October Bass Action on Spinnerbaits

Quite a different scene than July when I caught all those nice bass, and, as expected, the water has cleared, algae bloom dying off, although the water still has a pronounced green tint. Didn't have much time, but I managed to catch this little bass of less than 14 inches on a spinnerbait. This time of year I ignore the plastic worms I love to fish on hot summer days, not that bass would necessarily ignore the worms, but that in my experience, they're more willing to smack a spinnerbait. You can cover a lot more water quicker with a spinnerbait. I just fan cast shallows when this bass whacked it.

I came confronted with a fundamental choice as I made my way: would I traverse some difficult rocks and go all the way into the back of the pond, near a downed tree in shallows, or would I go fish along the easily walked banks in the deeper front? My more brainy feeling involved the notion of catching something where walking is easy. But my gut told me to go cast near that tree, and that's where I caught the bass.

I can just imagine what action would have been like in yesterday afternoon's rain. Every fall we seem to get at least one rainy day with temperatures in the 70's. Since water temperature is actually warming slightly during such a storm, the bass have all the more impetus to actively rise--no overstatement--and I've had some incredible action on spinnerbaits.

When I was 16, I fished through close lightening under a tornado watch. Some of the dozens of bass I caught actually leapt two feet in the air to come down on top of my buzzed spinnerbait and get hooked! Truly once-in-a-lifetime. I would never do the likes again--I always avoid lightening--and wouldn't actually suggest anyone else do it either. Graphite rods are like lightning rods, and you would be the ground. Leave it to one manic teenager who survived to tell a story. My wife always says God protects fools and idiots--so don't count on it! Many other warm weather storms during the fall without lightning have been excellent fishing, and all you need for these is good waterproofing.

We have less than a month's time before the bass fishery all but shuts down. I used to love to brave cold late fall, even winter, weather, dousing live-lined shiners in a pond's deepest water. I caught bass this way and on jigs as well, but haven't done the likes in years. On one strange late November afternoon, mild, but not warm, I caught bass right up against browned reeds on a buzzbait. Go figure.