Don't Let the Early-Fall Transition Be a Continuation of the "Dog Days"

As bass pro Russ Lane (left) opined, "If you fish the same honey holes you did during the summer heat and use the same techniques, chances are you won't put many bass in the livewell."

He didn't stop there, however. Lane went on to provide some tips for achieving success during the summer-to-fall transition.

"The water temps still will be high," he explained, "but the shorter duration of daylight always corresponds with fall patterns. On most lakes, a good time to start employing fall tactics is late August to early September. That's when the water temps begin to cool, and bass move from their deeper summer haunts to shallower water."

In continuing his explanation, Lane pointed out two primary patterns during late summer and early fall.

"Bass on the main body of a lake will suspend and school around shad and alewives near long points, humps and breaks," he noted. "The depth of those suspended schools will be relative to the water color. Typically, the clearer the water, the deeper the schools of bait and bass will suspend.

"Good numbers of bass also can be found toward the backs of major feeder creeks at this time of year," he continued. "Concentrate on stained water near the creeks and depths of one to four feet. That's where the threadfin and gizzard shad tend to bunch up."

As for what to throw, Lane likes to use bladed swim jigs to entice bass during the summer/fall transition.

"The bass are usually very aggressive," he said. "All of their habits and movements are based around pursuing baitfish, so I like to work a chatterbait with a fast, erratic retrieve. That's not to say this technique works in every situation. If it doesn't produce, experiment and let the fish tell you what type of retrieve best gets their attention.

Lane also advocates staying focused on the bait.

"Remember, for bass, it's all about chasing schools of bait during this period," he said. "And since baitfish are constantly moving, you'll need to cover a lot of water to find and keep up with them. Don't waste your time working in areas without signs of forage fish. If the shad aren't around," he concluded, "you probably won't put any fish in the boat."