Catchin’ the Coosa with Zeke Gossett
As we move into the fall of year, there will be a lot of changes taking place day to day on the Coosa River. As the days shorten, and those cool, autumn nights start to roll in, the fish begin to make their moves.
A couple of things start to happen. First, the shad begin migrating into creeks and fish will follow them. Second, a lot of schooling action is set in motion during these two months due to the shad being up near the surface most of the time.
Moreover, another phenomenon will begin. The fall turnover will usually finish during this time period. With all of these factors to consider, this is how I approach fishing on Logan Martin.
Topwater baits become a staple in my arsenal this time of year. Whether it’s a buzzbait, walking style topwater bait or frog – I use them all at some point throughout a day of fishing Logan Martin.
Typically, topwater baits work best in low light conditions, such as cloudy days or early in the morning. I also look for schooling fish pushing bait. When I locate schooling fish, I will use a walking style topwater bait to get these fish to bite. This style of topwater fishing is awesome to use in these conditions because it allows me to fish fast and make long casts in case fish start schooling far away from me.
I also like to fish seawalls and grass this time of year especially if there is a little wind blowing on it. One factor that we need to consider is the crazy Alabama weather. It can still be scorching hot and muggy.
My favorite way to approach these kinds of days is to fish deeper and main river docks. I feel like the fish feel more comfortable with this type of cover due to the fact they can move up and down the water column easier.
If the fish are shallow, they will hang closer to the back of the docks, but some days they tend to be out on the end docks. It just varies day to day.
My favorite bait to fish during these conditions is a finesse jig in any crawfish color. When I fish the back of a dock, I focus on fishing my bait on the bottom. When I fish the end of a dock in the deeper water, I really like to let the jig freefall right beside the post of the docks and the fish usually will bite before it ever hits the bottom.
Try these tips for some early fall-time fishing on Logan Martin.
Neely Henry
Bass fishing at Neely Henry can become strange during these two months. After the first few cool nights, the fish will start feeding up for the winter.
I really like to focus on the backs of creeks when this happens. First, you want to make sure there are baitfish that have moved into these areas. Most of the time the baitfish will be up near the surface of the water column, and you can see them flickering on top. Make sure you keep an eye open for schooling fish in this scenario as well.
The fall turnover is usually right around the corner or is already happening at this point. What that means is the oxygen levels in deeper water are beginning to get depleted. These two factors cause the shallow water areas to become more active with baitfish, which in turn draws the bass in to feed on them.
The main types of cover I focus on in the creeks are grass, wood and rocks. I normally focus on channel swing banks as well. This allows fish to use every bit of the water column if they choose to. They can either stay shallow or move deeper if they want to do so.
A few baits I like to try in these areas are a buzzbait, finesse jig or squarebill crankbait. These three baits give me options throughout the water column.
If it is cloudy and windy, I tend to reach for the buzzbait and cover a lot of water. If it’s more of a slick, calm, sunny day, I like to pitch and flip the jig around wood and grass. The squarebill crankbait allows me to cover a ton of water in order to find some active fish.
Give these tips a try on Neely Henry and hopefully, you’ll have some successful early fall fishing.
