Hot Tips for September Bass Fishing

Follow Baitfish

September is often the time of year when baitfish transition from deep to shallow water and bass often follow. Clumps of baitfish can be located by sonar. Look for pieces of isolated shallow cover with baitfish nearby; these areas will often hold bass. Exactly how shallow depends on the lake; 15 feet is often a good depth, but this is not a firm rule. Creek mouths, drop-offs, points, channels, rock piles and irregularities in a weedline are good producers. Places with current are attractive to bass as well. Bass may be well-fed, in which case you will have to agitate them into biting.

Cover a Lot of Water

When you come to an area that you believe holds bass and baitfish, start by covering a lot of water with a fast-paced lure. This will catch most of the more active bass, as well as give you an idea of what specific spots within the overall area hold the most fish. Writer and fisherman Vic Attardo advocates using a buzzbait when you see bass breaking the surface or when the surface is rippled but not choppy. Poppers, crankbaits and spinnerbaits are other so-called "run-and-gun" techniques to cover water and find bass fast.

Be Thorough

Once the fast bite slows down, switch to a slower, more subtle technique and focus on small areas and specific pieces of cover. This will target bass that are too full or inactive to bite. It is important to make repeated casts to a piece of cover; making one cast and moving on will inevitably cause you to miss fish. Professional fisherman Woo Daves often casts a series of different lures to the same piece of cover in an attempt to rouse strikes. If you are fishing around wood and rocks, tie on a diving crankbait and bang it into the cover. Carolina-rigged soft plastics are also great for thoroughly exploring an area.