Recently I wrote a brief article entitled Late Summer/Early Fall Transition Period that you can read by clicking on the Tips Archive tab of our web site www.tennesseebassguides.com. In this article I tried to give you a good understanding of how water temperature relates to triggering the fall transition process. It might help you to read that article first before finishing this one. The "Fall Transition" of Largemouth, Smallmouth and Spotted Bass just doesn't happen overnight. It's not like you turn a switch on or off and magically it's happened. Rather, the length of this process is almost totally dependent on mother nature. How quickly the water temperature changes is the key to this process. And during this change you will find bass holding in different patterns in different parts of the lake.

Under normal conditions the upper regions of the lake will be the first to experience that "Right Drop In Water Temperature" that will propel bass into their Fall patterns. And depending on how large the lake is, bass in the middle portion of the lake might still be holding in "Late Summer Patterns" while bass further toward to lower end may not even be at that stage yet. Faced with these multiple patterns and changing water temperatures one of the best search baits I know of that can help you probe various water depths and help you cover as much water as possible is a crankbait. In the paragraphs below I want to share with you several different baits that I use and why I use them. My hope is that this information will help you crank your way to success this fall.

Deep Crankbaits

Let's start with the deepest pattern fish and work our way on up. These would be the bass that more than likely would be in the lower region on up to mid lake during the late summer/early fall period. The water temperature that these bass are holding in would still be more or less the warmest portion in the lake. These fish may be holding on points that gradually get deeper as they extend out into the lake, or ledges that offers semi shallow water on it's crest then suddenly drops off into deep water at the main channel. Depending on your type of lake they may be holding along old flooded river channel bends that still have stumps and rock. Many times these ledges will also have allot of sand and slit. But the one factor that always has to be there to make it a productive place is "Structure". My favorite crankbait to probe structure for these deep water bass is a Luhr-Jensen Hot Lips in one of three sizes. www.luhrjensen.com In the picture to the left the top bait is the 3/4 model, the middle bait is the 1/2 model and the bottom bait is the 1/4 size. On 10lb test the 3/4 model will run 18-24 feet deep, the 1/2 model will run 15-18 feet deep and the 1/4 model will run 12-16 feet deep. I like the way these baits "Dive" straight down immediately. Much of this can be attributed to the Deep Dive Tri-Lobe Power Lip and it's computerized thin wall construction. These baits offer fantastic vibration and track incredibly straight. To get the most from these baits I use two different All Pro APX series rods. www.allpro.com The first is model number APX80HCA. This is a heavy action 8 foot casting rod with a forgiving tip that is absolutely fantastic for throwing big deep diving crankbaits like the 3/4 and 1/2 Hot Lips. If you have ever thrown a big deep bait like these on a rod that wasn't suited for this technique you are well aware of how tired your arms and wrists can get. Having the right rod makes a tremendous difference. The second is the APXCS7MHCA. This is a 7 foot medium heavy casting crankin rod that is ideal for the 1/4 model Hot Lips. All APX rods have unmatched sensitivity that is transmitted through the graphic rings on the handle that will allow you to feel every piece of structure that you pull these Hot Lips over. This is an important ingredient that I can't emphasize enough. You need to be able to feel the Hot Lips beating and banging it's way through-around and on the structure you are fishing looking for a reaction strike. When you catch a bass work that area completely, many times there will be several holding on the same piece of structure. Using my electronics I always like to start on the shallow part of the point or ledge and work my way out to the deeper water varying my retrieve as I work my way along. Color selection is something that you will have to experiment with. I always lean toward a shad colored bait when I can, but other colors can be just as deadly. Lure Jensen makes the three Hot Lips models in over 40 colors that can help you match your water color needs.

Sport fishing (sometimes game fishing)

Sport fishing (sometimes game fishing) describes recreational fishing where the primary reward is the challenge of finding and catching the fish rather than the culinary or financial value of the fish's flesh. The distinction is not completely rigid - in many cases, sport fishers will also eat their catch. The philosophies and tactics used for sport fishing, however, are usually sufficiently different from "food fishing" to make the distinction clear enough.

The most common fish sought after are marlin, tuna, sailfish, shark and mackerel along with other species of fish.

Sport fishing methods vary according to the area being fished, the species being targeted, the personal strategies of the angler, and the resources available, ranging from the aristocratic art of fly fishing, ostensibly invented in Great Britain, to the high-tech methods used to chase marlin and tuna. In virtually every case, however, the fishing is done with hook, line, rod and reel rather than with nets or other aids.

In the past, sport fishers, even if they did not eat their catch, almost always killed them to bring them to shore to be weighed or for preservation as trophies. Fishermans desire to improve the fishery have resulted in many sportfisherman releasing their catch alive, sometimes after fitting them with identifying tags and recording their details so as to aid fisheries research (known as tag and release).

Sport fishing competitions give competitors (individuals if the fishing occurs from land, usually teams where conducted from boats) a specified time and area from which they are to catch fish. Scores are awarded for each fish caught, the points depending on the fish's weight and species, and then, sometimes, divided by the strength of the fishing line used (so catching fish on thinner, weaker line scores additional points). In tag and release competitions, a flat score per fish, divided by the line strength, is awarded for each species caught.