Maybe, just maybe, it will cool down a little this month making conditions a bit more pleasant for anglers, but water temps will change little from the summer heat…and hot it was in August! Unless we get unseasonably high amounts of rain, the levels should remain perfect, like they were last month.
The same summer patterns will continue to produce bites so if you get an early start, be sure to throw a Bagley Bang-O-Lure tight to wood on the main river. Flowing water will still be the place to look for hungry bass. Target the small pockets of still water around and behind big timber and stumps and give this bait time to settle after the cast. Short erratic twitches will get big bass to come up and eat it, and there isn’t a more fun way to get bites.
These same areas are also prime spots to pitch a Texas-rigged creature, craw or worm. Use a heavy weight in strong current and a lighter one in still waters. I usually use dark colors, like black or junebug, when the water is muddy and more neutral colors like green pumpkin in clear water. Don’t be afraid to rig a large worm or craw. River bass will pounce on a big Gambler Burner Worm or Mega Daddy Craw and it will reduce the number of pesky bream bites.
Spinnerbaits will, as always, be a mainstay for getting bites. Pinpoint your casts toward leading edges of logs and use the current to let it flutter down along the underside. This is where bass lay in ambush and the action of a spinnerbait here is just plain hard for them to resist when presented properly.
On the upper stretches of the river a square-bill crankbait will be hard to beat. Try casting one in the eddies created by bridges, rock weirs and other structures. Usually a shad or crawfish pattern will do best so don’t over-think color selection.
Good fishing and God bless.
CAPT. RANDY “C-NOTE” CNOTA
C-note Charters
Panama City, FL
cnotecharters.com
(229) 834-7880