"If the conditions line up well," said Duckett, "you can certainly catch big fall bass by deep cranking creek ledges. A more consistent pattern, however, comes from utilizing shallow square-bills and mid-depth crankbaits.
"Target shallow flats. Most of the bass are going to be shallow this time of year," he continued. "I like to primarily target the 3-to-6-foot range and focus on shallow flats very close to creek channels. These flats are natural stopping areas.
"Water clarity matters. If the water is stained, I suggest targeting the 1-to-3-foot range," said Duckett. "In dirty water, bass will get dirt-shallow and hold close to stumps and laydowns. For moderately clear water, I target the 4-to-6-foot range.
"Cover water quickly. The key to fall fishing is putting the trolling motor on high and moving until you find something worth making multiple casts to," noted Duckett. "The fish are going to be in groups, so it's important to move quickly until you find a school of active fish. The quicker you eliminate dead water, the faster you can get on a big sack of fish.
"Be alert for the 'magic' water temperature. You can catch hundreds of bass on these crankbaits throughout the fall, but your biggest fish will move shallow when the water temperature gets into the 50-degree range.
"Keep changing it up. I use shad patterns almost exclusively in the fall, but the bass can get very peculiar when they school," cautioned Duckett. "If you're getting short strikes, it's probably not a color issue. More than likely, they want a different action. Make sure you keep switching between wide-wobbling and flat-sided crankbaits for the best results, because every school you find will be different.
"Shallow jerkbaits are extremely overlooked lures for catching schooling bass in the fall. These fish aren't difficult to locate this time of year, which means they get a lot of pressure from anglers. If you run across a wary school, a jerkbait is the way to go.
"Force a reaction bite. Jerkbaits are so effective right now because their aggressive, slashing action forces a bass to react.
"Stick with simple colors. There's no need to get too fancy with your jerkbait color selection," said Duckett. "On cloudy days or in lowlight conditions, I stick with a matte shad pattern to allow the fish to get a better bead on it. When it's sunny, you can't beat a chrome-colored Tenkuu because its flash will draw bass from a long way off to eat it.
"Wind is your friend. If you're fishing on a windy day, you need to be throwing a jerkbait," added Duckett. "You'll still catch some on other reaction baits, but windy conditions bring the big ones out of the woodwork. Focus on windblown secondary points and gravel bars if you're looking for a kicker fish. They'll show themselves pretty quickly, so there's no need to soak an area if you're not getting a few bites.
"Fishing with big swimbaits is an excellent way to catch giant fall bass. While other reaction baits are used primarily for covering water, I view a swimbait much like a cleanup hitter in a baseball lineup.
"Look for a couple of important swimbait characteristics. First, it's absolutely essential to find a swimbait that does two primary things," said Duckett. "You want the tail to produce a lot of 'thump', and you also need the body to rock side-to-side. I've fished with a lot of swimbaits, and the Yamamoto Swimbait takes the cake. The fish just annihilate that thing.
"Use it as your heavy hitter. I'll use a crankbait, jerkbait, lipless crankbait, and topwater plug to find schools, but when I find them, I'll use a swimbait to catch the larger fish. It's an excellent way to cull through schools in the fall. One- and two-pounders can be busting on top, and you can catch big four-pounders from underneath them with a swimbait. You won't get as many bites, but they'll be big.
"Head size is essential. Each swimbait has a specific cadence that gives it the most action," said Duckett. "In a sense, you're trapped at a certain reel speed, so reeling slower isn't the answer to getting deeper. You have to add weight so you don't change your retrieve speed. The Yamamoto Swimbait likes to be fished slowly, so I'll have three different head sizes rigged up (1/8-, 1/4- and 1/2-ounce).
"If you're seeing a lot of schooling bass break the surface, it's always a good idea to throw a topwater before leaving the area. Whether you're throwing a walking or popping topwater, it's important to make long casts and fish quickly.
"Catch larger fish with a walking bait. My favorite is a Yamamoto Tate 100 Series," said Duckett. "Walking topwater baits absolutely catch bigger fish in the fall, and I think it's because they really trigger a bass' predatory instincts. That big bass thinks something is trying to get away, and it can't help but attack it.
Tired of short strikes on your topwater lures? In order to hook more bass, Duckett suggests reeling in your lure when it gets halfway back to the boat. Most of his short strikes come while his lure is close to the boat, so he reels it in quickly to avoid missing any opportunities at a big bass.
"Get more bites with a popper, especially a small topwater popper, such as a Yamamoto Shibuki 60 Series," said Duckett. "So when it's tough, and a limit will carry you a long way, it's the way to go. The further you cast it, the more fish you'll catch, so long casts are essential. I use 8-pound Vicious braided line and a spinning rod to get maximum casting distance.
"There are two essential things to look for before throwing a topwater lure. I need to see bait on my electronics that is in 5 feet of water or less, and I also need to see balls of bait just underneath the surface. It's nothing for a big bass to come up from 5 feet to destroy a big topwater plug.
"Upsize your hooks. A lot of times, I'll put a larger hook on the back of my walking baits," said Duckett. "You have to be careful not to screw up the balance of the lure, but bigger hooks make it splash more and also help you get more hookups. If you don't buy a bait with ultra-sharp hooks, you need to replace them. A lot of your fall topwater fish will be hooked in the side of the face, making sharp hooks paramount.
"It's almost impossible to talk about fall fishing without mentioning the effectiveness of a lipless crankbait. Without much work at all, a lipless crankbait gives even novice anglers the chance of catching dozens of bass from a single area.
"The perfect search bait in the fall months is one like the Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap," said Duckett. "I'm going to cover water with it like crazy.
"Stick to three basic colors: white/grey, chrome/black, and chrome/blue.
"Don't just chunk and wind. I always reel the Rat-L-Trap a few feet and give it a few aggressive pops with the rod tip. I never just cast and wind it straight back. Ripping it and letting it fall on slack line drives bass absolutely crazy. People do that on grass fisheries like Lake Guntersville, but it really doesn't have anything to do with grass. It's all about the reaction. It's making all that sound, and when it stops for a second and gets loud again, they can't help themselves.
"When you're heading out for a day of fall fishing, don't worry about bringing your entire tackle collection with you," cautioned Duckett. "If you make an effort to keep your arsenal simple, you'll be able to focus more on the fish."
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