Fishing with Kenny | Fall Phase 2 & 3, When Bigger is Better

article by  KENNY COVINGTON

Anyone who has followed me through the years writing “Fishing with Kenny” for BayouLife Magazine, knows I love fishing in the fall of the year, more than any other season. Hunting season is usually in full swing, the lakes do not have an abundance of pleasure boaters and best of all, the fish are usually in the mood to bite.

So, with the complexity of our having kept tournament records for several years, I categorized fall bass fishing into three phases and fish each accordingly.  While each phase is a precursor to the next and each has a distinct identity.  The first phase is the late summer/early fall, the second phase is a full-blown fall scenario, and the last phase is the late fall/early winter.  It is the later two phases I will focus on in today’s article, because in both instances, going bigger is better.

The first thing I want to do explain are the two key features of Stage II and Stage III of fall fishing and both are weather related.  Once you get the first major cold front of October or even as late as November, Phase II comes to life.  With this weather change, the water temperature will consistently begin dropping to its winter lows.  With this change in water temperature, the migration of baitfish, most noticeably shad, will begin and the bass will follow.

The third stage takes place once the water temperatures get below 50 degrees and stays there for extended periods of time.  It is during this phase where fishing can still be good, but it takes longer to uncover potential areas and patterns.  Regardless of the phase, I am looking for areas that will produce in both.

Two examples I would like to use for the sake of this article are two tournaments I won, both in the month of November, on the same lake, but several years apart.  I won the first tournament in the first week of November; the water temperatures were in the high fifties to low sixties, and I caught over twenty pounds, easily winning the event by a margin of 12 lbs., catching everything on a topwater lure.

I fished the second tournament the weekend after Thanksgiving; the weather was brutal with sleet and ice and the temperature never got above 35 degrees, with water temperatures in the low 50’s and high forties.  Again, I won the tournament quite easily fishing a spinnerbait on grass flats, the same areas I won the tournament on the topwater lure.

The key to both events was my choice of lures and the size of both.  When you get into the later fall patterns and scenarios, I have found that fish prefer larger baits than they do other times of the year.  The topwater lure I chose was a Heddon Super Spook, and the spinnerbait I used was a ¾ ounce version with a #6 willow leaf blade.  The size of both lures diminished the number of bites I would get; however, I knew the bites I would get would be from a better than average size fish.  

Another example when going bigger is better is the size of the squarebill crankbait I throw.  The 1.5 size is easily the most popular size, and a few people will throw the 2.5 version, but I have found the 4.0 version the be the best once the water cools into the fifties.  I have always believed when bass are feeding up for the winter, they much prefer to use their energy chasing something that will fill them up quickly, especially when it comes to catching the larger ones.

I spoke earlier about fishing a Super Spook, but I have also had good success using the larger Whopper Plopper for late fall fish.  It is something they do not see as much as they once did, and I believe the appetite for a bigger meal on top of the water is too hard to pass up.  Another often overlooked lure this time of year is the buzzing frog style of lures like a Ribbit or a Horny Toad; both can be deadly.

Before I forget, here is a quick note about spinnerbaits:  I seldom use anything smaller than a ½ ounce this time of year and I always add a fluke style soft plastic swim bait as a trailer.  I want as big of a profile as I can create while being able to slow my retrieve down, no matter the depth of water I am fishing.  This is especially effective when fishing scattered grass.

The last lure choice I want to give you as a jig.  It is just as good of a fish catcher now as it was fifty years ago in cooler water.  In fact, I have always believed if I chose one lure to fish in November, without knowing the weather conditions, it would be a ½ Black/blue Strike King Structure Jig with a matching Rage Craw trailer.  If there is a better jig combination to throw on any body of water, I do not know what it is.

The key to the jig is patience and presentation.  I do better by making multiple pitches and flips to my intended targets or several casts to potential areas.  If I know a fish is there, I tend to make sure I am more thorough with my presentations.  Cypress trees relating to deep water seem to always hold fish, but I have also had good success fishing a jig around boat docks during this time.  More than anything, this lure will catch quality fish.

Well, it looks as though we have burned up our space and time for this month.  I sure hope we were able to share with you a few tips that will make your next trip on the water a successful one.  Keep in mind the other anglers and outdoors enthusiasts on the water and be cautious and courteous when you can.  Catch one for me, and I will see you next month!