When October arrives, baitfish begin moving out of deep water and toward creeks. This seasonal transition creates prime opportunities for bass to ambush schools of shad. In this video, Justin Cooper demonstrates how to locate and catch these fish with a crankbait. By targeting points, humps, and creek channels, he shows how to position your boat and maximize every cast.
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- CRANKBAIT – Deep-Diving Crankbait: Shop Crankbaits at Bass Pro Shops
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- LINE – Bass Pro Shops XPS KVD Signature Series Fluorocarbon (12 lb.): Buy at Bass Pro Shops
Locating High-Percentage Areas
Cooper explains how secondary points, flats, and creek channels act like highways for baitfish and bass. Using electronics to find fish, he pinpoints where schools gather on hard bottoms such as shell beds or clay. Once the bass are located, crankbaits become the perfect tool to fire up the school.
Crankbait Presentation Tips
A crankbait excels in fall because it imitates shad and triggers reaction strikes. Cooper emphasizes long casts to reach the correct depth quickly, digging the bait into the bottom to create deflections. He also highlights the importance of wind direction and boat positioning for a natural retrieve. Mixing in pauses and speed changes adds the erratic action that bass cannot resist.
Color and Bait Selection
Changing crankbait colors often makes the difference between missed bites and solid hookups. In stained water, chartreuse and blue combinations work well, while natural hues shine in clearer conditions. Cooper notes that watching how bass are hooked—front hook versus back hook—provides cues on when to swap colors.
Boat Setup
- TROLLING MOTOR – Garmin Force Trolling Motor: Buy at Tackle Warehouse
- GRAPHS – Garmin ECHOMAP Ultra 2 126sv Fish Finder/Chartplotter with Navionics+: Buy at Bass Pro Shops
- FISH FINDER – Garmin GPSMAP Touch-Screen Fish Finder/Chartplotter Combo, 12-inch: Buy at Bass Pro Shops
- FORWARD-FACING SONAR (FFS) – Garmin LVS34 LiveScope Plus Live Scanning Sonar Transducer: Buy at Bass Pro Shops
- SHALLOW WATER ANCHOR: Power Pole 8 ft. Blades: Buy at Bass Pro Shops | Buy at Tackle Warehouse
- OUTBOARD – Mercury Pro XS 250hp: Check out at Mercury
- BOAT – Ranger Z520R: Check out at Ranger
