Every year as the bass transition from summer to fall, fish can be caught with a wide range of tactics and throughout the water column. The fish are on the move and in a state of flux as the seasons change. This can make things difficult for an angler, but Major League Fishing pro Zack Birge sticks to the basics and goes shallow, searching for active fish feeding up before winter.
The Right Bites
Birge will be the first to admit that his plan doesn’t yield huge numbers of fish, but he’s learned it is the best way to catch bigger ones.
“You won’t catch tons of fish usually,” he says. “But, you get the right bites and have the best shot at winning a tournament or just having a really good day for big fish.”
He looks for shallow water with isolated cover and another vital ingredient in his plan: baitfish.
“Most of the bait starts to push up shallow and the fish gravitate to it,” Birge begins. “I look for the shallow flats, rocky points, and little irregularities in the bank. This is the time of year when I am getting my boat as shallow as it can go and casting into even shallower water.”
One more thing that Birge says to look for is a featureless bank that others miss.
“Those nothing liking banks are places that people drive right by,” Birge says. “If you can find one little key change or piece of cover, you might catch two or three right there. Each little tree or bush you find is almost a guarantee to catch at least one.”
When Birge heads shallow each year is dependent on two phenomena.
“The length of day getting shorter is one of the first things to trigger it,” he says. “The cooler nights is another thing that goes hand in hand with getting the baitfish to move.”
READ RELATED: Japanese Glide Bait | Here’s What You Need to Know About the Ninja Twitch’n Glider
Fall Cranking
One of the first things Birge will pick up is a shallow crankbait.
“A few months ago, it was all deeper stuff with the Duel Hardcore 2+ and 3+, but now the shallow +1 is the way to go,” Birge says. “It is not a true squarebill and has a different lip, but it is great for shallow cover. It is legit and ready to go right out of the package.”
Since he is banging the bait through cover, he likes how easy he can fish this bait and not get hung up.
“I feel like I can reel it through anything,” Birge says. “It also has a different profile and wobble than other squarebills. Plus, it is such a durable bait.”
He fishes the Duel Hardcore Crank +1 on either 12 or 14-pound Yo-Zuri TopKnot fluorocarbon and says a handful of colors shine this time of year. He listed Black Back Chartreuse, Citrus Shad, and Baby Bluegill as his favorites.
READ RELATED: Fishing the Duel Hardcore Vibe 75S
A Trio of Topwater Lures
Besides cranking, Birge always has a few topwater baits ready to go as he plies the shallow water during the fall months.
“I’ll always mix in topwater,” he says. “I like to fish a big walking bait like the Yo-Zuri 3DB Pencil and the new 3DB Pencil Popper 135. I’ll also throw a popper quite a bit this time of year.”
He says the popper excels around any shallow cover he can find this time of year and his go-to is either a bone or bluegill colored Yo-Zuri 3DB Popper.
READ RELATED: Popper vs. a Prop vs. a Pencil with Brandon Card
“I’ll ease up to the target and make a cast to both sides of it first,” says Birge. “Then, I’ll flip a bait to both sides and make sure hit it good. Those willows and shallow brush piles in two feet of water seem to always have one on them and I want to make sure I fish both sides of it with different baits.”
He’ll fish the two styles of walking baits when looking to cover water quickly and opts for the Pencil Popper when he needs to make a bigger commotion.
“It’s a big bait with a loud and obnoxious action,” Birge says. “I’ll use it when the water is choppy or when the fish are really aggressive. It also seems to get better than average size fish.”
For his everyday topwater needs, he goes with the 3DB Pencil.
“You can get a more subtle action out of the 3DB Pencil and I tend to throw those more when fishing shallow water during the fall,” Birge adds.
He fishes all of these on Yo-Zuri SuperBraid, 15-pound for the Popper and 30-pound for the walking baits.
Looking for shallow cover is how Birge approaches the fall months each year as he believes it is the best way to fool big bass this time of year.
Advertising