If you were to ask any serious bass fisherman what’s the number one thing they look for during the fall when fishing a large impoundment, nearly all would tell you the number one thing would be baitfish! It’s a case of the predator following its prey. During this period of the year, baitfish like the thread-fin shad are the perfect size and tend to concentrate in huge schools. They’re much easier to locate than individual bass. Find them and you’ll usually find several bass. It’s not uncommon to limit out by just following a large, single school of shad.
During the fall, as water temperatures begin to cool down, shad minnows are the first to migrate to the coves, hollows and creek arms. Guess who’s gonna be following soon after? That’s right — the bass! Often, you’ll be able to see the baitfish just below the surface with your naked eye. This is where polarized sunglasses can really pay off. Sometimes they’ll be churning the surface with bass hot on their tails. Other times, you’ll need to locate them and the depth they’re using on your graph. This is one of the most dependable of all fall bass patterns, and surprisingly, a high percentage of bass fishermen don’t realize that so much centers around baitfish during this time.
Unless a cove is particularly large, with plenty of deep water, it will produce the greatest number of fish in the spring or fall months of the year. Coves are far more protected than the open lake, and for that reason they’ll warm up much more quickly in the spring and cool off faster in the fall. These temperature differences between a typical cove and the main lake are enough to attract baitfish in a mighty big way. The bass will not only shadow the baitfish for food, but most times find the water temperature more to their liking, making them more active than those in the warmer waters of the main lake.
One of the key reasons coves, hollows and creek arms attract shad during the fall is spawning. There are two spawning seasons for the threadfin shad. One takes place in the early to mid-spring time frame and the other in early to mid-fall. Naturally, the exact dates, of course, depend on latitude. Things are going to happen earlier in the North than they will in the South, but that’s merely timing. This spawning phenomenon we were discussing creates a tremendous amount of both big and small baitfish at a time of year when the early spring hatch of shad have grown too large for smaller bass to forage on. This bounty of young shad minnows draw all size bass into these cooler water areas. Just like spring, fall is a transitional period, and it’s important to constantly modify your lure selection and techniques to take maximum advantage of the weather, and changing water temperatures.
There’s no doubt that the fall season can be one of the finest times of the year to fish. Not only is it a comfortable time for the fisherman, it’s a pleasant time for the fish as well. Some say it’s the shorter photo period; others point out that the sun has moved south and the rays are no longer directly overhead, even at noon; while still others will tell you it’s the dropping water temperatures.
Whatever the reason, it’s a great time! So, before winter grips the landscape, grab your rod and reel, find yourself a channel cove with shad and get ready for an exciting time.
A Dependable Fall Pattern
