50-fish days? Potbellied lunkers? Fall fishing can produce plenty of both, and nothing gets the job done better than a selection of quality spinnerbaits, coupled with knowledge of the most-productive retrieves.
Some signs of fall all of us recognize: Leaves are turning colors, days are getting shorter, and more importantly, the water temperature begins to drop. All of this means that it is time for some fantastic fall bass fishing!
Right now is when anglers have the opportunity to catch not only good numbers of bass, but also some of the biggest bass of the year. Like most any time of the year, there are many lures and techniques that will tempt fall bass, but one of my favorite ways to catch both largemouth and smallmouth bass in the fall is with a spinnerbait. The spinnerbait is a simple lure—a lead head on a wire frame with one or more blades—yet these versatile lures are so much more than that. Use them correctly and you can’t help but increase your fall bass hookups.
Bass in the fall have one thing on their minds, food! They are bulking up for the long winter ahead of them and gorge themselves on a variety of available forage. The high-protein shad that most fall bass are targeting are going to be in shallow water: along flats, or holding on points, in most cases grouped in large schools. These areas will warm quickly as the sun gets up over head, which will attract the baitfish and in turn, lure hungry bass.
