Fall Topwater Action: Hybrids & Bass

We have been blessesd to fill the livewells with slabs of crappie. This time of year it can be a magical experience with the continuous bites that load the boat quickly.

I am spending time on my electronics looking for steep drop ledges on the main lake in that 25’-40’. I scan with electronics looking for larger schools of bass. The smaller schools seem to just be the 1lb to 2lb fish but the larger schools showing 20+ fish will hold a few larger largemouth bass that are mixed in with the bigger spotted bass. Parallel the ledge with a long cast and keep the bait it in the strike zone by bouncing and slow rolling off the bottom just off the drop. With this depth they bite better and are not as spooked. Once a few are hooked it often fires up the whole school and will bring up others to the surface as active followers. I can’t stress enough of making a long cast and giving your bait a longer strike zone to get them agitated. This is a typical summer bite on most deep lakes and should produce bites until the lake temps start to drop this fall.

Big catfish have been showing up. This time of year it is about size rather than numbers with the cats. However the white perch are munching out of control and they make for a good fish fry by loading the boat with non stop action. While perch fishing we have been getting occasional hybrids and bass. So if you are getting cabin fever then lets go out and set some hooks!!!