Fall can be a finicky time of year when it comes to bass fishing. Some anglers resort to smaller offerings to draw a strike, baits that closely mimic the miniature baitfish often found in the cooling autumn waters. Others, like Brendan Brown of Dublin, Georgia, go the other way entirely.  

Brown is a big bait enthusiast, using glide baits, oversized topwaters and large Flukes throughout the year. He even handcrafts his own larger lures under his company name of Brown Bait Co.  

In the fall, there’s a one-two punch he leans heavily on. A large soft swimbait and a large wakebait. 

“Something like the 8-inch Magdraft,” Brown said. “Or Hud 68 Weedless is another one. And then I have the Bucca Bull Wake which is one of my favorites. Those are pretty much the baits that have so far been my favorites through the fall.” 

With these two lures styles, Brown can do a whole lot.  

“The wakebait is for throwing into cover, because it has that lip. And the Bucca one comes through cover amazing.” 

“Then the soft bait I usually use to cover water and draw those bigger fish in, because it’s a larger bait— it’s 8-inches. And I’m able to work it kind of slow or I can work it fast.” 

With these two lures, Brown can cover a fair amount of the water column.  

“I like to have a wakebait that I’m able to crank down to a foot, if it’s possible. That way I have a little bit of versatility. If there’s a stump that’s less than a foot down, I can crank it down there a little way and hit it off of that stump. And then I can bring it back to the surface and have it wake.” 

The Bull Shad is more affordable than most big swimbaits and wakebaits according to Brown, though he acknowledges it’s not cheap to most anglers.   

“It’s like 60 bucks, so it’s cheap in the swimbait world. But for everyone else its not super cheap.” 

Making sure he pairs this pricey of a bait with the right gear is key, to ensure he doesn’t lose his investment.  

“I use an 8-foot heavy action rod with a moderate fast action on the tip. The Dobyns 806 is a really good one. It’s cheap and it handles pretty much everything you’re going to throw from umbrella rigs to big glide baits.” 

The rod is a key element of his setup, and so is the line.  

“I usually use 20-pound Seaguar AbrazX (fluorocarbon). I have tried many other lines and that is the line to go with, for big baits anyway. It is top of the line. I’ve never had any issues with it. As long as you change it out every three months and check your knot every hour, you’re all good.” 

Using these baits in the fall, Brown offers something drastically different from the majority of the other anglers out on the water. Perhaps you’re already a fan of the bigger baits. But if you’re not, the fall is a great time to give these larger lures a try, and you may just fall in love with big bait fishing the way Brown has.