Feeding Package: Autumn Perch, Archipelago

SPOTS FOR FALL BASS EARLY IN THE SEASON Early in the season, in September and October, when the water temperature is still fairly high, the fish can still be quite spread out. In those conditions, it’s often best to fish a bit faster using vibration lures such as spinners, blades, and chatterbaits, as well as small twitch/jerkbaits. The fish can be found anywhere from deep inside grassy coves to the edges just outside the grass, as well as on points, shallow flats, and straits. The usual approach is to fish several spots until you find where the fish are holding for the day, and then spend more time with jigs and finesse lures once you’ve found fish that are biting. SPOTS FOR FALL PERCH LATE IN THE SEASON As the season progresses—toward the end of October/November—and the water gets colder, many fish move into shallower areas. Weedy coves and shallow, more sheltered areas are usually good spots to look for bass. Here, too, you can start the day by fishing a bit faster with vibration lures to scout out where the fish seem to be. In colder water, the fish can become very sluggish and hard to entice. Therefore, it’s possible that there are plenty of fish in the area, but they don’t want to waste energy chasing a jerkbait swimming by quickly. That’s why pauses while reeling are very important. Long pauses result in more strikes. If you see fish on the fish finder or get a few tentative strikes, it can be a good idea to anchor and fish the area more thoroughly using various jigging techniques. LURES Jerkbaits/twitchbaits are often small, long, slender wobblers designed to mimic an injured roach or bleak, which make up a large part of the perch’s diet in the fall. Of course, you can simply reel this one in, but with a few decisive jerks of the rod, you can take the lure to the next level. Don’t forget the stop-and-go action! That’s when the bite comes. According to many, tail spinners and blades are perhaps only summer lures. But for us, they’ve proven to be really effective even in colder water. They cast far and are incredibly versatile. You can easily cover large areas more efficiently and entice even the sluggishest fish with their powerful vibrations. Either by using a standard retrieve with short pauses, or—if there isn’t too much weed—jigging the lures along the bottom. Chatterbaits tend to attract even the most finicky bass with their large profile and aggressive movement patterns. These also work great when simply reeled in through open water—for example, over weeds and drop-offs—but even later in the season, they perform excellently when slowly reeled along the bottom with long pauses. A great search bait for both active hunting and when the bass are at their most sluggish. Jigs are always a safe bet and work in most situations. With light jig heads, they can be fished effectively in open water over drop-offs or in grass, as well as along the bottom. We find jigs to be at their very best when you have a rough idea of where the fish are located. Feel free to take long pauses, letting the jig rest on the bottom with the line taut—you’ll often see a bite on the rod tip or the line. The drop shot and the bottom rig are two awesome techniques when the perch are really sluggish. These techniques are fished incredibly slowly to really lure out even the most reluctant bass. These two techniques are most effective when you know where the bass are but can’t get them to bite on any of the other techniques. We therefore fish these techniques very slowly and with great focus right where the fish are. For example, in a pocket of grass or reeds. Instead of making many casts, we fish each spot for a really long time. It’s almost like bottom-fishing for perch. Cast out and tighten the line with the rod held high, and then the lure works on its own thanks to the flat head or the drop-shot rig’s hook. Experiment by giving the rod a light shake so the lure dances nicely right near the bottom. Our color recommendations! M-craft Wiggly Worm, Blue Black, Magic Pearl, Pumpkin Pearl Pig Hula Chatterbait, Golden Shiner, Motor Oil Pepper, Muud Puppy Westin Bullteez, Bass Orange, Dirty Harbor, Official Roach Pig Jig Spin, OB Shad, Gold Nugget, The Almighty Armada Compact Vibrator, Roach, Junebug, Hot Motoroil Armada The Shady, Japanese Bleak, Wakasagi, Tomato Perch Armada The Hunter, Japanese Bleak, Wakasagi, Tomato Perch Weights for jig heads and drop shot weights: 3g, 5g, 7g!