October; what a time of year to be a bass angler. Many an angler tuck away their rod and reel and pull out the bow or deer rifle. Others abandon the pursuit of bass after a lackluster September, opting for college football on Saturdays instead. But the rest of us, the diehards, still head out on the water. And when we get there, we find less boats, more bass shallow and a cool breeze on our faces. What a glorious time of year to be a bass angler.
Today we’re going to talk through a few of the baits we’re using in October. I’ll take the Southeast and undoubtedly mention in the process a few baits that will work in other parts of the country this time of year as well. But I’ve also enlisted the help of a few hammers up north, out west and in the deep south to give everyone a little something to go on no matter where you live. Clifford Perch, Jeff Gustafson and Scott Martin will all weigh-in on what October looks like in their necks of the woods. Here’s what we’re throwing in October.
SPINNERBAITS, SPINNERBAITS, AND MORE SPINNERBAITS
October is the perfect time of year to throw a spinnerbait. Bass are pushing shallow around much of the country and gravitating to any type of cover they can find to lie in wait for passing prey. Whether the bass are posted up on docks, rocks, seawalls or hunkered down in vegetation and treetops, a spinnerbait is the perfect tool to pick them off. The Nichols Catalyst has proven to be one of my favorites this last year.
In the fall, there’s often some wind and/or a little color to the water. In either case, the twisting and tumbling blades of a spinnerbait mimic shad and other baitfish well, and the thump and flash of the blades act as homing beacons to help bass hone in on the bait. Add to all this the fantastic hookup ratio of a spinnerbait and its propensity to get big bites, and you can see why this is my favorite fall bait.
TOPWATERS
The water really starts to cool across much of the country as we work our way through October, and those first couple nights that dip down near the freezing mark can really do a number on the topwater bite. But even still, you’ll want to keep a topwater on deck until the last minute, because this is still one of the best months of the year to throw buzzbaits, Spooks, poppers, Ploppers, frogs and the like.
Shad and other baitfish congregate near the surface over deep water while schools of them simultaneously flood the shallows. This increase in activity near the surface makes for prime topwater fishing. Select a bait that mimics the forage well and best suits the cover and position of the fish. For instance, if you’re targeting bass that are schooling out in the open, a walking topwater that you can bomb cast is best. But if the bass are hanging along the edge of a grass line instead, you’ll find that a buzzbait, toad or hollow body frog can traverse the terrain better than a bait with dangling treble hooks.
FLAT-SIDE SQUAREBILLS
Though many associate flat-sided crankbaits with extremely cold water later in the winter, these are great for fishing through the fall as well. There’s something about the profile, size and flash of a flat-sided squarebill that really triggers bass in October exceptionally well. These baits, like the Jackall Bling for instance, still come through cover really well like a traditional squarebill, but they can dive a little deeper too.
This is a great combination for the fall, when bass are in transition from deep to shallow and might be in a foot of water at the base of one laydown and then out deeper in the next tree’s branches. The Bling in particular has been a fall favorite of mine and my dad’s for more than a decade now. This bait casts really well, comes equipped with a great set of hooks and runs true out of the box every time.
LIPLESS CRANKBAITS
The lipless crankbait is pretty synonymous with fall bass fishing. In October, bass are scattered anywhere from a foot of water out to 20 or more. And there’s no other bait really that can traverse this vast expanse of the water column as well as a lipless crankbait.
Where ½- and even ¾-ounce Rat-L-Traps, Red Eye Shads and other lipless crankbaits really shine in the early spring and pre-spawn season, you’ll often find a ¼-ounce lipless to be the most productive in the fall. While you can certainly still catch bass on a ½-ounce trap too, dropping down to a ¼-ounce lipless will better mimic the bait usually and give you the best chance to catch more fish, while still luring in big bites as well.
AROUND THE COUNTRY
Now let’s take a look at the patterns setting up around the country. Here are some tips from the pros that know those regions the best, straight from their lips.
FLORIDA: SCOTT MARTIN
The best bass fishing tip for October in Florida is to look for running water. As everyone is well aware, hurricane season is in full effect this time of the year. We get lots of rain and the water levels in our lakes tend to rise rapidly.
Look for canals and pump stations that pump water into these lakes or out of the lakes. You can find giant schools of bass in these areas. Crankbaits, topwaters and Carolina rigs and even big swimbaits can produce some of the best bites.
WEST COAST: CLIFFORD PIRCH
October is a fun time of the year because there are a lot of things that work. The bass are all over the water column. But I’m definitely leaning on a topwater. The water is super clear (on a lot of lakes out West) so they’ll go a long ways to find a topwater. So I’m just throwing it (a Rio Rico Popper) in bays around deep grass and artificial structure, stuff like that.
A bright color dropshot worm really works well in the fall too. They get on baitfish and I tend to go with bright colors, so my Big Bite Baits Cliffhanger in a Cranberry or Polluted Dawn starts to get really good mid to late October.
Those are two big ones that I keep on the deck and I can target fish in any depth zone with that, even suspended fish on the dropshot with that bright worm. Obviously, when you see them boil, you can catch them on top. But they tend to do that one minute and go all the way down to 40 or 50 feet the next minute. So it gives you two ways to throw at them.
UP NORTH: JEFF GUSTAFSON
I’m spending October around home, Lake of the Woods, Rainy Lake. They are your typical big waters in smallmouth country. Smallmouths are starting to group on offshore rock piles and flats where they will spend the winter, but they don’t eat much once the ice forms. So they’re in high gear feeding up right now.
You can still catch fish on crayfish-imitating baits but most of the fish up north really focus on pelagic baitfish like smelt, alewives and herring, so baits imitating those are the best. I’m a big fan of the Northland Smeltinator Jig tipped with a Z-Man Jerk ShadZ. I’ll choose the size of my bait based on the size of the forage I’m seeing bass spit up, but my go-to is usually a 3/8 oz, 2/0 jig with a 4” bait. Flutter spoons, hair jigs, drop-shot rigs and umbrella rigs are all effective as well.
GET BIT THIS OCTOBER
One of the big takeaways for October fishing no matter where you live is to match the hatch. You hear this phrase a lot when it comes to fall fishing, so it’s become a bit of a cliche. It really is important though to not only look for areas with bait present, but to also do all you can to select a bait that looks similar and behaves similarly to the real thing. This will help you get more bites in the fall for sure.
What Martin mentioned about the importance of running water in Florida is really something good for all of us to keep in mind. Bass tend to gravitate towards running water throughout much of the year, but especially in the fall when the turnover can make a mess of the oxygen levels on a lot of lakes. Running water not only brings food to fish, but it also aerates the water, the same way the aerator in your livewell does. So, this is something else you’ll want to look for for sure.
Keep a bait in hand that mimics the forage in your area well and look for areas where the bait is prevalent. If you start with just these two simple tips, you can get after them pretty good in October around the country.
