Many anglers start to put their fishing equipment away and winterize their boats when fall hits.  But many other anglers know that fall can mean just the start of some great fishing.  When the water temperatures start to drop, that is the signal to the bass that fall is close at hand.  They start to feed heavily in preparation for winter.

In the winter months, when the water temperatures are at their lowest, bass prefer not to chase bait fish.  They don’t like to move around much at all, if they can help it.  With that being said, fall is the time that bass start to build up their winter reserves.  This is not to say that every day on the water in the fall will be a fish fest, but there can be some awesome fishing when the leaves turn and the temperatures start to dip.  There are a number of fishing lures that anglers can use to get more fish to the boat in the fall.

When hunting for fall bass, one fishing lure that anglers should not disregard is the crankbait.  In the fall, crankbaits with a tight wiggle, rather than a wide wobble, are best.  They do a great job at imitating sick or injured bait fish.  Not only that, but you can cover a lot of water quickly.    They can also be slow-rolled along the bottom to look like a fleeing crayfish.  For this reason, crankbaits are popular with bass anglers throughout the entire fishing season.  In fall, when fish are feeding heavily, they can help anglers cover water and pattern the fish more quickly.

Once you find the fish, you might want to change your fishing lure selection.  You may want to slow down and throw a jig or a plastic worm.  For instance, if you’ve found fish on rock humps with a crank bait, you can then slow down and throw a slower bait.  Fish often congregate near rocks as the water cools because rocks hold heat.  At other times, you may find fish holding near wood or brush piles in shallower water.  Likely there will be deeper water near that cover.  Many anglers use wood crankbaits in heavier cover because they float up faster once the angler stops reeling.  Often this can avoid some of the snags anglers would otherwise experience.  But, switching to a slower moving bait can trigger strikes that crank baits do not.

Crankbaits are great lures to use to cover water and find fish.  Anglers should keep in mind, though, that different conditions call for different colors and sizes.  Try to match the forage as closely as possible when using crankbaits.  In darker water, brighter colors may work great.  In clear water, turn to more natural colors.  It is important that the crankbait you are throwing looks as much as possible like the forage on which the fish are feeding.  The closer you can match that, the more fish you will bring to the boat.

Once an angler has decided on the fishing lures to try for the day, all that is left is to find a lake in Wisconsin to fish.  With so many lakes all over the state, anglers are sure to find a great place to fish any day of the week this fall.
This article was written in association with FishingTackleLures.com.au