I don't understand how you can catch bass (largemouth & smallies) all spring & summer using soft plastics and then fall hits and nothing. And all you hear is that you have to use live bait and cranks to catch the bass. I always fish at night but switch to daytime by mid Oct. And in the past two weeks, I have fished soft plastics both during the day & at night and my catch rate is way down. I'm not even getting that many hits. So what kind of changes should I make? Since I'm fishing during the day, I figure maybe since I don't use a fluro leader with the braided line the bass can detect the line. So last time out I set up 2 poles exactly alike, one with a fluro leader and the other just braid. Results: hits about the same and I only caught 1 bass. So what is it? The lake hasn't turned yet, the water temp was 64 two days ago. Do others have success with soft bait or do most of you switch to live bait? I'd like to get some advice as to how others adjust.

I believe your thinking too much about leaders and line. Fish will still eat just about anything this time with 64* water. Focus more on presentation and location.

Daytime and clear water conditions, you are definitely correct to go to floro or mono instead of braid for finicky biters. I also think when you find the fish you will get bit on a regular basis with Soft plastics...

Big O

www.ragetail.com

Maybe your lakes are in the fall turnover period which typically is a difficult time to catch fish since they can be anywhere.  My suggestion would be to keep moving and trying different things, cover the entire water column (including suspended fish) and you will relocate them.  Once the turnover is complete the will settle into a more routine and things will return to normal.  Or something like that.  IMHO, it has nothing to do with "plastics".

Regardless what you think , there are more baits you can use besides plastics. I've been killing them on cranks lately.

shallow cranks and spinnerbaits have been the ticket here for the last week or two.  havent gotten bit on jigs or plastics at all.

In the fall basas will follow the baitfish to the back of creeks and coves. They should be feeding heavily in preperation for winter. They can be caught on plastics but fast moving baits like crankbaits, spinnerbaits and buzzbaits are often a better choice. Concentrate on 1 to 10 ft. and cover water untill you find fish. Be on the lookout for shad or bass breaking the surface. When you find a concetration of fish then you can slow down and catch them on plastics and jigs.

Why not give faster-moving horizontal baits a try? Crankbaits, topwaters, spinnerbaits, inline spinners, etc. I fish mostly shallow ponds but on my last outing, the water, coincidentally, was 64°, and my fish came on a Shallow Shad Rap and Jitterbug.

Why not give faster-moving horizontal baits a try? Crankbaits, topwaters, spinnerbaits, inline spinners, etc. I fish mostly shallow ponds but on my last outing, the water, coincidentally, was 64°, and my fish came on a Shallow Shad Rap and Jitterbug.

Great advice!

In the fall, the bass focus on the abundance of mature baitfish,

schooling and bunched up. This is the very best time of year for

crankbaits, jerkbaits and in many cases, topwater and buzzbaits.

8-)

What's "live bait"?  

I was watching John Gillespie's Wisconsin Waters & Woods show yesterday when he was fishing Michigan's UP with guide Eric Haataja. Eric was fishing wacky worm style with a jig & gulp bait. I always thought you fished wacky worm with a round hook. Has anyone else tried this with say senkos?

Wacky on a jighead will get both sides of the worm flopping on a twitch, I could see how it'd work fine, more action on the bottom maybe as opposed to the fall with a senko?

I've had no luck at all lately except for inline spinners.   #4 Black Fury for most of the damage.  Cranks, Rapala's, RatLtraps, and spinnerbaits have gotten me nothing, same with plastics.

I cant say with any certainty what the water temps are here but they are most certainly colder than 64°! I would say low to mid 50's. Its been in the 50's for highs and 30's for lows the last couple of weeks. Fishing has been very tough, small (2-3") tubes and 2" senkos have been all that have produced. Smallies are already in their wintering areas, largemouths on certain bodies of water seem to be on the move.

go to walmart and buy yourself 24 canadian nightcrawlers for 2.98...i guarantee youll pull at least 2 or 3...too many people get caught up on the artificial stuff...lures are made to catch fishermen not fish.

(dont get me wrong i have a few secret weapons of mass destruction in my tackle box)

go to walmart and buy yourself 24 canadian nightcrawlers for 2.98...i guarantee youll pull at least 2 or 3...too many people get caught up on the artificial stuff...lures are made to catch fishermen not fish.

(dont get me wrong i have a few secret weapons of mass destruction in my tackle box)

It's all about artificial lures fishing for bass , you're way off base.

I just got back from Lake Fork for three days and caught only one bass on a plastic. Only bite I had on a plastic. I caught fish on cranks, SB, BB, but no plastic bite.

go to walmart and buy yourself 24 canadian nightcrawlers for 2.98...i guarantee youll pull at least 2 or 3...too many people get caught up on the artificial stuff...lures are made to catch fishermen not fish.

(dont get me wrong i have a few secret weapons of mass destruction in my tackle box)

This should be good...

This has happened to me to, remember it's fall the are try to eat as much as they can, but while spending the lest amount of energy. It will take the same amount of energy to for a bass to eat a 7" and a 10" worm. So try up scaling. Think you'll be happy to what the out come may be.

I went out Monday evening/night and did ok. I caught 8 bass (biggest was 3 1/2lbs) and 2 northern. I caught 3 of the bass (including the largest) on yamamoto flappin' hog black w/red. The rest were caught on RC DD RT's. I'm heading back out tomorrow, hope the bass continue to be more active.

Even here in Cyprus my mate and I have only caught on spinnerbaits for the last month , absolutely zero on plastics.

Bob

Plastics will work but not the ones you've been throwing all summer. Try a 3-4" grub on a jig head. One with a really limber tail like a Kalins Salty Lunker grub or a Yamamoto. Retrieve it with a slow but steady retrieve. Try your twist-tail worms in place of the Senkos and Trick worms. Movement of the bait is the key this time of year. Also downsizing is not a bad idea either, especially if your fishing ponds.

Just remember that the fish didn't stop eating... they have to put weight on for the winter.  Your biggest problem is most likely that the fish have simply moved and you are fishing in areas with fewer fish available to catch.  

go to walmart and buy yourself 24 canadian nightcrawlers for 2.98...i guarantee youll pull at least 2 or 3...too many people get caught up on the artificial stuff...lures are made to catch fishermen not fish.

(dont get me wrong i have a few secret weapons of mass destruction in my tackle box)

Your kidding, right?

go to walmart and buy yourself 24 canadian nightcrawlers for 2.98...i guarantee youll pull at least 2 or 3...too many people get caught up on the artificial stuff...lures are made to catch fishermen not fish.

(dont get me wrong i have a few secret weapons of mass destruction in my tackle box)

Your kidding, right?

I guess I just "get lucky" with all the lures I own.It takes no skill,just a little luck that's all.

Better than that, try a cast net.It takes even more sport out of the "game" It's all about catching not fishing or learning how to. :

In the fall basas will follow the baitfish to the back of creeks and coves. They should be feeding heavily in preperation for winter. They can be caught on plastics but fast moving baits like crankbaits, spinnerbaits and buzzbaits are often a better choice. Concentrate on 1 to 10 ft. and cover water untill you find fish. Be on the lookout for shad or bass breaking the surface. When you find a concetration of fish then you can slow down and catch them on plastics and jigs.

This is the exact pattern I have been finding as well up here in north Texas for the last several weeks. Your right on the money for our area.