Strike King pro Mark Rose advises anglers of typical water patterns for Zone 4 in the month of September.
“Water temperatures are still warm early September; however, we’ll usually start getting some cooler nights starting mid-September,” shares Rose. When fishing top water, the shift in temperature can often be beneficial. “The cooler water temperatures create some good early morning and late evening top water bites,” says Rose. Keep an eye on the radar when fishing in Zone 4 because “water clarity varies based on summer rains,” Rose offers.
As late-September approaches in Zone 4, there are some other changes anglers can expect. “Some lakes will start to see water levels fall as the winter drawdowns begin in late-September,” Rose concludes.
If the water is clear, Rose prefers Black Lab. In stained water, he switches to Green Gizzard Shad. For muddy water, Rose will favor Chartreuse Sexy Shad.
The Sexy Dawg was designed to be an easy to work, far casting, premium “walk-the-dog” topwater lure with great action.
Rose throws a Tour Grade Swim Jig with a Green Pumpkin Scounbug trailer. A top choice for him in clear water is Blue Craw, while he opts for White if the water is stained. In low-vis or muddy water, Rose picks up Black and Blue.
The Strike King Tour Grade Swim Jig design is perfect for moving through cover, emulating a swimming bait fish or darting crawfish. Rose keeps his rod tip low to keep the bait near cover, letting the fish determine retrieval speed.
Rose opts for the Green Pumpkin Finesse Worm in clear, stained, or muddy water, pairing it with a Tour Grade Shakey Head in the same color.
This high-performing jig head features a special barb that helps baits stand up for enhanced "shaky head" action and securely holds both ElazTech 3X and standard plastics in place.
If the water is clear, Rose will throw Green Gizzard Shad, while more stained water calls for Wicked Firetiger. When the water is muddy, Rose grabs Chartreuse Blue Black Splatterback.
The Pro Model Series 3 is a proven crankbait in the 6 to 8 foot range, depending on how light the line is.
Rose opts for the Pearl Tour Grade Spin Head paired with a Caffeine Shad Jr. trailer. For the trailer, he chooses Blue Glimmer in clear water, switching to Pearl when conditions are stained or muddy.
The Tour Grade Spinnerbait features delivers super-bright attraction at the slowest speeds and won’t cause the bait to rise as much on faster retrieves.
Strike King pro Scott Suggs discusses how the thermocline impacts fishing in Zone 4 during September.
During September in Zone 4, the thermocline is starting to rise and forcing anglers to be intentional about the depths they are focusing on for their next catch. “The thermocline is so hard that you can see it in the daytime. When it gets really hard like that, it is building up for a turnover. When that happens, everything changes,” shares Suggs.
Based on the rising thermocline, the available fishing area is drastically reduced with suspended fish hovering above the line, usually above 30-feet. “What is so amazing, I can take a bait and pitch it to ‘em, if they don’t get to it before it gets to the thermocline, they stop in their tracks. When it flips over, you’ll be able to catch them at all depths,” Suggs says.
Suggs expects that the thermocline will flip toward the end of September, opening up the lake and allowing for the full acreage of the lake to be fished. One piece of advice that Suggs lends to anglers is that there is no thermocline in moving bodies of water, like the Arkansas or Mississippi Rivers, so the fishing depths are not impacted by the thermocline.
If the water is clear, Suggs prefers Chrome Blue. In stained water, he switches to TN Shad 2.0. For muddy water, he will favor Black Lab.
The special design of the KVD Splash allows this bait to deliver the perfect balance of spitting, chugging, and walking to entire topwater strikes. KVD Splash includes premium components such as a feather-enhanced rear treble hook, 3D eyes, and an ultra-realistic paint job.
His choice for clear water is Green Pumpkin, while he opts for White if the water is stained. Suggs will utilize Black when fishing in muddy water. Suggs pairs this bait with a toad trailer.
Strike King’s Skip’N Buzz is specifically built to help anglers target out-of-reach fish in places where few baits will go. The Skip'N Buzz features a 4/0 hook positioned perfectly to not hinder the baits skipping ability while maintaining maximum hook ups.
He opts for Natural Shad in clear water, and switches to Chartreuse Sexy Shad if the water is stained. Bully is his go-to when fishing in low-vis conditions.
The Red Eyed Shad has incredible action and features some awesome paint jobs, premium hooks, 3D eyes, and free-floating rattles to give you the best action and sound of any lipless crankbait on the market.
If the water is clear, he will throw The Shizzle, while more stained water calls for Chartreuse Sexy Shad. Suggs will opt for Chartreuse Black Back in muddy conditions.
The KVD Squarebill 2.5 Crankbait is perfect for shallow water, power fishing. The squarebill design and unique “hunting” action will constantly emit erratic movement while still running true.
He opts for Bullfrog in clear water. If the water is stained, he will throw Bone, while he will switch to Green Pumpkin Gill if the water is muddy.
Strike King’s KVD Sexy Frog is the best of its kind – the sealed nose and free-floating rattle make this frog perfect for open water and heavy cover applications.
In September, water temperatures in Zone 4 typically range from the mid 80s to high 70s, an important element for anglers like Strike King pro Trey McKinney to consider this month.
In warmer lakes, fish often reside in deeper waters, yet they become eager to pursue bait as soon as conditions change, such as during a cold front. This shift drives them toward shallower areas, particularly in flatter creeks or arms of the lakes. When targeting these locations, keep an eye out for features like laydowns along the banks and scattered shallow brush.
If the water is clear or stained, McKinney prefers Peanut Butter & Jelly. In muddy water, he switches to Black and Blue. He pairs the jig with the Junebug Rage Menance trailer.
McKinney loves the Baby Structure Jig rigged with a rage menance trailer for flipping laydowns and covering rocks on steeper banks and channel swings. He likes the slower “glide” fall and normally works the jig with a slow retrieve.
If the water is clear, he will throw Tennessee Shad, while more stained water calls for TN Shad 2.0. In muddy water, he reaches for Chartreuse with Black Back.
McKinney loves the KVD Squarebill 1.5 Crankbait for its effectiveness in shallow water and power fishing, featuring a squarebill design that creates erratic movements while maintaining accuracy and ensuring ideal deflection off cover to attract strikes.
McKinney’s choice for clear water is Green Pumpkin, while he opts for Green Pumpkin Purple and Gold in stained water. In muddy water, he switches to Black Blue Flake.
For bedding fish and general picking apart cover, McKinney will throw a Texas-rigged (1/4 oz. Tour Grade Tungsten) Rage Menace. He loves how versatile the bait is and will swim and glide it around cover.
If the water is clear, he will throw Green Gizzard Shad, while more stained water calls for Tennessee Shad. McKinney utilizes White in muddy conditions.
KVD worked diligently to perfect the all-around perfect spinnerbait. Chief among the KVD Finesse Spinnerbait features is a smaller, redesigned Perfect Skirt® with natural colors for a realistic look and smaller profile in the water.
