Top 5 baits for the Fall Transition

The late fall to early winter is one of my favorite times to fish. This season is one of the few times I have the lake all to myself. Sure, there are other fisherman on the water but they aren’t fishing like I am. No matter where you are in the country, as winter approaches anglers begin to slow down their presentation. Whether that mean throwing a worm, flipping a jig, or spooning, just depends on where you live. Sure you could give in to the trend and fish like everyone else but why?

Why not break away from the pack, fish hard, fish for the active fish, and have whole sections of the lake to yourself? As the water cools most of the bass will slow down and become sluggish and the fisherman will follow suit. Maybe this is your year to break out of the mold and find the feeding fish in and around the shallows. Here are my top 5 baits for fishing that transition between fall and winter.

You’ll notice the only bait on the list that isn’t a pure reaction bait is the football jig. At certain times the active fish are completely keyed on crawdads and that is when the football comes in to play. The rest of the time however, I’ll be fishing shallow, fishing fast, and putting the remaining 4 baits to work for me. If you want to catch a big bass in the fall that hasn’t been pressured like all the smaller fish be the last guy to leave the shallows, the last one to set down the topwater rod, and never, ever set down that swimbait.

Are these the baits you like to throw in the fall/winter? Is a late-season reaction bite news to you? What are your go-to baits in the fall?  I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Rigging the Switchblade Jig

The switchblade jig was received with great enthusiasm this past week. Thank you all for the feedback and stories of fishing similar rigs. However, across the board people had questions about how to attach the blade. Rather than try to explain it, we filmed it. Here is a quick tutorial on rigging your switchblade jig for action.

Another Swim Jig Option: The Switchblade

First off, thank you all for the great feedback on swimming heavy jigs for bass. I’ve already had readers send in photos of bass over 10 lbs from as far away as Florida! I’m so excited to see the technique working nation wide. I’ve had multiple people ask to see the jigs moving in the water so I finally took the time to video the jigs in action. You’ll be able to see what makes the roboworm EZ shad work so well on the back of that jig… its all in the action.

In this video we also decided to share the Switchblade with you. While this is something I’ve tossed around from time to time it was recently brought back to mind by my good friend Adam Hinkle. Adam is a stud from Southern California and puts a real dent in those San Diego bass.

The Switchblade jig is a modification to the swim jig that involves attaching a blade (my preference is a willow leaf) to the hook of the Dirty Jigs Swim Jig via a swivel. We get many of the same perks of the swim jig (realism, lifelike-movement, unique look and feel) but you also get extra vibration and flash which can make all the difference in murky water. Give the video a watch and let me know what you think.

I know I’m  not the only person to ever fish a switchblade but no one else seems to be willing to talk about it. I know one or two of you have been secretly hammering the fish with this technique. Let’s hear the stories!

Swim Jigs and Stripers

Here is a quick clip from earlier in the week of a keeper striper on a swim jig. For striped bass I utilize a different trailer to create more vibration but the concept remains the same. 3/4 oz Dirty Jigs No-Jack Grass Jig on a Dobyns 765 Flip. There will be more on this in the near future but in the meantime, enjoy!

Have you been catching the stripers this year? Topwater, rattle baits, hair raisers? There’s nothing wrong with a little multi-species fishing in the fall. Let’s hear your stories.