In the South, bass fishing during the month of September is quite challenging. Fish are spreading out and beginning to migrate and follow baitfish. There’s no shortage of baitfish in September and you have small wolf-packs of bass chasing them in all areas of the lake. You’ll notice them on the main lake and in the creeks or on flats. Finding bass can be difficult as they have a tendency to suspend and roam. My number one piece of advice is to wisely choose your fishing location. I recommend the moving water of a river as this will position the fish much better in and around cover and structure. To me, September largemouth fishing is all about the reaction bite, most importantly a finesse reaction bite.
So what kind of lures work best in September? Moving-type baits are key to cover water distance, allowing the fish to instinctively react to that movement. You’ll find a bladed swim jig with a Culprit Incredi-Slim trailer very effective at covering mass amounts of water. I use four sizes: 3/8, 1/2, 3/4 and 1 oz. If the water is stained or muddy and fish are in shallow water such as the backs of creeks or on shallow banks, then the 3/8 size is recommended. Obviously the deeper and/or faster you want to fish, the heavier the head. On the trailer end, confidence is key, and my number one confidence trailer is the Incredi-Slim. It’s the only trailer I consistently use. I love the color choices and the fact that there’s no salt in the lure to cause expensive bladed swim jig hooks to rust.
My suggested water-condition set-ups are:
Mud: White bait with all white trailer. Or black with black and blue trailer.
Shallow Slightly Stained: Green Pumpkin Orange with Tennessee Shad trailer. Or Smokey Grey shad skirt with Sexy Shad trailer
Clear: Green Pumpkin with a touch of grey or natural white and Tennessee Shad trailer
Black water. Green Pumpkin hues with Bama Bug trailer. Or black and blue with Bama Bug.
When in doubt use a Green Pumpkin with a little white in it and a Bama Bug Incredi-Slim.
Rod set-up: 7-ft plus medium, heavy, moderate or slow action, and 16-lb. Yo-Zuri Top Knot Fluorocarbon on bait casting gear.
My follow up bait is a Texas-rigged Incredi-Slim. If you miss a fish near cover or want to get deeper into the cover, the Incredi-Slim as a back-up provides perfect efficiency for pitching.
Of coarse many lures will work in September. But often the angler who catches the most and biggest is the one who simply put the trolling motor in high gear and covered more water. The bladed swim jig and Incredi-Slim will do the rest.