I’m not sure if asking for advice/tips is allowed in this section, so if not I’m sorry moderators.

 

I’m in Western Arkansas. Temps are down to the 50’s now and my shift at work changed…so now I actually have time to fish in the afternoons at a local lake.

 

I don’t have a boat, so it’ll be bank fishing. Small mouth bass is what I hear most catch in this particular lake.  Lots and lots of dead trees to contend with from the bank, if that matters.

 

I’m trying to see what type of lure/bait would be recommended for this time of year with wind, cooler water, etc.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Yamamoto Senko or DShad both weightles and weedless.  To be more generic, any plastic stickbait or fluke style bait.  Second for me would be a spinnerbait.  

Baby Brush Hog Watermelon Neon ?

i would say a craw on a shakey head would be a good bet

I would say some kind of plastic with a tungsten weight rigged weed less. Or a weightless rigged senko is your best bet for any bites , also second the spinnerbaits or a jig. Cast parallel and change the retrieve. Or if you know depth try casting to the deep end and slowly brining it back in. 

This time of year, I will use a lot of lipless crankbaits, squarebills, spinnerbaits, and jerkbaits. Once the water gets to the lower 50s, I will focus more on lipless cranks and spoons.

I would concentrate on those trees and riprap if its available . A  jig or texas rigged craw will pick those trees apart , add a top water or buzzbait to go over them and a spinnerbait to  go   through them .

 

If there is a rip rap bank or dam , I would use inexpensive sinking lures like a jig and grub , beetle spins, pre rigged  paddle tails ,etc.  Fan cast and let the lure sink to bottom , reel in slow and pause a couple of times . The lure  will follow the contour all the way back to the bank.  There will be a some snags,  so go inexpensive .

You still have a ways to go to get to winter in your area. I'm quite a ways north of you and we caught all our fish this weekend in really shallow water on bladed jigs and spinnerbaits or flipping jigs into brush. 

Thank you all for the advice!

Squarebill crankbaits. Crank them until they collide with objects then stop reeling, give a 3 count then start reeling again. Smallies will hit when that bait starts moving again.

Im in MA. we caught fish shallow at night on topwaters air temps 30s, then 2 days later same pond, fish shallow, on small swimbaits, they were in current feeding on young juvy herring.  biggest fish came way up the  pond where it turns into a small river.