Fall is a great time of the year to fish in Michigan. The fish are feeding up towards winter and are really focused on bait. I have five baits that I won't leave home without having tied on in the fall.
First and foremost, a KVD Squarebill 1.5. This is my go-to shallow crankbait. We make different colors to match the various types of forage, such as perch, bluegill, shad or whatever bait is in the ecosystem. This is a great bait to fish shallow cover in the back of a creek or to crank over grass on a main lake flat. This is a go-to bait for me in the four-to-seven-foot range.
Anywhere I go in the country this square bill is just a great fish catcher.
Another bait that is a great fish catcher is the Thunder Cricket vibrating jig. I usually put a Blade Minnow on it as a trailer. It is a tremendous big bass catcher. I use it in clear water and it's a great smallmouth bass bait. This is another tool that is very different than a square bill and gives off a lot of vibration. The bass are really drawn to it.
Another great Fall bait is a jerk bait. I use a jerk bait around schooling fish and around any edge. This is a high percentage bait that I can get a ton of reaction strikes out of. If the water is clear, I'm going to be throwing a jerk bait in the fall.
The next bait is a spinner bait. What better lure is there to imitate bait fish? It is super versatile because it can be fished shallow. I burn it right underneath the surface in clear water, I slow roll it around lay downs and logs, and I fish it around boat docks and bushes. This is a top to bottom bait that I can really control the depth zone of. Be sure to pick a color that matches the forage in the ecosystem that is being fished.
I'm always thinking about a spinner bait, it's just a go-to bait day in and day out. I usually use a double willow blade in the fall. Which willow blade combination to use to imitate the bait fish depends on the water clarity. For instance, if a large amount of rain or a hurricane occurs the lakes rise and the backs of the creeks get dirty. A Colorado blade spinner bait is a really good option during these situations.
Last but not least, the fifth fall bait is a Rage Swimmer. It is necessary to have several sizes of Rage Swimmers. A swim bait is a great baitfish imitator, depending on what size head is put on it. I can fish it top to bottom and it is going to catch fish. This bait imitates the bait anywhere that I go. I match the color and the size, whether it's a 2.75” or all the way up to a really big 5.75". I choose the right size swim bait to match the forage in the ecosystem that I am fishing.
To reiterate, the fall is all about bait. I really want to match the type of forage they're feeding on, whether it is bluegill, shad, perch, shiners, or blue back herring. These five baits I can do that with, so do not leave home without them in the fall.
