By Jonathan LePera
Special to BassFan

Elite Series angler Matt Herren has just about seen it all when it comes to bass fishing and whether fish are in 6 inches of water or 15 feet, his mind is always wired for spinnerbaits, especially in the late fall.

“Fall of the year is spinnerbait time and you just don’t hear about spinnerbaits much anymore,” he said. “Other times of the year, it seems that swimbaits have taken over. Fall and the spring are two times of the year you can deal with off-colored water and fish feeding heavily on shad. A spinnerbait is still dynamite those times of the year because they are so versatile and how many presentations you can use.”

Time and Place

In the south, Herren spends most of his time chasing spotted bass on the Coosa River as the fish key in on bait and feed aggressively during the fall. If he were fishing a highland reservoir he’d be looking for bass to set up on bluff ends where they’d relate to gravel points or around chunk rock banks on lowland reservoirs. Up north, he’d burn baits over vegetation to illicit a strike.

Sure, there’s lots of muttering that spinnerbaits are dead, but Herren thinks the bait has become a victim of circumstance, citing the fact that neither of the major circuits fish late into the fall when a hot spinnerbait bite can be ignited.

Water Temps Are Key

Herren stressed that few factors are as critical as water temps and clarity, when chucking a spinnerbait. Clear and stained water mean good things can happen when fishing a spinnerbait. He says the ideal water temperature range is from 52 to 65 degrees.

“Unless I have a frontal passage and cloudy rainy days which will trigger a feed, like when it’s snowing, 52 degrees is the magic cut off,” he said.

Fine Tuning

Matching the hatch is key, so be mindful of blade size, shape and color, Herren says.

“The big thing is figuring out the size of bait the fish are feeding on,” Herren said. He’s been instrumental in the design of many of the Texas-based Santone spinnerbaits like the Santone Lures M Series Double Willow version and his signature series Got 5 spinnerbait.

He’ll steadily burn the spinnerbait back to the boat and flutter the blades in the middle of the retrieve by stuttering the reel handle or popping the end of the rod.

On the Ozarks in the fall, Herren believes burning a double Colorado with big No. 5 and No. 7 blades is still lethal just under the surface. In Alabama, a No. 6 or No. 5 with a No. 4 or a No.5 bulging the surface with that vibration, “fish will come up and choke it,” he says.

Herren also added that he’s found success by adding a Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper swimbait to his spinnerbaits to keep the bait from rolling on it size and wanting to twist and turn during the retrieve. It also adds realism to the profile of the bait.

When fishing smallmouth and spots, bright flashy colors like orange or variations of white and chartreuse blades. Largemouth tend to prefer natural shad-patterned baits like Dougies Crystal, gold, or chartreuse and white patterned baits.

Geared Up

> 7’3” medium-heavy Kistler KLX Crank, Rip and Twitch casting rod, casting reel (various gear ratios), 15-pound Gamma fluorocarbon line, Santone Lures M Series Double Willow spinnerbait and Matt Herren Got 5 spinnerbait.