The Two Best Fall Bass Baits

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Because people fish in so many different ways and most have a favorite way to fish, picking just two baits from the hundreds is difficult.

This is not an article for "experts" or people set in their ways. It's for the guys and gals who just like to fish and sure would like to go out sometime and catch a whole bunch of fish.

The best time to do that is during the fall, especially here on Barkley and Kentucky lakes, as well as on most other lakes on this general latitude.

Spring is when most people who don't fish every weekend think about wetting a line. Being cooped up for most of the winter has a lot to do with that. And spring is a great time to fish because bass and other game species are moving shallow where they become more vulnerable to the average fisherman.

During the fall, however, game fish again move shallow, but for a very different and important reason: During the spring, their primary motive is to spawn. During the fall, all they're thinking about is putting on their winter fat.

All those little fish they spent so much time making and guarding during the spring are nothing more than delicious, bite-sized morsels during the fall, and the truth is, they don't care who made them.

These bait fish of various species, but mostly shad around here, travel around in tightly-packed pods that can number in the thousands. There is some safety in numbers, but this natural instinct also makes it much easier for bigger fish to find and attack them.

Because the food these little fellers eat is found on or near the surface, these massive groups of synchronized swimmers are silhouetted against a clear sky like a flashing neon sign that says "eat here."
There is no more predictable pattern at any time of year. I'd be hard pressed to pick just two baits that I would call best for the spring, but during the fall I can do so with great confidence. These baits not only are the best, they are designed to be fished in a way that anyone can master in a few minutes, regardless their experience.

One is a Rat-L-Trap. You can fish just about any size and color of this lipless bait, and the other similar baits by other manufacturers, and catch some fish, but by far, the best size is a one-quarter-ounce with chrome sides and a blue back.

And you can fish it a few different ways, but by far, the best way is to bring it back about as fast as you can. They are wind resistant and very easy to cast long distances on either baitcasting or spinning equipment, using 10- or 12-pound test line.

The other is a Mepps or Rooster Tail in-line spinner, again in one-quarter ounce. Choose the whiter or lighter colors. Sometimes, when it is overcast, those with a gold blade work better, but bass and other game fish bust minnow pods most frequently when it is clear, so in-line spinners with a chrome blade are best.

In contrast, in-line spinners are best fished slowly, just fast enough to make the blade rotate, and the best equipment to cast them is a spinning outfit with 10-pound-test line. It, too, is very easy to cast long distances and all you have to do is bring them back slowly and steadily. If you bring them back slowly, they won't twist the line, either, so you don't need a swivel and all those extra knots that could break. Just tie them directly to the line.

You may have noticed that you can fish both baits quite well on a spinning outfit with 10-pound-test line, and that's really what I'd recommend, but I'd like to stress that the reel you choose should have a fast retrieve rate of 6-1 or better for the Rat-L-Traps. For this bait, speed kills, and you can always slow down for the in-line spinners, if that is what the fish prefer.

These two baits are so great, because they closely resemble the action, color, flash and size of the young-of-the-year minnows, especially during October and November, when this kind of fishing is at its peak.

With just one rod and two simple baits, you can go out and catch fish all day long by simply moving from pod to pod. These pods not only are highly visible and attractive to gluttonous game fish; it is simple for a fisherman to see which ones are being ravaged because of the splashy surface shows these game fish perform as they tear into them with predatory exuberance.

It may be not only the easiest, but the best fishing of the year.