Like Finding a Needle in a Haystack

That, in essence, is how pro bass fisherman Sammy Burks (left) of Joplin, MO, likened the problem many bass anglers have when summer temperatures finally begin to give way to the coolness of fall...otherwise known as a transition period.

Incidentally, Joplin is located just 60 miles from my hometown. I know because, in my younger days, I wore a path to the front door of a girl who was in nurse's training there. However, I digress.

The reason these anglers struggle so much during this period, according to Burks, is that bass leave their deep-water summer haunts, start moving around, and become difficult to find.  

"Historically speaking," he said, "if you look back at records of bass-fishing tournaments, weights are way down during September. They begin moving shallower and shallower, and they disperse.

"It's a crazy situation," he continued. "Where you find them in the morning, they won't be in the afternoon."

Burks explained that these challenges were highlighted during a September tournament he once fished on Lake Amistad in Texas.

"I weighed in 27 pounds the first day and caught them all in the first two hours," he noted. "On the second day, I went back to the same place and caught 2 pounds, which dropped me from first place to 16th. The third day, I weighed 17 pounds and finished 10th."

The problem was that baitfish hadn't committed to any one location.

"It's all about the bait," said Burks. "They're moving around, and the bass move with them. The solution to this unpredictability? Throw out the rule book.

"Basically, don't stop practicing," Burks urged. "You can find them, and two hours later, they can be gone. Pattern fishing is almost out the window. A key to making the most of your opportunities is being prepared to make quick lure changes."

The Joplin pro went on to say he keeps 20 rods on the deck, containing a variety of lures designed to cover the whole water column...everything from topwaters to bottom structure-fishing baits.

"I might have four different crankbaits tied on, but I'm still prepared to change to other baits," he explained, "because I know the reputation of fish in September."

According to Burks, many anglers often take advantage of schools they see feeding on the surface. However, electronics is a huge part of his strategy.

"The shad are still balled up, and without a doubt, that's the main search," he said. "Whether you're on a flat, a ledge, or a brushpile, you want to find the shad."

In his words, "The transient nature of baitfish and bass demands a willingness to make regular moves. It's run and gun. You have to keep an open mind and be willing to move when the fish disappear."

However, Burks doesn't necessarily mean running long distances. Instead, he covers all water depths within a given area to make sure he hasn't overlooked nearby pods of bass.

"If I'm fishing a creek, I'm zigzagging in and out," he noted. "I'm starting deep. Then I might move to 15 feet of water, then maybe to shallow water."

As Burks allowed, wind also is an important factor because it allows anglers to focus their search.

"If you get a fairly windy day," he said, "those baitfish are subject to getting hung up on a bank, a ledge, or on the edge of grass on the windy side of the lake. That means you can ignore the leeside of the lake and concentrate on those windblown areas," he concluded.