Spinnerbaits for Fall Bass Fishing: Tactics & Techniques

Fall bass fishing can offer anglers the opportunity of the season to catch big bass, however the season can also bring some tough fishing conditions as well. In the period of transition between summer and winter and the locations in the lake that the bass hold in each season, fall can be a mix of every season. The bass of fall can be shallow or deep or moving continuously in between. The season of change can make deciding what bait to use difficult.  From jigging to cranking then back to top water, then to soft plastics, an angler can end up throwing everything in his entire tackle box in a single weekend. However, many early fall anglers have great success by tying on one versatile lure, the spinnerbait. The blades of a spinnerbait and their configuration are an important part of the success of these baits in the fall. There are three basic blade types of blades, willow leaf, Indiana and the Colorado Blade. The thin profile of the willow leaf will perform best when ripped with a fast retrieve and provide an abundance of flash. The rounded Colorado blade will spin more slowly with less flash but provides a vibration that bass can feel through their lateral line in murky stained water. The Indiana blade is a hybrid of the two providing a good performance at slower speeds, vibration and some flash. Spinnerbaits offer enough versatility that it is difficult to fish them incorrectly. They can be fished either deep or shallow water. In the early fall as things begin to change, anglers can pitch these baits in and around shallow cover allowing them to bump rocks or wood while retrieving which will make them even more productive. In the early fall as the wind and dropping temperatures begin and the bass and the bait move shallow the spinnerbait is tough to beat. Cast and retrieve with a moderate speed just fast enough for keeping the bait just below the water surface, this is often all that is needed.  Later in the fall as the migration of the bait fish starts with the shorter days and the cooler nights begin to reduce the waters temperature, the bait fish will migrate to the creeks.  This is the time anglers will switch things up a bit by fishing a 3/8- to a 1/2-ounce spinnerbait with a combination of a Colorado blade and a willow blade. A good thing to remember is to retrieve a spinnerbait in a broken pattern by changing your retrieve speed once or twice on the way back. This can be enhanced by raising the rod tip slightly while reeling the lure to lift in the water column, and then lowering the rod and stop reeling, to allow spinnerbait fall or flutter. The change in vibration as the blades reverse direction from the fall can result in a reaction strike. If you are not getting hits and you are sure that you are on bass try removing the skirt and adding a grub to provide a different profile. As the weather changes the season brings fronts and rain along with cold snaps, the bass will tend to move to and from the deep water and the shallow areas. This is when a heavy spinnerbait tied on to fluorocarbon heavier line is sometimes needed when fishing the deeper drop off ledges. Anglers choosing a 1-ounce bait with twin willow leaf blades fished along the ledges of eight to twelve feet of water which can land some big bass. A productive presentation for fishing the fall ledges is to roll the bait slow enough to keep a connection with the bottom. The willow blades actually help keep to keep the bait lower as it is retrieved, whereas a Colorado blade would give the bait too much lift for this fall transition presentation. A fall technique that many anglers use with great success is to simply allow the spinnerbait fall to the bottom in deep water where fish are holding. Once the bait comes to rest the bait is then ripped up off the bottom with a fast retrieve, and then killing the bait allowing it to fall back to the bottom. Repeating this all the way back to the boat will often result in reaction strikes from big bass fish that have followed the lure. Using a 1/2- to 3/4-ounce willow leaf blade spinnerbait will put bass in the boat.  And the last point to remember is if bass are hitting your spinnerbait and missing the lures, change the blade color from silver to gold before changing the type of blade that you are using. The versatility of the spinnerbait has made it a staple in many tackle boxes and a favorite go to bait for many anglers all year. Custom baits like the once featured in this post made by Bass Attacker, gives anglers an even greater advantage by providing the needed blade combinations detailed for various applications along with the custom colors to match the forage found in any body of water.  Every bait made is designed to meet the needs of any situation in any season and armed with sharp Trokar hooks. Hours or R and D complete the needed design of the final results. Happy Fishing!