Fall Bass Fishing in Texas | It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Fall bass fishing is truly the most wonderful time of the year for chasing largemouth in Texas. The big shad are shallow. Largemouth are in binge-eating mode. There are comfortable, cool mornings, moderate days, and amazing sunsets to enjoy. Here is how you can turn fall into the best bass fishing of the year.

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How to Unlock the Full Potential of Fall Bass Fishing

My absolute favorite moment of the year on the water is the harvest moon rising as the sun sets. This combination is magical for the senses and huge fish! Check for full moons and be on the water from 4 p.m. on the night of. If the skies are clear, fishing late into a full moon can produce some great fish. However, I rarely experience good fishing the morning and day after a full moon. I think the fish feed through the night and by daylight they are as full as the moon.

Fishing before a cold front hits can be even more fantastic in the fall. Keep your eye on the weather and plan to go fishing before a cold front arrives. After the first big cold front of the year arrives, the bass bite usually turns on after 24 hours, in a big way! These can be great times to get on a big bite.

Goto Fall Fishing Lures

Shad patterns rule the fall. This means some of my favorite lures are hot!

The Topwater Bite is Still On

With bass feeding shallow on baitfish, it’s tough to beat a Berkley Choppo and a buzzbait. Both lures allow you to cover water quickly and draw fish from some distance away. While early and late remain the best times to fish these lures into the fall, schooling bass will hit them throughout the day. Keep your head up and look for schooling bass chasing large bait balls. Then enjoy some back-to-back action-packed catches on top.

Square Bill Crankbaits

I love fishing square bills year-round but they really shine in early fall. Fish around rocks and grass. Bass will key on lone stands of vegetation in early fall. When you find a place where rocks and grass meet it can create some memorable catches. This is also a great way to find big fish cruising the shallows for an easy meal.

My two favorite crankbaits are the Berkley Square Bull in Gilly and the Rapala DT-4 in Shad.

Spinnerbaits

Fall is the time of year spinnerbaits can shine. War Eagle makes a great spinner-bait. Finding a spinnerbait with a skirt held in place by wire is a must for me. The little rubber band just breaks down too easily. A high-quality spinnerbait can last much longer. War Eagle fits the bill. During fall I like Sexy Shad and White Hot Shad depending on the forage fish.

Lipless Crankbaits

As water temps near 60 degrees, it’s time to move to lipless crankbaits. I will stick with a Sexy Shad pattern during early fall. As fall progresses, I will move towards darker patterns and deeper presentations.

Swim Baits

It is difficult to beat swimbaits for big bites in early fall. The Yamamoto Heart Tail Swimbait in Goby was my favorite from late spring to early fall. When water temps start to drop I will move to a smaller swimbait. However, it has become hard to find and more expensive.

If the bite is really tough it a great finesse presentation is the Keitech Swing Impact in varying sizes depending on the lake. I love to take a Swing Impact in slight blue ghost or green pumpkin chartreuse and dip the tail in chartreuse Spike-it Garlic Dip and Glow. This presentation can save the day when the skunk is breathing down your neck.

Recently, the MegaBass Magdraft has become my favorite.  From small ponds to lakes it will get big and small bites.  The pre-rigged treble increases your hook-up rate and the MB Gizzard is fantastic.  I can’t recommend this highly enough as a bank fisherman.

Fall Bass Fishing | One Last Cast

Fall can be fantastic. If you have the chance to get out, do it! These presentations will give you the chance at some days you will never forget.

One final tip: ALWAYS have your favorite soft-plastic tied on waiting in the wings. If you miss a fish, quickly throw your follow-up bait back into the spot. Similarly, if you caught a number of fish in an area and the bite has slowed, toss your soft plastic a few times before moving on. Often times you will be able to coax another bite or two.

We are itching to get out this fall and enjoy some cool mornings and evenings. We hope you are able to make time to get out as well. Fall has produced some amazing memories through the years. Most importantly, we hope you are able to use some of these tips and lures to get out and find thePerfectCombo Fishing where you live.

Until next time, tight lines and fin times!