out there.
Power-fish even in cold water. The key here is to simply move from fast, horizontal baits to those that move more steadily or vertically. Motion can still be fast. Steady standouts are normally small swimbaits, grinding near the bottom or fished on an umbrella rig. For vertical candidates, Jigging Raps have big fans, but nothing beats a blade bait.
I began fishing a blade bait as a teenager, understanding the appeal to big bronzebacks when waters cooled. But it wasn’t until my 30s – when I met Scott Dobson – that I learned the true potential of this lure. Dobson is a noted St. Clair expert and has perfected methods to deliver this lure in places and ways that no one else has. He forces it on the bass. And they can’t resist.
I still have a handful of original Silver Buddies – those lures responsible for some of the biggest smallmouth bass ever caught. Does it matter? It might.
Looking at them this time of year, their shiny reflections bring back memories of the best fishing of my life.
For many of you, it’s just around the corner.
(Joe Balog is the often-outspoken owner of Millennium Promotions, Inc., an agency operating in the fishing and hunting industries. A former Bassmaster Open and EverStart Championship winner, he's best known for his big-water innovations and hardcore fishing style. He's a popular seminar speaker, product designer and author, and is considered one of the most influential smallmouth fishermen of modern times.)
