By By Mike Giles / outdoors writer
Sept. 13, 2002
For many local anglers it's the same old story after a long hot summer. As the nights turn cooler and the water temperatures cool down, the bass action begins to heat up. However, most of those anglers will be in the woods getting the deer fields ready or bow hunting for deer. For a few dedicated bass fishermen however, the action couldn't have come at a better time! The bass are already starting to feed and some have gone on an early fall pattern.
Over the summer the bass action was almost nonexistent on Okatibbee Reservoir during the hot daylight hours. Only the first and last couple of hours were productive. However, that trend is now changing and bass may be caught during all hours of the day. For the most part the majority of skiers and boaters have stowed away their gear for the winter. The remaining few do not bother the bass or bass fishermen most of the time, although the bite may be light from time to time.
Falling water levels
Water levels are already below the normal summer pool and the levels will get even lower as the fall draw down begins. While many anglers may not welcome this, in reality it makes their chance of success much better. With a smaller pool of water the bass should be easier to locate as they come onto their fall pattern.
Another good thing about fishing the lake during low water periods is the amount of structure that is exposed. This is good for many reasons. The exposed stumps, trees and man-made brush piles offer anglers a chance to catch bass and pinpoint where many bass may be holding. When the structure is under the water surface the fish will still be there but many fishermen will be oblivious to that fact. As an added bonus, the smart angler will mark the structure for next spring and summer when the water levels rise and the structure becomes concealed once again.
Key locations
During the fall, bass may be found in a variety of locations. Some will hold around shallow shoreline brush, while others will inhabit the creek ledges and drop offs in deeper water. However, there will be one factor that must be present to make an angler's day successful. There must be shad present to hold the bass. Once you have found the bass and shad, the action will be fantastic for some time during the fall, barring any severe cold fronts that may come through.
Although the shad will migrate toward shallow water as the temperatures continue to cool down, the bass are sure to follow. Many times anglers may spot shad and schooling bass by eyesight. Seagulls and terns may also be an indicator of shad and baitfish locations as they dive onto the water surface and begin to feed. Once you locate a school of bass that are feeding in the fall it's not too hard to make them strike.
Hot baits
There are many types of bait that will catch fish during this time of year. However, anglers may need to cover a lot of water before they actually locate the fish. Crankbaits are very good at locating bass because you can cover a variety of water depths and lot of territory in a short period of time. Norman and Bandit make some of my favorite crankbaits. Bandit of course is a Mississippi company that offers crankbaits that are second to none when it comes to catching shallow fish.
Angler's such as Ricky Smith of Collinsville will locate bass with crankbaits and then oftentimes switch to plastic type baits while working the school. When it comes to plastic baits, Zoom has no peer. Zoom worms, lizards and creature baits make up a large percentage of my tackle box. However, as of late I am having a hard time keeping enough in the tackle box. As the fall nights cool you can be sure that I'll be on the water as much as possible, at least until gun season for deer opens!