So this morning it was very chilly out here in New Jersey. For me it was a sign that the fall transition is here for us, unfortunately though this time of year I struggle with it, I don't have lakes or reservoirs with creek channels and shad that the bass feed on, I have a few ponds with little cover and a fountain or two in the middle and a plentiful population of bluegill and maybe shiners, how do I fish these bodies of water without shad during this transition period and what presentations should I throw? Same as the summer or start throwing different baits? 

1 hour ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

So this morning it was very chilly out here in New Jersey. For me it was a sign that the fall transition is here for us, unfortunately though this time of year I struggle with it, I don't have lakes or reservoirs with creek channels and shad that the bass feed on, I have a few ponds with little cover and a fountain or two in the middle and a plentiful population of bluegill and maybe shiners, how do I fish these bodies of water without shad during this transition period and what presentations should I throw? Same as the summer or start throwing different baits? 

Buzzbait, spinnerbait, jig for me here in western PA.  

1 hour ago, rtwvumtneer6 said:

Buzzbait, spinnerbait, jig for me here in western PA.  

Same for me just add in swim jig. Those are all I need once the temps start dropping until the water gets into the low 50s.

Spinnerbait all day long.  No shad, no problem.

 

Most of the places I fish have no shad either, but lots of bluegill and other sunfish. I like gold-bladed spinnerbaits with some chartreuse and/or orange on them for visibility and general sunfishiness.... although I don't know that colors matter very much when they're willing to chase.

 

To be honest, I find fall to be very boom-or-bust.  Boom-days, you'll get hit on every cast of a moving bait. Bust days...nothing happens, anywhere. Maybe one jig or worm fish.

 

In fact, I got on my first spinnerbait bite in three months last week -- cooling trend, complete calm, bright bluebird skies....none of my other late summer "heroes" (e.g., frog, worm, creature) were getting any attention. But a gold double-willow War Eagle in a "sunperch" colored skirt did...

Back in the day, when I was a meat fishing bush hippie specializing in ponds and small watersheds, day in and day out, a Brewer Slider Head, either the flat one or the spider slider head, a quarter ounce with a 4" worm, fished low & slow was the ticket.

Of course, some days, a buddy throwing a spinner bait might keep up with me or beat me by a little bit, and I remember a couple of epic days when the Smithwick Rogue ruled, and I caught more fish than I could carry, had to make 2 trips back to the car (a quarter mile or so each way )

However, much more often than not, a Brewer Slider, polishing the rocks like Charlie Brewer said to, was the ticket.  I'd polish anything - sand or much bottom - bring that bait back a few inches above the bottom.   Any kind of weeds - fish the bait low & slow enough that every so often you touched a weed.  If you never touched a weed you were going too fast.  If you got hung up you were fishing too slow.  My second favorite bait, when snags were less of an issue, was a 1/8 oz crappie jig (red head, chartreuse chenille body, white feather tail ) with either a black or brown Uncle Josh twin tail or split tail eel.  That was my late 70's - early 80's version of the Ned rig.   I'd try to swim it slightly off the bottom, just like the Brewer Slider.

 

To be fair - those days I only occasionally had access to a boat, I didn't really know how to fish a spinner bait and I didn't understand lipless cranks at all.  But I did understand low & slow and that worked for me most of the time.   Mind you, these experiences were in Central Missouri - your experiences might differ.

I’m not sure a few cool nights is really the start of the fall transition. The leaves are still green, no acorns or pine cones on the ground. The vegetation in the water is still green. This is my assessment in mass anyway. The water really only cooled down A few degrees. What I’m seeing is just a few more active fish, in the cooler more oxygenated water. 

Also the water everywhere around here is really low. That makes fishing tough regardless. 

3 hours ago, Derek1 said:

I’m not sure a few cool nights is really the start of the fall transition. The leaves are still green, no acorns or pine cones on the ground. The vegetation in the water is still green. This is my assessment in mass anyway. The water really only cooled down A few degrees. What I’m seeing is just a few more active fish, in the cooler more oxygenated water. 

Also the water everywhere around here is really low. That makes fishing tough regardless. 

This . Shallow ponds dont go through a fall transition like large bodies of water .

6 minutes ago, scaleface said:

This . Shallow ponds dont go through a fall transition like large bodies of water .

Well when does fall start for the ponds then? October? 

There is no thermocline in them . They just gradually get colder .

Just now, scaleface said:

There is no thermocline in them . They just gradually get colder .

Not even lake turnover? What baits would you recommend then to start throwing as it gets colder out? Stick with the summer arsenal or start throwing different baits? 

I like throwing lipless cranks during the cooler months. I try to match the hatch, so if there are shiners or bluegill, then I would find a 1/2 ounce lipless in those patterns. Also a chatterbait with a slow retrieve has done well for me in ponds all year long. 

They should not go through a lake turnover . As far as lures go , I dont know what is best on the ponds you fish . I throw everything when the water cools down . Spinnerbaits , buzzbaits , crankbaits , worms...

It was 46 degrees at my house in Vermont this morning. It's definitely a sign that Fall is coming but I wouldn't say the Fall transition has started just yet. Give it a few more weeks, when the daytime temps are struggling to hit the 70 degree mark and it's dipping down into the mid 40's at night on a consistent basis is when the Fall transition will begin in earnest! As for lures, shallow crankbaits, topwater (spook-style, poppers, ploppers, wakebaits, frogs), spinnerbait, buzzbait, swim jig and smaller (shad sized) swim baits, shakey head with a 6" worm and of course a regular jig. As far as coloration, match the hatch, if your ponds are primarily bluegill than go with a bluegill pattern and a bone color.

On 8/26/2020 at 10:06 PM, MIbassyaker said:

Spinnerbait all day long.  No shad, no problem.

 

Most of the places I fish have no shad either, but lots of bluegill and other sunfish. I like gold-bladed spinnerbaits with some chartreuse and/or orange on them for visibility and general sunfishiness.... although I don't know that colors matter very much when they're willing to chase.

 

To be honest, I find fall to be very boom-or-bust.  Boom-days, you'll get hit on every cast of a moving bait. Bust days...nothing happens, anywhere. Maybe one jig or worm fish.

 

In fact, I got on my first spinnerbait bite in three months last week -- cooling trend, complete calm, bright bluebird skies....none of my other late summer "heroes" (e.g., frog, worm, creature) were getting any attention. But a gold double-willow War Eagle in a "sunperch" colored skirt did...

Yeah I gotta get a restock of my spinnerbait collection I love the war eagle finesse spinnerbaits! 

1 hour ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

Yeah I gotta get a restock of my spinnerbait collection I love the war eagle finesse spinnerbaits! 

Tackle Shop out my way, the kid who owns it is pushing the War Eagle Baits. 

2 hours ago, Spankey said:

Tackle Shop out my way, the kid who owns it is pushing the War Eagle Baits. 

They work though lmao 

I'm from Florida and it's an eternal summer here, don't know if there is much difference around here on Bass behavior 

Jerk Baits will soon be my Go-To....much like Spring