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.
