By Scott Norton
The smell of crisp clean air in the cool nights is among us. The night bite is slowing down, yielding the occasional big bass. Explosive blowups of shad and bass on the calm surface, indicates that the transition is already here. It’s time for moving baits to dominate a Bass’ instinct to chase and feed up for what’s to come.
The urge to get in on the action is hard to resist but I’m after the big brutes. These small bass remind me of squirrels in the woods in hunting season. A seasoned angler will learn to stay focused on the big lazy girls looking for an easy meal. There is nothing wrong with catching bass that are chasing food. You get lots of action but most are small to 2-pound cookie cutter sized. If you want to get your arm torn off by a great fight, you can use the small bass to find the big ones. The big ones will hang out beneath all the commotion to eat the weak and injured shad that the small bass leave behind.
What must I use to catch the interest of such a creature? The first thing that comes to mind is a fluke, flutter spoon, or deep diving jerkbait. Why do I want to use that? It replicates a dying or injured shad floating to the bottom. The goal is to not let the small ones grab your lure before you get it to your target. Use white or chrome color to trigger their aggression. When you have cloudy skies, go with the white so it will show up better in low light. Go with the chrome when the sun hits the water so it puts off lots of flash.
When the sun starts to climb high, the fish will retreat to the shade and then you have them all in the same area. Stick to docks, rocks, and cover. Why do they like shade? Remember, they don’t have eyelids. I like to use worms and jigs to keep the bait in these areas longer. The less shade you see they will bunch up under the docks or go deep.
Let’s talk gear, shall we? When using a heavy single hook, go with a medium-weight to a heavyweight rod. A fast gear ratio for your reel is needed in this application. A longer rod will also help take up all that line when you go to swing on a bass. When using light single hooks or trebles, you will need a medium action rod so you won’t bend out your hooks. The parabolic bend will keep your fish pegged and they cannot shake it off. When using moving baits, a moderate speed is best because your line is already tight. Fall is one of the best times of the year for landing quality and numbers of fish so get out there and push your limits.
Scott Norton is a native of Western North Carolina. Born in Asheville, NC, he is a long time avid hunter, angler, and weekend warrior. He is a member of Southern Raft Supply’s prostaff team representing them in his Jackson Kayak Coosa FD.