Forget The Grass Now And Hit The Clear Spots

If you look closely at the submerged weeds in the picture below, you’ll see some slime starting to develop. That’s pretty indicative of fall aquatic veggies, and it mean bass that have been calling grass home for months start to feel a little discomfort. But slime doesn’t mean they’ll leave the area entirely, and neither should you. Often times, all that’s required to stay on the fish is a slight switching of gears. For the bass, the open areas in the grass now better suit their overall fall needs. For the angler, those areas of clear bottom present easy targets. In many ways, it’s just like spring bed fishing. The difference is that instead of drawing a defense strike, bass use the clearings as ambush points, and most of the time that patch is clear because a nice juicy rock or log has stopped the grass from growing there.

Summer bass gravitate to lush green clumps of grass, and I’ve noticed it’s especially hard for avid summer bass anglers to get that out of their head once fall hits. Their subconscious just steers their casts toward the green instead of tan. The good news is that casting to open (tan) areas proves to be a lot easier than deciphering the quantity and quality of leftover summer veggies to target. The vibrant light spots stand out in all weather, making them easier to get on during an overcast day than sparse remaining grass. In terms of fishing, they’re way more forgiving because they lessen the chance of your bait getting repeatedly bogged up in weeds.

It’s important to remember that this strategy is indeed a pattern, and all patterns require honing the methodology over time, and most importantly they require repetition. What I mean by repetition is that all grass flats are not created equal, nor are all light spots in the grass beds going to hold a few fish every single time you visit. In order to give this pattern the old college try, be sure to hit at least three different grass flats on three different days, each for an ample amount of time, and when doing so, cast your favorite baits mostly to light spots v.s. the dark green grassy spots. By the time your experiment shakes out, and if you last through the growing pains of learning the nuances, I’ll bet you a bag of worms you’ll be satisfied with the results.