Fishing Lures: Win That Bass Tournament

So what will you use during that Fall bass tournament?  What fishing lure will create the best chance to win during Fall largemouth bass tournaments?  That's a massive discussion, but I'll attempt to offer my best advice.

1. Bass should show more signs of feeding activity as they prepare for long, cold winter days.

I enjoy fishing Fall Bass Tournaments for a number of reasons, but the main reason, I suspect, is that largemouth and smallmouth bass are typically more aggressive during September, October, and November.  As water temperatures drop and cloud-cover dominates the landscape, and as winds tend to increase, largemouth bass will be in their comfort zone.  Deep water summer patterns will transition into moderate depth and shallow feeding patterns.  Shad and other forage, like largemouth bass, will also make a move toward shallow cover, which means "go-time" for actively hunting bass.  With this in mind, power fishing usually comes into the picture.

2. Power Fishing for Success During Fall Months

Look, I've heard all the local discussions and the ongoing debates about hunger versus reaction strikes (the two ways to generate strikes/hits to land largemouth bass), but the simple fact remains: how will you, Mr. Tournament Angler, catch the fish you need to win a local, regional, or national tournament when the fish are not actively feeding?  I am a huge fan of finesse fishing, especially drop shot and shaky head presentations, but sometimes the fish cannot be tempted to eat through subtle, tricky means. In such situations, a reaction strike is absolutely necessary: big, fast fishing lures that bounce off cover will be your fishing salvage.

Even though bass are actively feeding during the fall months, you may need to trigger reaction strikes from those larger bass who are hiding next to broken stumps or on rock ledges.  Here are a few fishing lures that you should consider when the finesse bite seems to be sluggish:

Cranksbaits:

Go with shallow squarebill cranksbaits in the morning when bass will roam and attempt to trap unsuspecting shad.

Cast searching crankbaits for moderate to deep waters, especially off points or deeper cove inlets.  Your Norman DD22s and XCalibur deep divers work well in this situation.

Spinnerbaits:

Burn or slow roll your 1/4 oz to 1/2 oz spinnerbaits around submerged brush or surrounding timber.  Intentionally bumping and bouncing submerged is critical.

Strike King makes some of my favorite spinnerbaits.

Jigs:

And now we reach my favorite fishing lure!  Football head jigs and heavy shaky head jigs (slipper-shaped or football head jigs without skirts) are the ultimate reaction baits when used in a popping, fast pulling, or hopping technique.  These baits will generate largemouth strikes from those lurking females who are so difficult to catch.  Experiment with size, color, and presentation, but don't be afraid to rip those jigs off the bottom and watch for line movement!

This is merely a beginning to some of the techniques you can use, and a basic introduction to some of the fishing lures you might choose.  Check back for more detailed discussions about fishing lures from Lunkercatch.com.