Denali Rods Presents: In many parts of the country, the calendar flipping into October brings about one of the strongest bites of the year. In reservoirs, shad are nearing their biggest size and heading to the backs of creeks and wintering areas. In lakes and rivers, baitfish start to school up and concentrate on areas with remaining healthy vegetation. This often results in a phenomenal topwater bite, as surface temps are still high enough to keep bass active, and they are frantically trying to put on weight for the impending winter.
Denali pros Greg Bohannan, Pete Gluszek, and Preston Clark reside in very different parts of the country, and as such fish very different waters. One thing the all have in common though is an affinity for throwing topwater presentations in the fall, and we were able to get their input on the topwater baits that they like to throw this time of year.
Greg Bohannan – War Eagle Buzzbait
Bohannan resides in Rodgers, Arkansas right in the heart of the Ozarks. You might think that the deep, clear waters of the Ozarks lakes are not conducive to a fall topwater bite, but Bohannan thinks that couldn’t be farther from the truth, saying “One of my favorite times of the year to fish topwaters on lakes like Table Rock is after the first cold snap. For whatever reason, the fish react to cold weather by getting in extremely shallow water and they cruise around shallow rocks, docks, and laydowns.”
To target these recent shallow movers, Bohannan throws a white 3/8 ounce War Eagle buzzbait. He generally fishes fairly fast, and likes the fact that the buzzbait allows him to cover a lot of water and generate strikes from the right kind of fish. “A couple years back, I took second at the Everstart Championship on Table Rock on the strength of a 20lb stringer the final day. We had the first really cold weather of the year the night before the last day, and I put away everything I was doing and caught that giant bag entirely on a buzzbait.”
Bohannan fishes a buzzbait on a 7′ MH Noirwood rod paired to a high speed reel spooled with 50lb Toray braid. “I have switched almost exclusively to braid for my buzzbaits. That Toray braid has no stretch and casts a mile, which results in much better hooking percentages when fishing a buzzbait.”
Pete Gluszek – Rebel Pop-R
Hailing from Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, Gluszek is at home on the various tidal waters of the Atlantic Coast watershed. “In the fall, there is just so much more bait activity that you would be missing out if you weren’t putting in some serious topwater time, and the bait I throw most of the time is a rebel Pop-R.”
Gluszek likes the Pop-R in the fall because it seems to draw strikes seemingly out of nowhere. “I don’t know why, but when I start seeing shad flipping on the surface in the fall, I automatically reach for a popper. It has the ability to generate strikes around the kind of man made targets that you often encounter in urban tidal water. It also has a phenomenal strike to hook-up ratio, probably because it has such a small profile and the fish can easily track it.”
Gluszek fishes the Pop-R on a 7′ MH Rosewood Crankbait rod paired with a Shimano Chronarch spooled with 10 or 12lb Gamma monofilament. “I like the mono for my poppers because it floats and you don’t seem to have as many fish pull off at the boat that you do when fishing braid. I think the stretch becomes an asset once you have the fish hooked.”
Preston Clark – Bass Assasin Die Dapper
In the previous places mentioned, like the Ozarks and eastern tidal waters, a fall topwater bite may not seem very obvious, but in Florida, where Preston Clark resides, it is a pretty obvious choice once the leaves start to turn. “In most of the places we fish across Florida, you’re generally fishing in water that you could touch bottom in, so combine that with the abundant vegetation and you’ve got a recipe for topwater success. In the fall, the shad are really starting to group up in the healthy patches of grass, and buzzing a paddle tail swimbait on the surface does a great job of emulating those shad. The fish will absolutely destroy it.”
The swimbait that Clark uses is a 5″ paddle tail model made by Bass Assassin called the Die Dapper. He rigs it weightless on a large swimbait hook and steadily retrieves it over patches of isolated grass and through lily pads. “I like to bring it back just fast enough that it makes a surface commotion. I think the fish get just enough of a look at it to commit, and when they’re on it it’s some of the most exciting fishing you’ll have in Florida all year.”
Clark fishes the Die Dapper on a 7’6″ Rosewood flipping stick paired to a high speed reel spooled with 50lb Stren Sonic Braid.