Windows of Opportunity - Patterning Fall Largemouth!

One of my favorite periods to chase largemouth bass (outside of pretty much all the time lol) is in the fall long after tournament season has wrapped up for most of us. It's a time when masses of fish often group together in predictable locations, and with a bit of experimentation can cough some of the biggest fish you'll catch all season.Timing is everything in the fall. Typically there is a really good early morning bite; however, it can often be relatively short lived. When water temps dip and are consistently in the mid-to low mid-50's the mid-day bite is often where it's at - no need to beat the band and get to your A-spot for first light at this time of year. Where I live in Southern Ontario, late September and the month of October is what I would consider prime time for my favorite "early-to-mid fall" patterns. After a week or two of cooler weather, the weed-filled shallow water haunts where a lot of largemouth have spent their summer become inhospitable for bass. The cold nights chill the shallows sometimes by as much as 15 or more degrees F, and these temperature fluctuations play havoc with their metabolism. Largemouth are essentially "forced" out of these areas in droves, the bigger the shallow flat, the more fish that can be pushed into more confined areas. Depending on the lake(s) you fish, a number of baitfish species actually do the opposite; shiners and shad for example actually take to the shallows in the fall. When the bass and baitfish collide - the fishing can be truly outstanding. The net result for the angler willing to follow this progression produces some of the absolute best largemouth fishing of the year. The first predictable mega-bite occurs on mid-depth flats immediately out from those shallow lillypad, wild rice, cattail or pencil reed filled areas. Mid-depth is a relative and may be anywhere from 4 to 7 FOW. There is still needs to be some form of cover these flats or the largemouth will simply follow the shoreline or some form of deeper ditch or drain to deeper more stable water conditions. The key is having cover; it could be coontail, milfoil, or any submerged weed growth, and if you throw in some rock piles or wood - you have the makings for some light's out fishing for the next couple/few weeks. This is not a time for light-line, weightless stick-worms, and "finnessy" presentations. A lot of these fish will absolutely pounce on and crush a moving bait or noisy topwater lure; yet, the very same fish won't swim 3-feet for a quit presentation with a soft plastic morsel unless you hit them on the head with it. Most days fishing largemouth in the fall you simply trigger more bites with a more aggressive presentation. Light line, small jigs, and the venerable drop-shot most definitely play a role in the fall; but that's a little later during late-fall when the water really cools down, fish go deeper, and is a whole other topic for conversation. With the photo-period increasingly shorter now the bass instinctively know it's time to strap on the ol' feedbag and fatten up before the cold water period sets in. For the most part, as mentioned this is not a time to be pitching and flipping smaller soft plastics. This is glory time for the power fisherman throwing faster moving baits; spinnerbaits, crankbaits like my go-to SPRO Fat John 60, and bladed-jigs for example, all score well especially for the first half of the fall period. But of course, the best of all is that there is a phenomenal top-water bite at this time of year. It's not uncommon to see scads of baitfish schooling on or near the surface at this time of year; it seems as though the bass know this too and invariably are constantly "looking up". I have an army of top water baits that include; SPRO Bronzeye Frogs and Shads, walking baits, chuggers, poppers, and buzzbaits that are all equally effective tools. When the bite is "ON", it really doesn't seem to matter what your dragging on the surface, largemouth attack it with reckless abandon. Of course, like any other time of year, there are notable windows of opportunity when the fish light up and the fishing is super easy. Recognizing the differences in presentations and the different triggering qualities of each bait is what makes all the difference in the world when the fish aren't actively feeding. Colder water generally increases or heightens a fish's sensitivity to presentation in my opinion. I've had fish pegged on a 4-foot flat, and fished right through them with moving baits like spinnerbaits, a bladed-jig or crankbaits; so much so, you wouldn't even know they were there! Make the switch to a walking topwater or a popper and its game on. Refining it even further, there is a difference between walking baits and poppers too. For most of the year my rule of thumb is in clearer water I tend to reach for a popper, whereas in more stained conditions the walking bait seems to garner more attention. At this time of year though, it seems to be more about the fish's overall activity level. If the fish are neutral (catchable but not actively feeding) the walking bait is what I reach for first; it's offers bigger profile and calls out to a bigger area allowing me to cover more water efficiently. When largemouth are in a real funk (like after a severe cold front) the smaller profile and slower cadence with a popper is the deal. Paying attention to how the fish are responding to whatever your throwing is really key to consistently catching fish any time of year. In the fall though, it's especially important as we experienced recently on a largemouth fishery in southern Ontario. The first of two days presented a calm cloudy morning and the fish responded well to a walking SPRO Dawg topwater bait. A seemingly insignificant small cold front moved through mid-morning and killed the bite with sunny skies. We could only get a few fish to respond mid-day and had to use a SPRO McStick110 to get them to bite. By mid-afternoon, a few more clouds came in with a decent wind and while fishing the exact same location they lit up again. This time however, we couldn't buy a fish on a top-water. They were totally committed to running down a spinnerbait. Interestingly, the very next day we fished other species on the same body of water (Crappie, bluegill) and stopped in for a late afternoon "visit" with those fish that we blasted the day before. This day though was dominated by a much more intense cold front/ high-pressure system and complete blue-bird skies. We couldn't buy a fish on spinnerbait that they were absolutely crushing the very day before in spite of a solid wind and a decent chop on the water. A step back in progression, we reached for a squarebill and got a couple of fish to flare on it but couldn't hook-up. First cast with a walking bait and we connect - YES! But after another 15-20 minutes and a missed bite, that wasn't the answer. Out came discontinued SPRO HydraPOP60, a long-time favorite popper of mine, and that was the answer. Not only did they want it - but slashed wildly when they exploded on it. The fish wanted a slower cadence, with a longer pause and a smaller profile. These kinds of adjustments are really important and a great example of how paying attention to how fish are responding (or NOT responding) to a type of presentation gives you clues to what they will bite and how they want it. I hope some of these insights help you recognize your next "Window of Opportunity".