Fishing
Catch The Surge
Looking back, anglers readily admit that until bass and crappie fishermen elevated themselves to professional status, fishermen knew little about specific behavior that governs the feeding patterns of both bass and crappie.
For years the angling world believed the best time to catch game fish in the shallows was just before the spawn in spring. On this part they were correct. Both bass and crappie flood to shallow water along the shoreline in spring, feeding up to help sustain the females through the spawning process. What they didn’t know was that bass and crappie surge back to the shallows in autumn, feeding voraciously to put on enough body fat to make it through the slack feeding times of winter.
It would be the pro anglers who were forced to learn how to catch fish during all seasons that discovered the prime second surge for both species that occurs when water temperatures begin to cool off in the fall.
Bass Surge
Maybe it’s because American bass fishermen love to chunk hardware at the bank, anytime of the year, that caused the pros to check out the shallows that had mostly been void of fish for several months. They knew that other than a short period in early morning and again just before darkness, bass spend much of their resting time in deeper, safer water along some kind of structure where water temperature hovers around the 74-degrees largemouth prefer (about 72 for smallmouth). It is also obvious to anglers who watch the banks in autumn that a lot of surface activity occurs when feeding bass charge into schools of baitfish. Often these are dinky size youngsters, but the pros learned that just outside these shallow feeders bigger bass lay in grassy, woody or rocky cover awaiting an easy meal. More cautious than the 8- to 12-inch dudes, the wall hangers don’t take chances on catching bait. They simply hide and snap up a few dozen baitfish as they swim innocently by.
Thus the veteran fall bassmen quickly realized that a stump or large boulder or log that is surrounded by weeds is the best of all places to catch a braggin’ size fish in autumn.
Autumn Time Table
Finding active bass is simply a matter of locating their food. By Labor Day in most areas, air temps are beginning to come down a bit. Also (and perhaps more importantly), the hours of daylight are shortening. Shorter days tell bass it’s time to get ready for winter. Coincidentally, the spring-hatched baitfish have now grown to a desirable feeding size for bass. And because larger baitfish require more food, they surge to the shallows to graze on plankton. All of this converges to cause the autumn feeding surge for largemouth bass.
Fishermen in the know will have several shallow spots that contain good cover already picked out. The run-and-gun rule is in effect. If one place doesn’t show promise, move quickly to the next.
The Morning Effort
Early morning is prime time to fish for most species in fresh water, and bass are no exception. During the fall surge anglers should be at the fishing spot shortly after daybreak. Lure users will want to try surface baits first. These include all black-colored buzzbaits that are cast onto the bank and pulled into the water for instant blade action (this is good policy for fishing all surface lures when the opportunity presents itself). Buzzbaits should be guided into openings in weed beds and collided with any solid structure while maintaining a steady retrieve. To bass, the collision and careening away looks like food has been addled by the impact and thus easier to catch.
The shallow bank side of any cover is a good spot to toss an Original Floating Rapala, front and back spinner lures or a popper. The trick here is to cast upon the bank and hop the lure onto the surface, or to deliver the bait with as much finesse at the end of the cast as possible (remember, the lure is supposed to look like something alive has just landed on the lake surface). After the lure settles, allow it to set for five seconds before barely twitching it to life. This is the time when a bass is most apt to strike the offering.
The shallow morning bite will last until about eight a.m. The next bite will occur in weeds or around solid cover farther away from the bank (say six to ten feet). A tandem-blade spinnerbait is an ideal choice for fishing through this area. Be sure it collides with anything solid and run it across any submerged object, killing the lure’s action on the boat side of the cover. This falling action often triggers a bite from large bass.
As the morning progresses, fish the outside of bank cover, working Texas-rigged plastics (worms, lizards, etc.) through any opening in weeds, across any weed points and down beside deeper cover. Crankbaits are perfect for quickly working shallow points and flats. Late morning tactics should be followed throughout the day until late afternoon, when the morning schedule is reversed, ending with the surface lures back on the bank.
Crappie Surge
It wasn’t many years ago that crappie fishing in the South was considered a spring fling and little else. Anglers simply didn’t have a clue as to where crappie went after the spawn, especially in large reservoirs. Now we know. As the days shorten and water temperatures drop off, crappie, just like bass, surge upward from summer holding spots and back to the shallows to put on the feed bag.
There’s A Reason
Those who are well studied in the fall migration of crappie know there’s a good reason these fish invade the shallows in fall. With cooling water temps, phytoplankton—the vegetable matter that comprises the principal food for zooplankton (which, in turn, is the principal food supply of baitfish)—disperses from main lake areas, forcing baitfish back into the shallows. Here they graze on plankton and other vegetable matter growing on the shallow bottom, weeds and sunken cover along the shoreline. Crappie simply follow the food back to the shallows.
Planning
Planning is critical to success when fishing for crappie at this time of the year. As with bass, crappie chasers should have a number of locations in mind before they launch their boat. Newcomers to a crappie lake should by all means visit some of the local bait and tackle shops to learn where good fall fishing occurs. Better still, hire a guide for the first day to find his spots, learn his methods and observe lure selection and fishing techniques.
Realizing that crappie use channels, ditches and other clearly defined bottom routes to reach fall feeding areas, veteran crappie fishermen recommend as many as a dozen spots be located and marked. Places such as sunken brush piles, stump fields, large lay-down trees and other forms of cover found near a channel, ditch or ledge line are good spots.
“Stay on the move” is the standard rule for fall crappie fishing. Crappie are migrating—moving from deeper summer holding patterns into the shallows—and they don’t all end up at the same place or at the same depth. Many factors determine fall crappie locations, the most notable being a combination of food and cover.
Presentation
Crappie are not made for speed. Their somewhat oval-shaped body prevents them from making a complicated charge for food. Instead, they prefer to lay up in an ambush setting amid the cover of sunken branches, stumps and weedy areas “waiting” for baitfish to swim within gulping range.
The eyes of crappie are situated so they see straight ahead, somewhat to the side, but definitely upwards. On this point, crappie are never found where they can see the sky. This means anglers must always present their offering in shaded spots or below the level of light in the water. An old wooden dock is always a good spot to find crappie in autumn.
Put Out The Poles
Trolling can be especially productive when anglers find locations where there is a great deal of concentrated cover such as stump fields, bottom hugging weed beds or shallow ditch lines.
Early in fall, when water temperatures are still warm, it’s a good idea to put out as many poles and tube jig presentations as possible (or as state regulations permit). Baits (live or tube jigs) are varied in depth from just above the tallest structure on the bottom to only a few feet below the hull of the boat. If crappie are in a feeding mode, it doesn’t take long to establish a depth suitable for live minnows and color combination lure patterns. Depths of the tackle should be adjusted accordingly.
Casting the shoreline is yet another method for catching crappie during autumn. Using 1/16-oz. leadhead jigs tipped with a variety of small grubs and tails, the jig is tossed out to heavy cover and retrieved slowly. These lures also work well when hung under a tiny bobber and fished over the top of submerged structure. Furthermore, as water temperatures continue to fall, even the most ardent artificial lure anglers will improve their catch by tipping the grub with a minnow the size of man’s little finger.
So remember…just because the summer season is winding down and thoughts turn to other outdoor pursuits, don’t put away the fishing gear just yet. Some of the best fishing of the year is at hand.