Historically for me, fishing in the late Summer/Early Fall has been a difficult time of the year to catch Bass. The long days of Summer are mostly over, but the chill of Fall isn't in full effect. It can be tough to find fish and even harder to catch them. Despite the difficult fishing, I have always enjoyed this time of year. I love a good challenge and catching transitional Bass is one of them. Over the years, through many failed attempts I have learned a few techniques that seem to do the trick, or at least help catch a limit during this tough time of year. Weather patterns and lake conditions vary and I must say, most of these techniques pertain to my experience fishing for Northern Strain Bass in the north east.

Drop Shot 

The drop shot is always a good choice when the fish are finicky. What I love about the drop shot is how versatile it is. It can be fished deep or shallow and although it is often known produce small fish, it also has the potential to catch larger Bass, who may be a little more picky than usual. I have often found that upsizing your soft plastic in width rather than length can help to entice better sized Bass.

Senko

Short and simple, add a nail weight and smelly jelly. Senkos are always a great choice when the bite is tough and your unsure of what to throw.

Spinnerbait

In the North East the coming of fall can often bring overcast days. When cloud cover is present try throwing a black spinner-bait with larger paddles. The key is to move a lot of water and entice a reaction bite. I usually look for grass beds in 8-12 feet of water. Spinner-baits are a great way to cover a lot of water and find fish. If you get a hit and miss a fish, try going back over that spot with a shaky head, drop shot, or tube

Tubes

Tubes are one of my all time favorite baits to fish. I am especially fond of Strike Kings Coffee Tubes. I have found the 3.5 inch in white illusion purple/gold, weighted with a 1/4 or 3/8 ounce tube head to be the most productive. The hook is exposed on the top of the tube so it is easy to get a good hook set. With only a single hook, the tube can be fished effectively through grass and around rocks. I like to try and maintain bottom contact and shake the tube on a slack line, similar to how you would fish a shaky head. 

In-line Spinner

Remember those spinny things that you use to catch trout on as a kid? Well they can catch bass too! When fished slow and around cover, in-line spinners can cover a lot of water and induce strikes. They are a great option when a spinner-bait is too large of a presentation. 

Mepps

Lipless Crankbait

Lipless Crankbaits are one of my favorite baits to fish. They can be super effective, especially around underwater grass beds. Try throwing the Lipless Crankbait over the grass, letting it sink, and ripping it up through the top of the grass. This technique can often produce a reaction bite and can trigger bites from larger fish. Lipless Crankbaits can be fished around all sorts of cover, just be careful not to get the trebles snagged when fishing around heavier cover such as rocks or logs.

Everywhere you fish is going to be different. In some places, the weather changes more drastically than others and the Summer to Fall transition is more abrupt. While these are just a few techniques that I have experience with, I hope that they will inspire you to get out there and catch more fish during a time of year that can challenge even seasoned anglers. Feel Free to add any of your own tips for catching Fall Bass in the comments section below.