Missouri Outdoor

Legendary bass anglers share their personal strategies for targeting offshore fall bass.

Targeting Offshore Fall BassMost weekend anglers are bank-beaters. Granted, you can catch plenty of quality bass much of the year by casting to the shoreline, but when the leaves begin to turn and summer’s heat gives way to frosty mornings, you’d be well advised to “do a 180″ and start targeting offshore bass. If you’re wondering why, we’ve assembled a stellar team of experts to fill you in. With their guidance, you’ll discover a whole new world of exciting bass action this autumn.

Professor’s Pointers
Doug Hannon, ESPN’s legendary “Bass Professor,” has had decades of experience studying the behavior of bass, both above and beneath the surface. He’ll tell you that offshore structures offer tremendous fishing opportunities for a number of reasons. “Bass are far more active in fall than in summer,” Hannon pointed out. “When the water temperature is high, bass, being cold-blooded creatures, can become over-stressed by prolonged periods of activity. Instead, they attempt to preserve their metabolic energy by sitting and waiting for forge to come to them. They still need to feed, but do so in short, quick bursts, taking advantage of baitfish schools that swim close to their holding areas.”

As days grow shorter and the water temperature drops in autumn, bass no longer feel a need for such intense energy conservation, Hannon noted. “They’ll actively chase down forage now, especially large baitfish schools, even if that forage moves well offshore. And it’s around offshore structures where the savvy bass angler can experience some of the most unexpected and exciting bass action of the year.”

Hannon listed the following as key offshore places for fall bass:

Points — “Points are the most obvious fall structures — most bass anglers know it’s a good idea to fish them this time of year, although many aren’t sure why. Points provide a bridge from the shallows to deep water. Baitfish moving to and from shallow water use them like highways, and bass instinctively know they’re a dependable source of food.”

Deep edges of flats — “Flats are especially productive in early fall, when the lake begins to cool off after a long, hot summer. Bass congregate on them in summer, where they locate on stumps and isolated brushpiles to feed on passing baitfish schools. As the water temperature drops in fall, bass will move to the outer perimeter of flats, positioning themselves closer to deep water, perhaps in anticipation of approaching cold fronts.”

Humps — “Baitfish are attracted to these structures like a magnet, and bass have the best of both worlds on them: a shallow place to ambush prey, and an instant access to deep water.”

Channels — “Baitfish use creek and river channels as migration routes from shallow to deep water in fall. Channels are especially important in reservoirs that undergo a marked drawdown in autumn; as the water level drops, baitfish move out of tributary arms to the main lake via the channels.”

Open water — “Sometimes the most important fall structure is no structure at all. Bass are not true schooling fish, but in fall, they’ll often congregate in large numbers to chase wandering baitfish schools; these feeding forays often lead them into open water, where they suspend at their comfort level around schools of shad. They may even join packs of hybrids and stripers in their never-ending quest for mega-quantities of baitfish.”

Clues from Klein
Veteran bass pro Gary Klein knows changes that occur to their aquatic environment in fall can trigger a major movement of bass from shoreline cover to offshore structures. “Baitfish really start balling up big-time as the water cools, and there’s often a massive movement of bait along points, humps and channels now, creating super feeding opportunities for bass,” he said. “Reservoir drawdowns also put bait and bass on the move. Much of the food chain and most of the lake’s predators, including bass, pull out to deeper water once they pull the plug and the water level starts dropping.”

As bass gravitate to deeper, more open water in fall, they often suspend, Klein said. “Most anglers dislike fishing for suspending bass, because they view them as sluggish and unresponsive to lure presentations. This might be the case in early spring or winter, but in fall, suspending bass are likely to be surprisingly aggressive. They suspend merely to position themselves closer to wandering baitfish schools, and may stay on the move anywhere from midway to two-thirds up in the water column, bird-dogging forage. Most lakes are clearer in fall than during any other season, and because their visibility is excellent now, suspending bass will move surprising distances to grab a lure. I’ve often had bass that were suspending 25 feet deep strike topwater baits in fall.”

When scouting a lake in autumn, Klein looks for “anything that extends a long way off shore into deep, open water — a point, a submerged roadbed, a creek channel, a big flat.”  Early in the season, when water temperatures are moderate, bass will congregate on offshore structures with a slow taper, but as the season progresses, they’ll gradually orient more to steeper structures, he explained. “In late September, I may be targeting clay or sand points that run several hundred yards before dropping off into a channel, but by early November, I’ll expect to find bass on channel points that drop quickly into deep water. By late fall, bass will be on rock bluffs, the steepest of all reservoir structures. This transition from gradual- to steep-sloping structures as the water cools is something a great many anglers overlook; once you’re aware of it, you can home in on large concentrations of offshore bass more quickly in autumn.”

The pro makes extensive use of marker buoys during the fall. “In open water, it’s really hard to get a feel for a deep structure such as a hump or channel drop; by placing marker buoys along the structure, you can visualize how it lays and fish it much more effectively. When I move offshore, I keep several buoys close at hand and drop them as I idle across the structure with my trolling motor or big motor.”

Klein targets offshore fall bass with deep-diving crankbaits, topwater lures and a variety of vertical presentations, depending upon the depth of the fish. “If bass are on points, humps and roadbeds down to 15 feet or so, cranking works extremely well in fall. I generally ‘burn’ my crankbaits on a high-speed reel now, using a stop-and-go retrieve. In clear lakes, I always keep a topwater bait such as a heavy stick bait or chugger tied on now so I can make a long cast to bass busting shad on the surface. I’ll also fish topwaters over humps, rockpiles and the ends of points. Due to the extreme clarity of the water in fall, now is the time for your most realistic color patterns.”

If bass are deeper than 20 feet, Klein switches to a vertical presentation. “In most lakes, a jigging spoon is a deadly fall bait for bass either suspended or orienting tightly to bottom cover or a channel dropoff. A finesse worm on a jig head, or a worm or soft plastic jerkbait on a drop shot rig, will also work great now. Simply position your boat directly over the structure and lower your lure to the level of the fish. In California, where I’m originally from, it’s common to catch bass 35 to 50 feet deep in autumn, and a vertical presentation is the only way you can reach ‘em.”

The Striper Connection
Doug Hannon alluded to fall bass sometimes grouping with stripers and hybrids in fall. Priest Lake, Tenn. bass expert Jack Christian can attest to this scenario. “You wouldn’t believe the number of lunker bass we catch on big topwater plugs while striper fishing in autumn,” he laughed. “Sometimes you’ll catch a striper or hybrid on one cast and a largemouth or smallmouth on the next — the species will definitely co-mingle in fall when they’re all chasing schools of baitfish in open water.”

Unlike during warm weather, when surface feeding takes place mainly early and late in the day, bass (and stripers) will bust shad on the surface throughout the entire day in fall, Christian said. “These topwater feeding frenzies are never easy to predict, but by positioning your boat close to likely offshore structures, you can greatly improve your odds of getting into some big fish on top,” he added. “The open water between two opposing points is a likely place for bass and stripers to surface in mid-day, as is the end of a long point. Also, watch for flocks of birds circling open water; this is a tip-off that a massive school of baitfish is just beneath the surface. If you see the birds diving, chances are a feeding frenzy is either taking place or has just occurred; the birds are picking up dead or injured shad off the surface. Head for that spot immediately and start chunking a surface bait — and keep your drag loose!”

written by Don Wirth

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