Baitfish, especially shad, are one of the main focuses this time of year and that's why almost everything that Major League Fishing pro and Alabama bass guide Ryan Salzman throws imitates them. From top to bottom, he keeps it moving with shad imitators throughout the fall months.
Shallow cranking
The first bait that Salzman wanted to talk about is a fall favorite, the squarebill crankbait. His bait of choice is a Yo-Zuri 3DB Series 1.5 in sexy shad that he fishes on 12-pound Yo-Zuri T7 fluorocarbon line.
"I like that squarebill over others because it has a little smaller profile and you can also get it down a bit deeper than baits that are the same size," he said. "It's also excellent around cover; you can crawl it through wood and rocks and not get hung up as much as other crankbaits."
Generally, Salzman will look for shallow cover along the bank to crash his bait into; another critical ingredient is flats. "Wood and riprap, or any rock, are big players this time of year for the squarebill," he said. "Flats are also going to be good because this is where you start to see baitfish activity, especially after the first few cool nights of the year. It's a bite that starts when the water temperature drops from the 80s to the 70s but will last well into November in many parts of the country."
Topwater trio
Topwater is another favorite way to catch bass this time of year and Salzman will use three different baits, primarily switching it up based on the size of the baitfish in the area.
"The 3DB Pencil comes in three sizes, and I use all three in the fall," he said. "They have the same general shape but a lot of different actions. The 3DR-X is a very small bait that works great when you see bass chasing tiny shad. I like the standard 100 size for open water and when working the bait around shallow stumps and laydowns. The biggest one is a 125 size and has a very loud rattle and does great in windy conditions and when you are trying to call fish up from deeper water."
He uses the staple bone color or a translucent hue, like prism ghost shad, for all of them. "For the two larger baits, I like to fish them on 50-pound Yo-Zuri SuperBraid, but go down to spinning gear for the 3DR-X," he said. "I like to fish it on 15-pound braid because a heavier braid will affect the action too much."
Lipless cranks and jerkbaits
Two other great shad imitators that Salzman will employ this time of year are jerkbaits and lipless crankbaits. The lipless, typically a 3/8 or 5/8-ounce Yo-Zuri Rattl'n Vibe in sexy shad or blue chrome, is usually reserved for fishing around grass with 14 or 16-pound Yo-Zuri T7 fluorocarbon.
"I'm looking for the same thing, flats in 3 to 6 feet of water, but with some grass on them for the lipless," he said. "These are areas where you will see bass chasing baitfish and a lipless ripped out of the grass is one of the best ways to trigger bites. The Rattl'n Vibe is one of the easiest lipless baits I've ever found for ripping out of the grass and it has a great shimmy as it falls. The action on it is great."
Another proven bait for this time of year is a jerkbait and Salzman will use it all fall but leans into it more as the weather cools. "It's good all fall but excellent when the water gets to around 55 degrees," he said.
He fishes the bait on 12-pound Yo-Zuri T7 fluorocarbon and again sticks with the shad patterns like ghost sexy shad. "I like the Yo-Zuri 3DB SP 110 a lot because it has a little bit bigger profile than many baits," said Salzman. "It also suspends perfectly and allows you to talk those fish into biting as they stare at it. This is great when the fish are a little lethargic."
Salzman rotates through all the different baits above but says that certain lakes dictate the best bite and there is no set progression between the different lures. "It depends on the lake and cover," he said. "Some lakes have more wood, and I'll throw the squarebill and topwater longer into fall and on grass lakes, I may use the jerkbait and lipless more. It's all different based on where you are fishing, but these baits will catch those fish chasing baitfish all fall."
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