water just dropped under 55, what are you throwing for late fall bass now
Started by late_fall_smallmouthNov 7, 2025in On the water7 posts
late_fall_smallmouthOPFront deckChattanooga, TN88 posts, joined Nov 2025#1
Rig 2019 Nitro Z21, Mercury 250 Pro XS
first real cold front came through tuesday and the surface temp on the lower end of Chickamauga went from 61 to 54 in four days. every fall it happens and every fall i act surprised.
what i had going in october was a squarebill on the riprap and a topwater early, and both of those quit the same afternoon. thursday i got two keepers all day, both on a jerkbait, both on the same bluff end, and one of them was a smallmouth that i did not expect that far down the lake.
so what is everybody switching to once it gets under 55. i know the textbook answer is jerkbait and a jig. i am asking what you actually tie on, how long you pause it, and whether you go deeper or stay on the same banks and slow down.
boat is a 2019 Z21, i have two graphs and i am still mostly looking at them for depth and water temp, so be gentle.
sunday_draw_guyFront deckMany, LA74 posts, joined Nov 2025#2
Rig 2013 Skeeter FX20, Yamaha VMAX SHO 250
on Toledo Bend we are still around 62 and the fish are chasing shad up the creeks, so i am about two weeks behind you. but what i do every year once it drops:
a Megabass Vision 110 or a Rapala Shadow Rap, pause it longer than you can stand. i count to five, then eight, then twelve on cold days. most of my bites come while i am reeling slack out of the line and wondering if i should twitch it.
do not leave the banks you were catching them on. move to the steeper side of the same pocket. i lose more fish in november running across the lake looking for a new pattern than i ever lose to the cold.
mod_curtis_hModeratorRussellville, AR212 posts, joined Nov 2025#3
Rig 2018 Phoenix 819 Pro, Mercury 250 Pro XS
Dardanelle is river fishing more than lake fishing, so take this for what it is. once the water is under 55 i fish a 3/8 ounce football jig on the rock wing dams and current breaks, green pumpkin, a Zoom Super Chunk trailer. slow, drag it, let it tick.
the jerkbait bite here is better in clear water behind the jetties. if the river is muddy after rain, forget it and go to a chatterbait with a dark trailer.
one thing that does not get said enough. the first cold front is when your boat habits have to change too. kill switch lanyard on, every run. i watched a guy go over the side at the Russellville ramp two years ago in 49 degree water and it took him about ninety seconds to stop being able to help himself.
jackplate_or_notBack deckPalatka, FL29 posts, joined Nov 2025#4
Rig 2020 Bass Cat Puma FTD, Mercury 250 Pro XS
Florida answer, which means a little different. on the St. Johns and Rodman the cold fronts push the fish tight to the cover and they just stop chasing. i flip a Texas rigged Zoom Brush Hog into the hydrilla and eelgrass edges with a 1/2 ounce weight, sometimes 3/4 if the mat is thick.
day two after a front is the worst day of the year here. bluebird sky, wind out of the north, 20 mph. that is the day i change my oil and clean the boat instead.
late_fall_smallmouthOPFront deckChattanooga, TN88 posts, joined Nov 2025#5
Rig 2019 Nitro Z21, Mercury 250 Pro XS
update since people answered. went to the float n fly on Nickajack sunday, 1/16 ounce hair jig under a bobber about ten feet down on 6 lb line, a long 8'6 rod i bought for crappie and never used for crappie. three smallmouth over three pounds and a largemouth that was probably four. water was 52.
sunday_draw_guy was right about the pause, the jerkbait fish all came on the long count. and curtis is right about the lanyard. i have an inflatable vest that i realized had a CO2 cylinder from 2021 in it with a green indicator i never looked at. rearm kits are cheap, check the date and the indicator on yours this weekend.
for anybody new who wants the basics on cold water and life jackets the Coast Guard boating site has the actual numbers on how fast it goes wrong: uscgboating.org. it is not a long read.
co_angler_ritaFront deckEmory, TX66 posts, joined Nov 2025#6
Rig back deck of whoever drew me, home boat a 2009 Bass Cat Pantera II
Lake Fork was 57 this morning. i fished the back of the boat for a man who threw a lipless crank into the grass for eight hours straight and caught 21 pounds, so i am in no mood to talk about jerkbaits.
the Rat-L-Trap thing on grass lakes is real though. red craw, burn it until it hangs in the hydrilla, rip it free. the bite is on the rip. i got two that way off the back deck once i quit fighting it and copied him.
z520r_on_guntersvilleBack deckScottsboro, AL41 posts, joined Nov 2025#7
Rig 2022 Ranger Z520R, Mercury Pro XS 250, Ranger trailer
Guntersville was 52 to 53 last saturday on the main lake. chatterbait still, but i went from a 1/2 ounce to a 3/8 and slowed it right down so it barely ticks the top of the milfoil. green pumpkin with a Zako trailer. 14 pounds, nothing big.
the float n fly post is going to cost me a rod. i have been told about it for three winters and never tried it.
Log in to reply. No account yet? Ask a mod, it takes a day or two.
