Fall gives Mississippi sportsmen abundant opportunities to pursue various outdoors activities, including some of the best bass fishing of the year. In the fall, anglers might not land the giants they catch in late winter before the big girls spawn, but fishermen can put excellent numbers in the boat.
Bass fishing in the fall largely depends upon shad. As the weather cools and the leaves change, bass fatten up on high-protein threadfin shad before the really cold weather hits — if it does. Find the shad, and anglers should find the bass.
The best fall lures imitate shad; these include conventional shad-pattern crankbaits, lipless rattling baits in chrome/blue or chrome/chartreuse, swimbaits and chrome spoons.
For the most fun, whether throwing at schooling bass chasing shad or plugging along shorelines and flats waiting for a strike, nothing compares to a big, hungry bass smashing a topwater bait. Water takes much longer to change temperature than air, so even on a cold, November day, the water could remain relatively warm, so bass stay feeding in the shallows and might hit topwater temptations all day-long.
“In the fall, I like to throw topwaters around grass and wood,” said veteran pro fisherman Dean Rojas. “Topwaters are one of the best fall baits. Usually, the bite is from bigger fish. The fish have been feeding on shad all summer, so they are fat and healthy.”
Pop, walk, jerk
Anglers can use various types of topwaters. Poppers displace water with curved surfaces at their noses. Prop baits come with tiny propellers on the nose, tail or both ends that thrash the surface like tiny motors. Anglers can fish either of these lures around any visible cover, including weed beds, stump fields, fallen trees, docks or shorelines.
Poppers require slow, deliberate movement. Cast a popper to a likely spot and let it sit a few moments until the rings dissipate, then pop it and let it sit again. Anglers can work prop baits the same way or run them across the surface like floating buzzbaits.
An outstanding bait for tempting schoolies or searching for bass, walk-the-dog or walking baits zig-zag across the surface like crippled baitfish. These large, heavy baits sail long distances. Use a 3- to 4-inch walking bait when bass are feeding mostly on smaller shad and throw 6- to 8-inch baits when bass prefer big shad. Larger-profile baits can call in fish from a distance. Work them with a steady, slashing retrieve at varied speeds. Pause periodically so the bait sits still on the water a few moments.
Jerkbaits also produce excellent action in the fall for schooling bass or around cover. Jerkbaits look like long, slender crankbaits with small lips that make the bait dive and wobble enticingly when an angler jerks the rod tip. Some jerkbaits float, and others suspend or slowly sink. When fishing floaters, pop the rod to make the lure gurgle on the surface before diving a foot or two. Then, pause the retrieve so the lure floats back to the surface. Anglers can also reel jerkbaits slowly and steadily so the lip creates an erratic, wobbling action just below the surface.
“I love fishing jerkbaits,” said Alabama pro Randy Howell, a Bassmaster Classic champion. “I use them in the fall when the water starts to cool and fish start chasing baitfish, but they are effective all year-long. They’re extremely versatile lures that can be fished in many different situations. Jerkbaits are very good for targeting non-active fish and provoking reaction strikes.”
Slow-sinking or suspending jerkbaits look almost identical to floaters, but with more heft. Some come with rattles for more enticement. Some come with metal balls that move inside the lure to transfer weight forward for longer casts. In open water, like along a sloping point or over a hump, jerkbaits can pull bass up to the surface.
“I prefer suspending jerkbaits,” Howell said. “When the angler stops the retrieve, it just hovers in the strike zone, giving fish a chance to eat it. When it’s moving, fish often trail it. When it stops in their face, they eat it reactively. To get really good with a jerkbait, fish it with a ‘pop, pop, stop — pop, pop, stop’ cadence. Pause a couple seconds between the fall and the start-back. That causes the bait to go side-to-side with kind of a walking motion similar to the action of a walk-the-dog topwater bait, but under the water.”
As the water cools, switch to thin, flat-sided crankbaits. With tighter wobbles, these baits closely mimic the shape and movement of threadfin shad. To a bass, those vibrations also feel very similar to the natural vibrations created by a live shad swimming.
Under the umbrella
Another hot technique for tempting schooling bass is casting throw an Alabama rig or similar multi-bait presentations made by other companies. All variants essentially consist of three or more wires coming off a single, lead wire that looks like the frame of an umbrella. Tipped with soft-plastic swimbaits, the entire rig resembles a baitfish school, triggering intense, competitive feeding instincts in predatory fish. Hungry bass might rise to attack a tempting school of baitfish fluttering over their heads.
“An umbrella rig is a really awesome fishing technique,” said pro Paul Elias of Laurel, a former Bassmaster Classic champion. “The neat thing about it is that anglers can rig it any way they want to rig it. The weights and the types of baits determine how deep someone will fish with it. I normally throw it with five swimbaits. The bass thinks he’s about to get a mouthful of baitfish.”
Among the oldest and most versatile baits on the market, spinnerbaits can entice bass from top to bottom all year-long. The whirling blades mimic the flashing of white baitfish. The blades also send vibrations pulsating throughout the water column, provoking reaction strikes.
Gather at the river
In the fall, some of the best fishing occurs in rivers like the Pearl and Pascagoula. Traditionally, rivers drop to their lowest and clearest water levels in the fall, concentrating fish in main channels. In coastal river deltas, anglers can catch huge numbers of bass and possibly tangle with some salty species like redfish on the same baits at the same time.
“The Pascagoula River is really great for bass numbers, especially in the fall when the temperature gets a little cooler,” said Stephen Brown, a biologist with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. “Typically, the tributaries hold clearer water. That’s usually where people find the bass. The Escatawpa River is another good place to look for bass. It has some really good spotted bass as well as largemouth.”
Even the mighty Mississippi usually drops in the fall. The Father of Waters periodically floods, refills and renews backwaters and oxbows. Some of the ancient oxbow lakes, like Chotard, Albemarle, Eagle and Washington, can produce incredible bass fishing in the fall.
“When the water levels are right, active oxbows offer some of the best fishing in the state because they are so rich in nutrients,” said Ryan Jones, an MDWFP biologist. “The flood pulse that periodically brings nutrients back into the lake boosts production. People can enter Chotard from the river when the level is about 13 feet at Vicksburg. When the river has been high and starts a slow fall, it also pulls water from other smaller lakes like Tennessee and Airplane. When that happens, bass stack up at little cuts and points, eating anything that comes out of those backwater areas. Anglers catch a lot of 6- to 8-pound bass in Eagle Lake.”
Reservoir choices
Every fall, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lowers the water levels in the “Big Four” flood-control lakes of northern Mississippi: Arkabutla, Enid, Grenada and Sardis. More known for great catches of crappie, these four lakes can also produce good largemouth action. Enid probably tops the list. Anglers sometimes catch 8-pound bass there.
Always a favorite, Pickwick Lake in northeast Mississippi has produced many double-digit largemouth, including some exceeding 14 pounds, plus monster smallmouth over the years. Another perennial favorite, Ross Barnett Reservoir near Jackson, consistently ranks very high for numbers, but it also holds some double-digit fish.
“Ross Barnett has a lot of pads, some coontail and water hyacinths,” Elias said. “It has many shallow stumps. I like to throw a black buzzbait or a chartreuse and white spinnerbait and bounce it off the logs and stumps. Pickwick is probably the second-best lake on the Tennessee River chain, second only to Guntersville.”
Many smaller lakes and ponds in parks and the public fishing lake program can also produce outstanding fall fishing. Many of these small waters receive very little pressure, even during peak fishing times.
When cooler weather hits, most pleasure boaters and skiers disappear until the spring, and thousands of hunters head to the forests, fields, swamps and marshes to pursue game. Therefore, Mississippi bass anglers could find themselves alone over the hottest honey holes at the best time of year to fish them.
Cast-and-blast opportunities
With so many options available in the fall, Mississippi sportsmen face the dilemma of deciding whether to fish or hunt. Why agonize over that choice? Do both with a cast-and-blast adventure.
When paddling a canoe, kayak or other small craft, sportsmen can fish for bass while listening for any squirrel activity. Keep a gun in a convenient but safe place for opportunities that arise. Gliding along silently in a human-powered boat, sportsmen can sneak up on squirrels where thick growth makes walking nearly impossible.
Many people hunt and fish in teams. One person sits in the bow ready for action, while the other controls the boat. This creates an excellent opportunity for children to enjoy the outdoors. In a boat, children sit in relative comfort. Boaters could carry snacks and refreshments to take occasional breaks.
Besides squirrels, people might jump wood ducks during waterfowl season. Sportsmen could also spot an occasional rabbit hopping along the shoreline, possibly a feral hog or other legal game. Public lands along the Pascagoula River probably offer the best cast and blast options, but Mississippi sportsmen can try this type of adventure anywhere they can float a kayak or canoe where it’s safe and legal to hunt.
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