How to Find & Catch Fall Bass

It seemed like one bass had read the script. It busted the surface while Stetson Blaylock was describing his autumn approach and things he looks for, which include surface activity. Blaylock quickly grabbed a rod that and fired a Heddon Super Spook Boyo just past the spot of the splash. A few darts into the walking action a bass attacked the small topwater lure. Not long after, Blaylock lifted a 3-pound Lake Ouachita largemouth into his boat.

Blaylock, a BASS Elite Series pro and six-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier, enjoys fall bass fishing because of the predictable patterns and often fast action, which commonly includes a topwater element. His most common approach for finding and catching bass this time of year is to focus on fish that are in a lake’s major creek arms, relating to big schools of shad.

Blaylock keeps a small arsenal of lures rigged and ready this approach and cycles through them. All imitate small shad, but they work different levels of the water column and appeal to fish in different moods. Seeing which lures and presentations prompt strikes and watching the fish’s responses with forward facing sonar allow him to tighten the approach.

Bass move frequently throughout autumn, following big schools of shad and often suspending over deep water in creek channels. They generally work their way farther up creeks as the season progresses but will roam with the bait and will move onto and off flats and other structure from day to day or even during a day. Accordingly, Blaylock begins most fall days in search mode, looking for baitfish and for bass with his electronics and watching the surface for “active water.”

The visually active water element is critical. Even if Blaylock sees bait and bass in an area with his electronics, he seldom finds those fish to be feeding when there isn’t some visible activity on top this time of year. That could be breaking fish, but often it’s just baitfish moving and creating ripples or wakes. Surface activity doesn’t necessarily reveal the exact spot. It simply shows that an area warrants more of a look. Baitfish rippling the surface could be over a deep spot in the channel, while the fish that end up cooperating could be over an adjacent flat.

If Blaylock sees enough life to catch his interest, he’ll make some casts. However, it might be a quick stop. With forward facing sonar, it’s possible to see exactly how fish react to every lure presentation. Whether fish respond favorably to Blaylock’s offerings and the size of fish he catches and sees on his electronics help him gauge the potential of any given spot that day.

Even if Blaylock finds good things, he might not fish an area for long, especially early in the day. He might instead continue in search mode, looking for something even better or finding more spots he can cycle through. Fall fish are sometimes in modest sized groups that are somewhat widespread and they go in and out of feeding mode, so there’s value in finding several groups of fish.

• Heddon Super Spook Boyo – The Boyo has been one of Blaylock’s go-to topwater lures since it was introduced a couple of years back, and its importance skyrockets during fall, when bass are commonly relating to small shad. The Super Spook Boyo is only 3 inches long, but it is weighted for easy casting and is equipped with hooks and hardware that can handle big bass. Blaylock often will start with a topwater approach because it helps him gauge the aggressiveness of the bass in an area and because the largest fish an area will often rush to attack a topwater lure.
• War Eagle Jigging Spoon – Blaylock likes a War Eagle Jigging Spoon for fish that are relating to shad because he can get it in sight of of the fish quickly whether they are near the surface or suspended 30 feet down, and because the narrow baitfish profile and erratic action tend to trigger strikes. He’s typically casting to specific groups of fish he is watching on forward facing sonar, so he will cast just past them, let the spoon sink to just above the level of the fish and then work it with snaps or sweeps of the rod that cause it to repeatedly dart up and wobble down. Blaylock likes the 7/8-ounce Jigging Spoon, which is the larger of two available sizes, because it gets down to the fish faster.
• YUM FF Sonar Minnow/Great Lakes Finesse Sneaky Underspin – By matching an original FF Sonar Minnow with a Sneaky Underspin, Blaylock gets a sleek profile and subtle action with just enough flash to draw attention and prompt strikes. It’s also an offering he can work anywhere in the water column. His default presentation is to let the bait sink to just above the level of the fish he’s targeting and then reel steadily. He’ll experiment with subtle lifts and drops and vary his pace, though, always paying attention to the responses of the fish.
• Great Lakes Finesse Dropkick Shad/Stealth Ball Jig Head – The 2.75-inch Dropkick Shad takes finesse to another level with its sleek profile and tight action, but with a unique flare on the fall to trigger strikes. When fish follow the other baits but don’t quite commit, the Dropkick Shad often puts them over the edge to prompt a bite. Like with the underspin rig, Blaylock mostly swims the bait steadily, but he’ll experiment with variances to figure out the bass’ preferences any given day.