Pro Tips Weekly: Castrol Pro Philip Jarabeck

Go to Extremes to Catch Lethargic Bass

Bass are in the autumn lull now in a lot of the highland lakes. By that I mean the fish stop biting in general and just sort of sull up for a while. Later on, when the seasonal change is more pronounced, fishing will pick up again. When fishing gets tough – whether it’s current-related or for whatever reason – you have to adapt and experiment with different lures and presentations. If you lock in to power techniques, you might regret it. On the other hand, many anglers think all they need to do is downsize and slow down their presentations. While that’s often a good place to start, it doesn’t always work. I’ve seen it just the opposite. For instance, sometimes supersizing – say, going from a 4-inch worm on a shaky head to an 11-inch worm on a 3/4-ounce football jighead – is better. Or you need to switch from a soft plastic to a lipless crankbait and fish faster for reaction strikes.

On a tough day in the fall, it’s generally better to at least start out going from one extreme to another, rather than just making minor adjustments, because you’ll often find the right answer somewhere toward the middle.

I’m not saying that swapping a 4-inch worm of one color for a 4-inch worm of a different color, or switching from a 1/4-ounce head to a 3/8-ounce head, won’t get it done. But there are going to be days when the bait changes you make need to be pretty dramatic one way or the other. Also, this time of year, try to fish during the week when the current is likely to be more steady and pronounced than on weekends. During the seasonal lull, fish when the conditions are as favorable as you can get them.