Fishing With Kenny | Five For Fall

article by Kenny Covington

I have made it no secret over the years, my favorite time to be on the water, chasing bass is in the fall.  The scenery is breathtaking, most mornings the air has a bit of a bite in it, the waterways are not very crowded and best of all, the fish are biting.  What else could an angler ask for?

I guess one of the reasons I have always liked fall bass fishing, besides the already mentioned reasons, is due to the simplicity of the lures and techniques needed to have successful days on the water.  My number one rule of thumb is to cover water until I locate a productive area, then try to figure out how to maximize the area’s potential.  If that sounds simple, that is because it really is.

Over the years, I have narrowed down my approach to where I can depend on five lures to be productive for me, no matter where I am fishing.  Clear water lakes like Caney or Claiborne? Check. More stained water applications like Lake Darbonne?  Check.  Or what about the oxbows found scattered throughout our region?  Yep, these lures work there too!

Let me first say, before I get into my lure choices, nothing is absolute in this sport.  The most important thing to remember is adaptability.  Tweaking lures is something I have always loved to do and once I figure out what the bass will bite on a particular day, I begin trying to figure out what they might bite even better.  As an angler, to get the most out of your day, keep adjusting until you get it dialed in to what is going on.

My “Five for Fall” lures are as follows: a spinnerbait, a buzzbait, a rat l trap, a square billed crankbait and a small compact flipping jig.  That is my list and if you see me on the water in the month of October, you will find these tied on a rod in my boat.  One thing I want to clarify, I will tweak my lure sizes and colors based on the lake I am fishing.  Rarely does one size or style fit all.

My number one lure fall bass fishing lure of all time is a spinnerbait.  I have won tournaments on spinnerbaits year-round, but my favorite stretch of months is October through December.  With the introduction of a Chatterbait, the spinnerbait has fallen by the wayside, making it even more deadly than before.  My rule of thumb on spinnerbaits in the fall is quite simple, the cooler the water gets, the bigger the bait.  If the water is still relatively warm in October, I will use a moderately smaller profile bait, a ¼ double willow War Eagle is my favorite, to slow roll around various grass and hard cover.  As the water gets cooler I eventually will end up throwing a ¾ ounce version, fishing the lure in the same areas as before, but speeding up my retrieves, especially on cloudy or windy days.  I keep my color choices quite simple:  Spot Remover or Blue Glimmer work 90% of the time.

I do not know of a bass angler alive that does not like throwing a buzzbait.  What surprises me is how little anglers use them anymore.  Pick out your favorite size, color, tie it on and cover water with it. What is there not to like about that scenario?  If I had to pick only one buzzbait to use, it would be a ¼ ounce model in either black or white.  The key to this bait is the speed of the retrieve.  The idea is to keep the lure moving, where it just cuts the surface at a slow pace.  The strikes can be vicious or just a subtle movement of the water when the bass sucks it in.  One other aspect of a buzzbait, it can be good at catching fish but at times, it is an even better fish locator.

When I say fall bass fishing one of the first lures that comes to mind to serious bass anglers is a Rat L Trap.  I am willing to bet in the fall of the year, a chrome/blue Rat L Trap has caught more fish than about any other lure.  It has been catching bass since the 1970’s and it continues to catch fish today.  How is that for consistency?  Like my other fall lure choices, I keep things simple when choosing a Rat L Trap; I use either a ¼ or a ½ ounce and it is always a shad color.  Most times I will have both sizes tied on because fall bass can be finicky when it comes to bait size.  A quick tip: Always change your hooks out on Rat L Traps to the EWG style trebles, it will reduce the number of fish you lose.

How can any bass angler hit the water this fall and not throw a squarebill?  Fall bass fishing and a squarebill crankbait go together just like peanut butter and jelly.  It is a must have on the deck of your boat and just like when spinnerbait fishing, the size of your lure means everything.  The 1.5 size is the more popular among anglers, but I have found I have better luck in the fall throwing the larger 2.5 and 4.0 sizes.  The key to successful squarebill fishing is lure speed.  You must move it fast to get the lure to work for you.  You want it to come through the water at a good clip, not like you would slowly retrieve a lure.  Keep it moving and running into things, they will bite it!  

The last lure, a compact finesse flipping jig, is an excellent choice when picking apart an area after a school of fish has been located.  I use either a ¼ or a ½ once model and it is always black/blue with a matching trailer.  If I am casting the jig, I use the ½ ounce version but if I am flipping/pitching I use the smaller ¼ one.  I have found by keeping my sizes and colors simple, it keeps me from overthinking lure choices while I am on the water.

Well, it looks like we have run out of time and space again for another month.  Since we are now in hunting season please be careful and respectful to those we are sharing our woods and waters with.  Take care, catch one for me and I will see you next month!