Fishing tip of the week

Fishing Tip of the Week

Tuesday, 12 September 2023 08:05

Be Different
by Mike Gerry

As we transition into the fall bite one thing that stands out to me is that there is need to be
different. Doing the same old thing when the transition from fall to winter hits you in the face
maybe the death of you. Being different allows you to create bites and show the bass
something different until the bite turns strong for the fall.

The bass are starting to transition to the creeks; however, as they do this getting them to bite can be tough. Showing them a different bait or a different presentation may be the only way to get them active until the fall feeding frenzy starts.
It’s subtle differences that catch fish during the transition period. The bass are looking for the
bait so the first thing you must do is make sure you have located the bait fish.

Just recently, while out with a customer, we were being skunked until I located bait on my Active Target. It all changed for good when this occurred, and it reminded me of the fact that the bass are finicky now and you must locate bait to find feeding fish. It’s also important to match the hatch this time of year as bait size can be everything in the transition period. I like to fish with big baits but that is not a good fit when the bass are transitioning in the fall. Most of the time they are feeding on 2 to 3 inch bait fish. An example of this is jerk bait. There is no better fall bait than jerk bait. However, in order to be successful, you must downsize it to match the size of the hatch.

In the fall there are many bait fish hatches and there will be gobs of food sources for the bass.
They will be small in size so being an angler who is aware of the food source size will help you
catch fish.

Schooling bass becomes really picky. I know hard to believe butit’s true. Just find bass
schooling and through a big bait in the middle you will find that they don’t hit it. Change the
size of the bait and they will tear it up. Be different, find the little nuances and you will catch
fish in the transition period we are in now!
Captain Mike