Harvest Moon Fishing - Tips For Fishing the Fall Transition
Seasonal bass patterns are fairly consistent across the country, but when they begin and how long they last depends on where you fish. The fall transition can be one of the tougher times to pattern bass as cooling water, changing vegetation, and roaming baitfish spread fish into different areas. Matt Allen and Tim Little of Tactical Bassin break down how to recognize the fall turnover, where to find bass, and which baits they rely on as conditions change.
What is the Fall Turnover?
One of the first signs of the fall transition is cooler nighttime temperatures. As Tim explains, when the sun goes down and you start reaching for a sweatshirt or jacket, it’s a good indication that water temperatures may also be starting to change. The timing varies by region and can happen even when daytime temperatures still feel like summer.
During warmer months, many lakes become stratified, with warmer water near the surface and cooler water below, separated by a layer called the thermocline. As surface temperatures cool in the fall, that separation begins to break down and the water column starts to mix. This process is known as fall turnover.
As conditions change, baitfish can spread throughout more of the water column, and bass often move with them. Understanding that shift is the first step in figuring out where to look for fish during the fall transition.
Where Do Bass Go in the Fall?
As the water cools and the thermocline breaks down, bass may begin moving into different areas. According to Tactical Bassin, where you find them often depends on where they spent the summer.
Bass that stayed shallow during the summer may continue using grass for cover, but the condition of that vegetation becomes increasingly important. Matt and Tim recommend focusing on healthy, green grass as other vegetation begins to die back. As healthy grass becomes harder to find, bass may shift to remaining vegetation or nearby hard structure, such as rock, wood, or docks.
Bass that spent the summer deeper often follow schools of baitfish during the fall. Surface activity can help you locate them, but don’t focus only on the fish feeding up top. Smaller bass may be chasing bait near the surface, while bigger fish can be holding underneath the school.
What Baits Should Your Use for Fall Bass Fishing?
Matt and Tim split their fall bait selection between shallow fish around grass and deeper fish following bait.
For shallow bass, some summer presentations will continue to produce, including frogs and other topwater baits. As the fall transition gets underway, Matt and Tim rely heavily on squarebill crankbaits, often keeping both a silent and rattling version ready. Chatterbaits and jerkbaits are also good options for covering shallow water and finding fish.
For deeper bass, they turn to deep-diving crankbaits like a 10XD or River2Sea Tactical DD Crank. When the fish want a slower presentation, flutter spoons and blade baits come into play. A flutter spoon is especially effective around schools of bait, where bigger bass may be holding underneath the fish feeding near the surface.
The fall transition can make bass harder to pattern, but the same clues can help you stay on fish. Pay attention to cooling water temperatures, healthy grass, and schools of bait to narrow down where bass are holding. Once you find them, adjust your bait selection based on whether the fish are shallow or deeper in the water column.
