On fishing: Mastering the fall transition
By SCOTT SUGGS

Fishing in the fall is all about dealing with the transition. The shallow water is cooling off and bass that previously found comfort in the cool confines of the deeper water don't mind moving shallow in search of food. Those big schools of suspended fish have slid higher in the water column and migrated to the shoreline points and inside turns. Baitfish that spawn in the fall are moving into the shallow flats covered with vegetation and bass are following right along. Fall is a time of transition and anglers must adapt to find fish.

When I'm setting up a fall profile my main considerations are surface water temperature and available deep structure.

When the cool nights drop surface temperatures in the shallow bays and along the shoreline structure to levels that the bass find favorable you can give the mid-lake structure a break and target that shoreline cover and structure. From sixty-eight degrees and cooler I know that the bass that were hiding on the deep midlake structure will once again be utilizing the shallower shoreline regions.

When fishing shallow cover and structure anticipate that the fish will be spread out. Those tightlyschooled pods of fish that you held the boat over the top of just a few weeks earlier are busted up in the fall and individual fish are meandering looking for a baitfish. In a situation like this it's best to use techniques that allow you to cover ground and strain the water.

Deeper structure will tend to consolidate the fish better, but don't expect to find big schools of fish like you did earlier, even on the deep stuff. Every species, including the baitfish, are in a migration mode. Try Carolina rigging a Berkley PowerBait 6-inch Power Lizard or a 10-inch Berkley Gulp! Turtleback Worm around deep structure like rockpiles and ledges.

If you can't find the bass on deeper structure, try going shallow, by using a spinnerbait fished parallel to the weed or wood line. If that doesn't produce, don't be afraid to slow down and use Texas-rigged 7-inch Power Worm and cast it close to the structure that should hold bass. Just remember, the thicker the cover, the heavier line you will want to use.

Summer may be behind us and many people might have football and hunting season on the mind, but there are still plenty of big bass to catch. The fall bite can be a tough one, especially if you can't figure out the transition period. But once you get it down, you should be able to go catch bass anywhere while everyone else has their rods and reels put away.

Scott Suggs is the 2007 FLW Champion and the first angler in professional bass fishing to win $1 million in a single tournament.