Friday, October 24, 2014

It's Football Season, So Grab Your Gear and Hit the Lake!


Dancing the Fall Jig
I split my time between Michigan and Pennsylvania where fall means Lions, Spartans and Wolverines. But as my fellow iBass360 Pro-staffer Freddy Roman experienced recently when the bass he caught still had remnants of crawdad stuck in its throat, fall also means football jigs. Jigs in 3/8 to 1/2 ounce can change the game for football fans fishing for bass when the cold windy days and dropping water temperature cause the bite to be finicky. 

The football jig with appropriate soft plastic, closely resembles the bass' favorite meal- the crawfish. the color selection for fall should be natural, closely resembling the molting crayfish. A stand-up jig will give you the same effect as will the swinging jighead. Vary your selection to match the hatch- from green pumpkin, black & blue, purple, brown, orange and red hues for both the skirts and the trailers. So, this fall, when you think of football, set the DVR to record the game and head out to the lake to enjoy some of the best football of the season.  

Getting Crankier this Fall
So if jigging isn't your thing, and the baitfish as still boiling, maybe you need to be cranky. Fall bass are moving deeper as they chow down on pods of shad, alewives and other baitfish in preparation for winter. Therefore,  fishing crank baits might just be your ticket this fall. One old pro trick to get your baits to the action is to shave the bill of your crankbait to get the maximum depth. Just take a file and shave down the bottom edge at the front of the bill until the edge of the bill is sharpened to a thin point. This sharpened bill cuts through the water providing a deeper dive and a different sound due to the change in water displacement.

There are a variety of crankbaits that are effective in fall. Suspending jerkbaits, lipless cranks- rattlin even better, and the deep divers and square bills. Once you know where the bait is, you can adjust your presentation to the style of choice- the bass' choice that is. Grab your gear and the crankbait boxes- you may just find them to be the perfect the enticement for that big trophy you were looking for- and no, I don't mean the Lombardi trophy. Tight lines and live the passion!












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