For me personally, the summer is always one of the slowest seasons for catching fish in numbers. However, after the summer months and we transition into fall, I begin catching bass in better numbers. Here are a few tips on how to catch more bass in numbers.

Bass are triggered by a change in prey behavior…

Bass may no longer be suspended, and they begin to take notice of migrating and transitioning shad schools headed for shallow creeks and rivers. Bass won’t necessarily chase the shad all the way back into these areas, but rather, will find good ambush zones along the migration route that produce consistent baitfish travel. That being said, keep the bait moving! Your bait action should be more methodical this time of year with shorter pauses. Find ambush points, find the shad, and toss a shad imitation like a lipless or a jerk bait to attract bass this fall.

After shad, they change their diets…

Bass will forage on shad throughout the early to mid fall transition, but that slowly shifts. Crawfish become an incredibly important forage source for bass, and a much easier meal. This is one of my favorite bites of the year, because I absolutely love fishing a jig. I like a football head with a twin tail grub for more open water, but a narrower profile head to get in and around heavy cover. Be sure to carry a heavy action rod so you can work heavy vegetation with ease! Don’t skip out on good cover, and  get to throw a jig or another craw imitation to get explosive bites this fall. 

Hopefully this helps those that struggle during the fall transition.  A great fall bite is just a cast away so give these 2 tips a try and maybe you'll land a monster bass! Tight lines!