(Editor's note: "Catching Bass with Dustin Wilks" airs three times per week on Sportsman Channel – 9:30 a.m. ET Friday, 4:30 p.m. Sunday and 6:30 a.m. Wednesday. He provides BassFans with supplemental information about each episode in these weekly submissions.)
The fall is either feast or famine … or is it? Yes, sometimes fish group up in huge schools in the fall and you can just hammer them, but more often than not you will have to cover miles of water looking for bites.
If you've watched the first several shows, you’d think I always catch a bunch of big bass. This show brings it back to reality.
In this week's show, I fish two different lakes because I was struggling and felt conditions, as they changed, warranted a different nearby lake with more options.
When conditions are tough, it pays to fish lakes with different species of bass.
The first lake was all largemouth – unless I wanted to run about 45 miles to where there were a few smallmouth. So I chose to drive to a lake that has spots and is narrower so it has more current. So away I went, greeted by yet another mid-day cold front, but I knew the lake had spotted bass that are not affected as badly as largemouth.
That's one thing I missed on the show – if you're faced with tough conditions, choose the lake with multiple species of bass and current. Those two things will greatly increase your odds. Now I didn’t do awful on the first lake, but it just wasn't what I was hoping for.
The first lake could've been famine if I would've stayed in one general area. I was fishing fast, covering lots of water with almost no signs of life. When this happens, crank up and run. Run until you start seeing birds. Seagulls and herons are the best.
Once you see these birds, there will be bait around, and fish that area with your best guess. That's what I did and picked up a few decent fish here and there, but it just wasn't great. So famine? Not so much, if you are willing to move to areas that have bait and keep that trolling motor on, you will find fish.
My choice for covering water on lake was the 5-inch’ Yo-Zuri Pencil, which is a big three-hook topwater walking bait. This is great for drawing strikes from a distance from, bass that are spread out in the fall.
If you take a look at tournaments in the September timeframe, that's always when weights are the lowest, so expect smaller fish at that time of year in the South. The North is a whole different story, with fish often being bigger then.
When I felt I needed to change I was like “Ike” but in reverse – instead of "never give up" I was screaming inside that "It’s time to give up!” But not really, I was just going to greener pastures.
Arriving at the second lake, I went to work with a new game plan, tying on several jerkbaits for the clear water. I was able to salvage the day fishing three or four different jerk baits for different conditions. Around areas I knew got fishing pressure, I threw the tiny Yo-Zuri 3d minnow 70, then upped to the 100 size and a Hardcore Minnow that has flat sides to draw fish from further away around areas where I hadn't seen many anglers.
If you really know the lake well or are really good with your electronics, you can salvage a day like this with a few key areas and by downsizing your lure and line. If you're like me and prefer variety and always want something new, it makes sense to fish fast in order to find the fish. Fishing fast is the best way to stumble onto something great.
So next time you're faced with tough conditions, it doesn’t have to be famine. Consider making drastic moves to new water altogether if possible to help you keep “Catching Bass."
