Texas fall bass window opens as water cools

What's biting

What's next

Expect the fall feed to build as nights cool and baitfish pull into creeks and coves. Those are the places to start looking, working from the mouth of a creek toward the back as bass follow bait.

B.A.S.S. News describes a bite that stretches through much of the day this time of year, so you are not limited to dawn and dusk. Even so, early and late hours tend to put the most aggressive fish in range. Gauge 08211200 shows 62.5 cfs of flow, a modest, steady current. Check local conditions before launching, since flow can change after rain.

The moon is at First Quarter, which typically gives a decent mid-week feeding window around dusk. Plan lure choices around reaction baits. Tactical Bassin (blog) walks through jerkbait retrieves, actions and color for fall conditions, and Fishing the Midwest points to the idea of finding green weeds, where fish often stay as other cover dies back.

If you plan to move your boat between waters, take a few minutes to clean, drain and dry it. Texas Fish & Game Magazine reminds anglers that this helps keep invasive species out of favorite lakes.

Context

Late October is typically a transition period for Texas freshwater. Surface water is still in the low 70s in the southern part of the state, and fish are shifting from summer holding patterns to chasing bait. That makes this a good week to move off deep summer structure and cover water with moving baits.

In a normal year, the strongest stretch for fall bass runs from now through the first real cold fronts of November. Each front can briefly shut the bite down, then it recovers as fish settle into the new pattern. Texas Fish & Game Magazine calls October capable of producing monster Texas bass, which fits that general pattern.