Changing to Catch Bass:
Scaling Down to Size
by Bruce Callis Jr
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Fall fishing can be a tough time to go fishing. With the cold fronts and bass roaming, chasing baitfish, a great day fishing could mean just a few bites. But it can mean some hot action if you find a pack of them. As we enter into the late fall, we need to prepare to find the bass where they are, not where we want them to be. That is one of the biggest problems we run into while fishing, thinking we know bass better than they do.
With the cold fronts arrive, the temperatures drop overnight, and with it, the water temperatures will drop as well. Once the water temperatures start to drop in the low 60s to upper 50s, the bass will be start to get the notion to move out towards their winter haunts. And we need to realize that no matter how much we want them to stay shallow so we can work the shore and the laydowns, we need to forget our desires and follow the bass.
As they start to move out of the back of the coves and the shallow flats, they will be seeking the first drops into deeper water where the water temperature is more stable and where they can move up as needed to chase baitfish when the sun warms the water.
One of the baits that I have found to work during this time is a small swimbait. Something like the Missile Baits Shockwave and the SPRO Pocket Tail Minnow, to name a few. This bait can be rigged in a variety of ways and the bass love it. It is a bait that can be worked up shallow or out deeper, depending on the way you rig it.
The Shockwave comes in two sizes, 4.5 inch and 3.5 inch, and offers many rigging options to match the hatch. One way I love to fish it is on a WOO Tungeston swim bait hook. I prefer to rig the 4.5 inch on a 1/8th ounce 3/0 swimbait hook on a medium rod and make long casts, allowing the bait to ride just under the surface up shallow. If I want to work it deeper, I will switch to 1/4 or 3/8 ounce hook, allowing the bait to sink faster. The thing is to determine at what rate you want it to fall. A slow steady retrieve works great, but don’t be afraid to do a start and stop, allowing the bait to stop and fall a little bit.
Another way to rig it is one a Gamakatsu Under Spin Head. The design of the drop of the blade allows it to run true right under the bait. It comes in 3 sizes, 3/16th, 1/4, and 3/8 ounce on a 4/0 Gamakatsu hook. It can be worked shallow and out deeper. If you want to switch up the swimbait, you can switch to the Pocket Tail Minnow. While it is a little thicker, it is actually just 3.75 inches long. It offers great action as well and entices some big strikes.
The 3.5 inch Shockwave is a perfect bait for a ball head jig. Using a spinning reel, you can go light and throw it up shallow, or go a little heavier and swim it out deeper. A 2/0 hook works better, but I will go down to a 1/0 hook at times. I make long casts into the shallows and work it back slowly into deeper water. And it catches big bass too. The only problem with it is that with the open hook, it can get hung up easily.
Another option is to use them on baits as a trailer. And the Missile Baits Ike’s Mini Swim Jig is a perfect match for all of them. A Shockwave makes a perfect match, but everyone has a swimbait that they love, and that is fine. The secret is to make it fit perfectly. The swim jig comes in 3/16, 5/16, and 7/16 ounce sizes and 39 color choices, so you can match any hatch on the lake. But don’t be afraid to mix it up a little at times as well.
Some days on the water are going to tough. The baits we normally throw, just aren’t getting bit like they should. Or we are fishing behind someone who is throwing the same baits, and what few bites we are getting are just to far and few between. It is then that we need to decide to make the change and switch over to what they haven’t been seeing. We all like to power fish. Chunk and wind and get that reaction bite! But we need to find the bass where they are and make them think we have the right bait. A swimbait can be that magic decision. Will you be willing to change and find that jackpot at the end of the rainbow? Or do we just continue to be frustrated? It’s up to you. I’ll be glad to come behind you and catch them.
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