Mike Cyze says that even though cooler temperatures have arrived, you don’t have to stop bass fishing yet. You just have to change your presentation.

Moving further and further along into the fall season of the year, the thought of giving up bass fishing is just plain frustrating. Throughout the summer months, bass anglers have been content finding a good bass population available to them. But now, with the water temperature starting to take a much cooler seasonal dive, these same anglers are finding the bass fishing getting a bit tougher. That’s not to say that they are not still catching some fish, because the savvy anglers are. The problem is that many bass anglers are not making the necessary seasonal adjustments in their presentations that will help them stay on the fish.

From mid-all, even into early winter—depending on the weather—anglers can still enjoy catching big bass by changing tactics to pitching and flipping jigs. While many bass anglers consider this a spring tactic, pitching and flipping jigs into structure is a very deadly fall presentation as well. For whatever reason, many anglers don’t use it during this season.

For this method to be really effective in fall, and into the early winter, you’ll need to make a few changes to the lure itself. One of the first changes is to the color of your lure.

Right now, we want to go to much brighter colors, like whites and silvers. We are looking to make the jig-n-pig rig look like the forage that the bass are primarily feeding on this time of the year—namely shad. Because of this, the silvers and contrasting blacks really come into play. This is one of those situations when color really does make a difference.

Here in the Midwest, we have been faced with average to slightly-above-average water levels this year. Right now, rivers like the Mississippi and Wisconsin have experienced a rise in water levels that has made ideal conditions for fishing this lure. Rising water conditions that flood shoreline vegetation and other types of cover create ideal condition for jig n pig fishing. You will find bass making a natural fall migration into shallow-water areas, looking for forage to feed on, to fatten up for the coming winter. When they find it, they will usually remain in the area as long as the forage is there.

When bass use these types of areas, they have a tendency to hold very tight to cover in the fall, using it as an ambush point. It’s necessary to pitch or flip your lure right into the thickest, ugliest part of the cover. You want to work the lure back very seductively, nice and slow, through the cover, stopping occasionally. Give any fish that are holding in the structure a good look at your presentation. Remember, this time of the season, slower is definitely better in the cooler waters of the fall. Try to make your lure look as natural as possible.

A good quality 17- to 20-pound-test line performs well for this kind of fishing. Some folks like braided line, but I like thin-diameter mono, as I find it cuts through the weeds better. This is personal preference. You will need this heavier line, however, when fishing snag-infested areas. It provides the muscle and abrasion resistance for hauling big bass out of thick cover.

After catching a fish, always check your line for nicks and cuts. Dragging a lure through heavy cover will play heck with even the best line. If you find a nick or cut, remove the bad piece of line and retie your lure. Also check your knot. You don’t want to lose a big bass because of damaged line.

Purchase a good supply of weed-less jigs in the 1/8- to 3/8-ounce weight range. Also mix and match your colors. In addition, a good assortment of plastic trailers will be necessary. Again, mix and match the colors for best results.

When using jigs in fall, bulk up the lure in size. Notice I said size, not necessarily weight. Give bass a nice, big profile target to hit. Also, make sure to keep your hooks very sharp. Many anglers fail to do this, and lose a lot of nice fish because of it. Never assume that just because a jig is new, that it is sharp. Always check the hook for sharpness.

The longer you can extend this year’s bass season, the shorter time you will have to wait ‘til next spring’s bass season arrives.

Old techniques can gain a new appreciation. Read more in the November issue of MidWest Outdoors, available the first full week of November at the newsstand or by subscribing on our website.