Last week we talked about transition points and places and how to fish them. This week is about the lures for those transition periods of late summer to early fall patterns.

We have to remember that the fish are wanting to feed and prepare for the winter months. However, no matter how much we look at the calendar and say to ourselves it’s fall and the fish should be doing this and that you can’t rush it. Mother nature is in complete control of the situation and the fish are going on instincts.

1. The search lures are keys during the transition period to try and establish, if fish are in a general area. They can also be used for that all out feed that as anglers we live and dream about. These include topwaters, swimbaits, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, spoons, and rattle traps. The goal is to cover large amounts of water as fast as possible, until you get a bite. Once you get a few bites, slow down and work the water column and find the sweet spots. I try and fish 2 to 4 new spots each day to look and stay on top of the movement of the fish. Remember fish move for several reasons. This includes fishing pressure, bait, weather conditions, tide movement or water temperature, and seasonal patterns.
2. Finesse lures in my opinion are lures that are overlooked, except when it comes to the cold months. We should be using these lures on a daily basis, unless the fish are just jumping into the boat. Finesse lures means more than just downsizing a lure or slowing down. I’m talking about modifying lures, fishing with a smaller jig head or weight, fishing with a texas rig, fishing a swimbait hook with or without weight, going to silent topwaters or crankbaits with no rattle, fishing down in line size, or fishing lures that are more horizontal than vertical. Take a spinnerbait and go from a 3.5 Colorado blade to a 5 Colorado Blade will make a big difference in fall and vibration. Take an Owner Beast Swim Bait Hook with no weight or go from a 5/0 to 3/0 hook and see the difference in your lure action and where it stays in the water column. Go from a 1/4 jighead to a 1/16th and see how patient and how much attention you have to pay attention to your fishing style.
3.  Scented lures or scent such as Bang in shrimp, crab, and menhaden will help on those difficult days. Make sure that you keep these lures in a plastic container, so they don’t leak and ruin other tackle. I prefer two brands of scent products Bang and Gulp. I use bang on my bass assassin lures, by placing a little bit in each bag and don’t mix colors. I try to let them soak for about 24 to 48 hours, before I use these lures. With Gulp I like to by the packages and then dump into a rubbermaid container with extra gulp in it. One of the biggest mistakes people make with scents or soft plastics in general is leaving them in the sun. Store your plastics in the dark and leave in the original packaging.

Fishing continues to be great in Louisiana from Calcasieu to Venice for trout and redfish. The bull redfishing is turning back on the last few days. We are back to sight casting and fly fishing for them

These fish are ranging from 15 to 30 pounds.

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Next week the importance of organization and  maintenance of fishing tackle.