Cool Times: Bass pro recommends going small for big fall catch

Published 10:15 am Sunday, September 25, 2022

The real summer is finally in the rearview mirror and for Texans the Indian summer, also known as fall, begins. With a few weeks until the first freeze, hunters are planning their weekends to their deer lease. Fishermen, however, are heading back to the lakes.

There is a lot to like about fall fishing, one of which is that there is a lot less traffic on the lake as recreational boaters are quick to put their boats up as the water temperature dips into the 70s.

It is also a good time to catch bass as they fatten up for the cold weather coming.

“It is like the springtime, but they are not in the same places. They are not trying to spawn. They are trying to eat, but you can still catch some in shallow water,” explained Major League Fishing pro Kelly Jordon of Lake Palestine.

Jordon considers the beginning of the fall fishing season when the water temperature hits 75 degrees.

“Fall is one of the most particular times of the year for matching the hatch. A lot of time there is pretty small baitfish. The shad that spawned in the spring are about two inches or less and are finally big enough for the bass to feed on. They have been growing all summer, and they are rafting up and are in the back of the creeks,” Jordon said.

Because of that, Jordon goes small this time of year, downsizing his baits to match the size this year’s baitfish spawn will have grown to.

Given the option of only having three lures, Jordon’s picks covered the gamut and different depths in the water column.

“I would take a top water like the Lucky Craft Gunfish, a quarter-ounce spinner with small blades for a limit-getter and a lipless crankbait. I would start with a quarter-ounce, which is small, but that is the key to fall fishing. You want to match the hatch,” Jordon explained.

He added that as winter nears, the bait will grow larger and fishermen can upsize their lures, but for now smaller is better since bass are feeding on shad.

Jordon, who has won more than $2 million competing on both the BASS and MLF tours, said schooling activity is not unusual this time of year. Sponsored by Lucky Craft, it is not surprising he would go with the smaller Gunfish lure in bone or chrome.

He said he likes the lipless crankbait over one with a bill because the fisherman can work it differently based on water depth and grass growth.

“You can control the depth better with the retrieve rate. You can keep it above the grass by reeling faster or you can slow down and roll it on bottom,” Jordon said, calling the lure “one of all-time great shad bait imitators.”

“When the water is cooling off, the fall, winter or spring, you have to have one tied on,” he said.

Spinners have become a lost lure in a lot of fishermen’s tackle boxes, but Jordon said they are ideal in the fall.

“Spinners cover a lot of water and if there is a lot of grass, you can fish over it or if we get a rain and the lake coming up they work,” Jordon said.

He noted that at this time of year the grass is going to be as tall as it is going to get, and once fishermen find it they can adjust to fishing over it. In the fall he stays with the lighter lure with smaller willow or Indiana dual blades.

“I like the translucents that mimic shad. I don’t use pure chartreuse, but I like chartreuse and white or chartreuse and blue or glitter,” Jordon said. When it comes to spinners, his preferred brand is War Eagle Screaming Eagle that is actually a half-ounce lure on a quarter-ounce frame.

While those are Jordon’s first three choices, he said jerkbaits and flukes can also be effective options in the fall.

Along with keeping an eye on electronics, Jordon also recommends watching for migratory seagulls working bait fish as well as herons along the shore.