Live
Bait Bass: Matching the Hatch the Easy
Way
What’s a
productive big bass technique for late
fall? Get on board with the bait Mother
Nature provided.
By:
Andrew Ragas
Date Posted: December 1, 2011
Most
bass anglers will cringe at the concept
of fishing with live bait, let alone the
thought of ever using it. Putting the
ego aside, as water temperatures at your
favorite bodies of water cool down to
below 50 degrees in mid to late fall,
fishing with live bait is an excellent
option for catching largemouth and
smallmouth bass.
I was
introduced to bass fishing at a young
age by strictly live bait fishing. Until
I learned how to successfully fish with
artificial lures, it was the most
effective way I’ve ever fished. To this
day I still utilize live bait techniques
when presented with the right
opportunities for them. Fishing with
live bait and the success that can be
had with it isn’t a secret. When the
fishing becomes difficult during the
cold water period, anglers frequently
turn to jigging and rigging for bass
with live minnows.
Fish
Behaviors
During
the cold water period, the activity
levels and feeding attitudes of fish may
be anywhere from active and neutral to
negative. Falling water temperatures
slow down metabolic processes and fish
activity decreases. In these situations,
natural lakes offer anglers an
opportunity to catch big late season
bass.
There
are several keys to understanding bass
during the cold water period. The first
is realizing that the combination of
falling water temperatures and
diminishing light levels, along with
several other factors such as turnover
and oxygen levels, stimulate bass to
shift their locations into deeper water
habitat areas in preparation for winter.
For
instance, during the fall and wintering
staging process, bass in natural lakes
are usually concentrated around drop-off
areas found at the ends of bars and
flats that are close to the lake basins.
Fish also seek out transition areas from
harder to softer bottom, such as sunken
islands and deep rock humps. A forage
base near these areas is critical for
sustaining fish.
Late Fall
Locations
SMALLMOUTH BASS –
The fall cold water
period is a peak time for catching
trophy smallmouths. I’ve found that the
best deep water locations are typically
found far away from shorelines and as
close to the main lake basin as
possible. For smallmouth bass, a long,
shallow bar protruding far into the lake
before dropping sharply into the lake
basin is a prime location. The most
productive drop-offs are those that are
not entirely rock covered, but rather
scattered rocks with a combination of
sand and mud, and include several other
transition points.
During
fall, smallmouths spend considerable
time near a lake’s basin, and as the
season progresses, they make more
consistent use of deeper water. The best
smallmouth areas are usually in deeper
water, but the most common basin depths
they prefer seems to range anywhere from
25-60 feet.
LARGEMOUTH BASS –
Cooling water
temperatures cause largemouths to
aggregate around any cover they can
find. In most lakes, they move to steep
sloping contours where they can
frequently change depths. These areas
are classic winter sanctuaries for large
numbers of fish.
In fall,
the shallowest habitat progressively
becomes less suitable for largemouths.
Fish that have been residing in shallow
weeds during the summertime months
transition first to shallow flats before
eventually making their way over to
cover found near drop-offs. Common areas
are laydowns and weedlines, and depths
may range from 15 to 40 feet. Green weed
patches, usually found on drop-offs, are
a giveaway late fall location for bass
in natural lakes. It is important to
note that not all weedgrowth dies off
and decays at the same time, and those
that remain alive and green throughout
the cold water period concentrate fish
the most.
Why Live
Bait
When
bass are in a neutral or negative
feeding mood, a slow presentation
produces more and bigger fish than a
rapid retrieve. Live bait is meant to be
fished slowly, but also possesses the
added triggering effects of natural
scent, profile, taste, and action. Live
baits ranging in size from 3 to 6 inches
are presented most effectively in deeper
water where inactive fish are more
likely to be found, and should be an
option whenever encountered with
difficult conditions.
The
diversity of prey and the appetite of
bass leads to great fishing
opportunities with live bait. When fall
fishing conditions are difficult such as
cold fronts, wintery weather, high
winds, or when fish are suspending, live
bait is often the best method for
attaining a good day’s catch.
Live
bait is available in several shapes and
sizes and include chubs, suckers, shad,
shiners, and even juvenile panfish
species such as young of the year
bluegills and perch. Each possess
differing triggering effects, and are
best fished in their native lakes. In
many waters, bass that are wary of lures
often go for live bait that is presented
in a natural way.
Gear and
Techniques
Both
largemouth and smallmouth bass occupy a
wide range of fall habitat and forage on
so many prey types that live bait
fishing becomes diverse. Conventional
rigs range from hooks and jigs tipped
with bait to intricately balanced
systems that involve floats, sinkers,
swivels, beads, and leaders.
During
the fall, I predominantly fish by three
methods: Live bait rigs; Slip bobber
rigs, and jigs.
Live
bait rigs such as the famed legendary
Lindy Rig are good for locating inactive
bass in deep water while drift fishing.
Rigged through the lips, my bait is used
to slowly troll or drift along the bases
of drop-offs and weedlines. The bullet
weight or walking sinker should slip on
the line and always make contact with
the bottom. To improve their
effectiveness and to potentially trigger
more bites from lethargic fish, I
sometimes add a flashy spinner just
above the hook, and may even attach a
small adjustable float to keep the bait
hovering slightly above bottom. Live
bait rigs are among the best when
searching for fish because they allow
for quick coverage, and are best fished
with a controlled drift by utilizing a
combination of the wind and your boat’s
electric trolling motor.
A
secondary option I like to use, which
taught me how to bass fish and has
caught several large fish for me in the
past, is the slip bobber rig. These
float rigs work great when drifting
baits across flats, and when anchored or
positioned along drop-offs and deep
weedlines. The slip bobber rig is known
more as a year-round big walleye
producer when fish are on shallow
structure and in cover, but it has its
time and place with bass fishing as
well. It is lethal when fish are
suspended or want a vertical
presentation. Best of all, it easily
detects bites.
Finally,
leadhead jigs are frequently used to
cast either to cover or deep water, and
fish best when bottom bouncing and
vertical jigging is required. I use jigs
ranging in size from a light 1/16 ounce
size to a heavy ½ ounce size. Lighter
jigs are for shallower water while
heavier jigs are for deeper water. I
fish jigs best by letting them sink to
the bottom and then retrieving them with
a gentle lift and popping manner as most
strikes occur on the pause as it drops
back down.
When
fishing with live bait, I use tackle
that is sensitive to detect light bites,
but is also strong enough to pull fish
up from the depths. It’s easiest to fish
live bait on a medium to medium-heavy
moderately fast action spinning rod and
reel. I usually use a 7 foot Quantum
Tour Edition rod in either action with a
size 30 spinning reel spooled with limp,
easy casting 8 lb. line. Some favorite
lines for this style of fishing are
P-Line Fluoroclear and Cortland
Endurance.
How live
bait is fished depends on the type of
bottom and depth of water. When a fish
hits, I normally let the fish run for a
few seconds before setting the hook. By
staying patient and ready with the hook
set I ensure myself of a properly hooked
fish rather than one that is either
gut-hooked or difficult to release.
Besides a timely hook set, another issue
to keep in mind is that bass from the
deep are prone to burst their swim
bladders. This occurs during fast fights
in which fish are rapidly pulled up from
deep water. When fighting fish from the
deep, always be sure to take your time,
and gradually play it up to the boat so
that damage is prevented, and the fish
can be released to swim away.
Conclusion
When
bass are active participants during your
late fall excursion and are still
interested in feeding, fishing with live
bait can be a very exciting and
refreshing break from fast paced lures
and the ‘run and gun’ mentality that
most serious bass anglers have.
With the
different options of using
naturally-caught and trapped prey fish,
or store-bought bait fish, matching the
hatch has never been as easy like this
for bass fishing in the fall.
