The fall months can provide some of the best action for those who like to fish reaction baits. Fish are on the move, chasing baitfish and feeding up heavily before winter sets in. Add in some unpredictable weather with the changing seasons and you have the perfect scenario for moving baits.
For a crankbait fanatic like professional angler Ott DeFoe, that means fall cranking. He uses a variety of them, primarily shallow versions that dive down to less than ten feet of water.
Shallow Crankin’
DeFoe likes to fish shallow in the fall in search of active bass and a shallow crankbait is one of his primary tools as it lets him cover water quickly and pick off fish.
“I think of combing shallow flats where bass are chasing shad or running down rocky banks as some of the best places in the fall for shallow crankbaits,” he said. “Two of my favorite shallow crankbaits are the Rapala DT-4 and the new OG Tiny, which both dive down four feet but have a much different action.”
“Both of those baits come through cover well, which is really important for a shallow crankbait,” he said. “The DT-4 casts a little better than Tiny, but the little flat-sided Tiny generates bites in tough conditions. It doesn’t have a rattle where the DT-4 does and there are times when each of them is a better option; it just depends on the conditions and how the fish are acting that day.”
Mid-Range
“Mid-range” is relative to where you are and the time of year, but for DeFoe in the fall, that is the six-foot range and one of the biggest areas of focus for him each autumn.
“I’m looking for flatter areas and places with some rocks mixed in,” he said. “I also look for areas where the wind is blowing up on the bank. All of those things congregate shad, which are the primary thing to look for during the fall.”
His bait selection includes his Rapala OG Slim as well as the tried-and-true Rapala DT-6. Both dive to six feet of water, but there are some key differences, according to DeFoe. The main thing he sees is their profile.
“The DT-6 is much smaller and can match a variety of forage from shad to crawfish and the Slim has more of a baitfish profile, in my opinion,” he said. “They both cast extremely well and let you get those long casts.”
DeFoe likes to stick primarily with shad patterns for both baits during the fall but is always willing to experiment with different hues, whether it is shad or crawfish patterns.
“The Slim looks just like a baitfish, but I’ve had some success with the craw colors during the fall,” he said. “There’s not much I have to say about the DT-6 because it is such a good all-around crankbait that works everywhere and in all seasons.”
Wiggle Wart
The Storm Wiggle Wart is a lure with a cult following in some regions, but it is primarily thought of as a spring bait or one designated only for the Ozarks Region, but DeFoe keeps it in his arsenal each fall. His thought process on where to tie on one is when he knows the bass are feeding on crawfish in the area, which bass will do in all seasons if they can find them.
“Its action lends itself for crawfish since it has such a wide wobble, so every one I own is in some type of craw pattern,” he said. “It’s primarily a tool for me in the fall when I am fishing bluffs and rocky areas, places where you’d expect crawfish to live all year long.”
The 10-Foot Range
Admittedly, DeFoe doesn’t reach for a lure that dives ten feet often later in the year, but it still has a place. There are instances when fish are slightly deeper, whether grouped up on a specific piece of cover or structure or still hanging around in their summer haunts before making a move to shallower water.
“I don’t use a bait like the DT-10 too often in the fall, but there are still times when you can find fish grouped out a little bit deeper,” he said. “It is a good option if you find fish in that depth range in ditches in the channel; it’s an excellent bait for that. There are also times when you’ll find shallow brush in the ten to twelve-foot range holding fish and the DT-10 is perfect for that.”
For fall crankbait fishing, pro angler Ott DeFoe keeps it simple and generally targets shallow water with shad pattern baits. He knows that fishing a moving bait is his best chance at running into fish that will undoubtedly be feeding up on baitfish once he finds them.
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