Elite pros choose top 5 fall baits

The fall fishing season is here and with the changing weather, the baits that bass want the most will also change. These Elite Series pros break down the five baits they would throw for fall transition bass.

Kevin Short has fished his last Elite Series tournament of his career, but over his 144 B.A.S.S. tournaments Short has made his name as a shallow, river fisherman. Here is his fall fishing lineup that he would throw.

Short goes through the many compartments, boxes and ziploc bags in order to find his five favorites for fall.

Crankbaits, bladed baits and some unique baits garner his attention.

Here are the details…

Short uses a Norman Deep Little N for those bass that haven’t gotten as shallow during the fall season.

One of Short’s most successful lures on the Elite Series throughout his career was a small square bill. For the fall he says the Peepers WEC. This one is in Splatter Back, but any shad pattern will do for Short.

According to Short, a fall staple has to be a Spinnerbait. This is a War Eagle specialty.

Topwater is a great technique as well, this is a War Eagle Buzzbait.

Great for reaction bites around shallow wood and sparse grass.

An off the wall bait that Short likes is the Norman Knockoff, which is a tailspin type bait.

Tailspin baits can be effective on shallow sand bars and around shallow areas with current sweeping by.

Chris Zaldain is a west coast angler and should bring a different approach to his fall fishing.

Zaldain digs through some of his tackle to break down his five favorites.

Zaldain is a very good jerk bait fisherman so its no surprise he is digging through that box.

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First off, Zaldain starts with the Megabass Giant Dog X in shad patterns. This is a trebled topwater walking bait.

Zaldain throws in a squarebill, the new Megabass S-Crank, in chartreuse black for stained water and any natural shad colors for clearer water.

Check out his S-Crank, which is great for deflecting off shallow wood cover and probing shallow water.

The California Kid likes to throw a Megabass 3-inch Spark Shad on a hand tied vibrating jig head.

When it comes to catching those deeper fish that don’t move as shallow during the fall season, Zaldain opts for the MegaBass Deep-Six crankbait.

Shad patterns are important during the fall because that is the main forage for most bass across the country during that transition period.

As mentioned before, Zaldain loves a jerk bait. This is the MegaBass Vision 110 jerk bait. He loves Sexy French Pearl on cloudy days.

While opting for the Pro Blue color during sunny conditions.

South Carolina pro Marty Robinson brings another regional perspective on fall fishing.

Robinson lives near lakes that feature blue back herring as a primary food source for bass, so his baits will cater to those colors.

Robinson digs through another box…

Shallow water fishing reigns supreme during the fall and topwater is among the best ways to initiate a bite.

With spotted bass in his area, that also influences his choices.

A staple in the Carolina’s is a Zara Spook Jr. and Robinson likes the clear version. Clear is great because on the clear lakes in South Carolina, spotted bass and largemouth can hear and see baits much farther than other places.

A crankbait is also in his arsenal. Here he shows off the Buckeye Flatshad in Milfoil color. For Robinson this bait is great because of the subtle wiggle while the natural color looks great on lakes like Keowee and Hartwell.

A Luck-E-Strike jerk bait is a staple for Robinson and, like Zaldain, he likes a Pro Blue color for his jerk bait.

Marty “the Party” Robinson likes throwing a jerk bait for those suspended bass off of the shoals on his home lakes.

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Another topwater lure that is great for bass in the fall is a buzz bait. Here is the Buckeye 3/8 ounce buzz bait.

The big blade gives off a nice flash and splash in shallow water.

One of the best shad imitators is a Zoom Super Fluke.

Robinson’s lineup.

Texas pro Zell Rowland has five wins to his credit over his professional fishing career and he has made a name for himself as the “Topwater Technician.”

Rowland goes through his organized boxes to find his go to baits.

Every pro has a favorite box of baits and this has to be one of Rowland’s favorites.

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Four treble type baits make the cut for Rowland, but his last one has a different topwater theme.

Rowland pulls out his frog box to check out what he likes the most.

We start his five fall baits with a Pop-R, a bait that has made Rowland quite a bit of money.

Then a XCalibur square bill for probing shallow cover.

A Smithwick Rogue jerkbait in shad patterns are important to Rowland.

Then a Zara Spook makes his list. That is two topwater lures and two mid-depth baits…

Rowland rounds it out with a BOOYah Poppin’ Pad Crasher.

Rowland has an obscene amount of knowledge and skill, which has allowed him to fish in 331 B.A.S.S. events.

Florida pro Randall Tharp brings his own specific skill set and knowledge to the table.

Tharp likes to power fish and grass is one of his favorite types of cover to pick apart.

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Another topwater that Tharp likes is the Storm Arashi Top Walker. The three-hooked topwater will help you hook up better if a fish swipes at the lure and doesn’t eat it completely.

A crank bait that Tharp will go to during the fall is the Rapala DT6. The new River Shiner color is what Tharp prefers.

The tight action of the DT6 gives it a nice profile for the feeding bass.

Tharp is known as a grass fisherman, so when he punches mats or flips around shallow cover these are his go-to choices.

One is his favorites is his signature series 4×4 jig. He likes to pair his 1/2 ounce jig with a Zoom Big Salty trailer on it to give it a bigger profile when flipping. He goes with a Zoom Z-Hog when punching mats.

His last lure for the fall is a spinnerbait.

His go-to is the War Eagle Spinnerbait. He prefers the 1/2 ounce version, but he says you can’t go wrong with any size from 1/4 ounce to 3/4 ounce.

Virginia native John Crews has cashed a check in 63 percent of his B.A.S.S. events he has competed in and his versatility has been noticed.

Crews goes through multiple treble boxes to get his favorites.

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Crews has been consistent over the last few Elite Series seasons and held the Angler of the Year lead early this season.

Crews’ lineup.

First off he likes a Zara Spook in clear, just like Marty Robinson showed earlier.

His next bait is the Spro Fat John 60 in Spook Nasty color.

John Crews then picks out his Spro Little John, which mimics the perfect size of bait during the fall season and early spring time. Cell Mate is a great color for bass feeding on shad.