Fall River Baits

Getting to be that time of year when the big shad start showing up and the big mama’s start eating big baits. What are everyone’s go to fall baits? Here are my top 5:

1) Big stick baits…HJ12/14 and big rattling Rogues.
2) #7 Rapala jointed raps. I don’t like the 5’s in the fall but where the water is deep enough a 7 is tough to beat banging off the rocks.
3) Rapala Shadow Rap deep…not a lot of people use these but they are deadly because of their action. #9 or 11 is the go to.
4) Sucker minnows on a light jig. Something around 5 inches seems about right.
5) Big paddle tails. A minimum of 4” but something in the 5-6” range with a lot of tail action.

Honorable mention goes to big rattle baits or blade baits.

I’ve tried the HJ 14 with no avail . Ripping raps and blades have gotten me a few with the confidence definitely for blades for me . . What big plastics are you using ? Seems like they never make the jigs with a long enough shank for the big ones . Maybe I need to start casting larger baits in those balls on Pool 4 . Plenty of shad balls out there tonight . Couldn’t find the eyes . Was 20 miles from the dam crowd .

Good post Matt

Still figuring out P2, but north of you guys I’m a HJ clown guy with ringworms a close second.

My go to river confidence baits are the biggest blade baits or #7 jigging raps. Ripping hair jigs has grown on me the last few years tho but river conditions change so much and you need to adapt.

HJ 14 is not a very good bait from everything I’ve seen. The 12 is dy-no-mite

crawdaddy wrote:

HJ 14 is not a very good bait from everything I’ve seen. The 12 is dy-no-mite

This one came on a 14 last fall…29.5”. Didn’t have a scale but I think it’s the biggest walleye I’ve ever caught.

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eyeguy507 wrote:

My go to river confidence baits are the biggest blade baits or #7 jigging raps. Ripping hair jigs has grown on me the last few years tho but river conditions change so much and you need to adapt.

Hair jigs are one I haven’t mastered yet. Don’t just give them a big rip and then let them fall?

isu22andy wrote:

I’ve tried the HJ 14 with no avail . Ripping raps and blades have gotten me a few with the confidence definitely for blades for me . . What big plastics are you using ? Seems like they never make the jigs with a long enough shank for the big ones . Maybe I need to start casting larger baits in those balls on Pool 4 . Plenty of shad balls out there tonight . Couldn’t find the eyes . Was 20 miles from the dam crowd .

Ketech makes some good ones. The suicide shad is also a good one. Look in the bass section at Scheels. The bass guys like the big plastics.

Can we talk about this headlamp?

Are you casting or trolling those big HJs? I’d typically be trolling them this time of year.

No doubt big baits in the fall catch big fish. But they’ll eat smaller stuff equally as well. To me, versatility over time of year specific baits. I can go to pools 9-4 with one bait (and I have) and be able to present to eyes in any depth range

Cody Meyers wrote:

Can we talk about this headlamp?

Are you casting or trolling those big HJs? I’d typically be trolling them this time of year.

I can see from pool 2 to pool 5 with that beast! Plus, it blinds everyone else within a mile of it.

Cast and troll them…just depends on where the fish are.

Randy Wieland wrote:

No doubt big baits in the fall catch big fish. But they’ll eat smaller stuff equally as well. To me, versatility over time of year specific baits. I can go to pools 9-4 with one bait (and I have) and be able to present to eyes in any depth range

I assume some sort of rattle bait like you make?

I agree you need versatility. That’s why I have hundreds of baits/lures in Plano boxes that I never use! At least I got ‘em though!

Matt Moen wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Randy Wieland wrote:</div>
No doubt big baits in the fall catch big fish. But they’ll eat smaller stuff equally as well. To me, versatility over time of year specific baits. I can go to pools 9-4 with one bait (and I have) and be able to present to eyes in any depth range

I assume some sort of rattle bait like you make?

I agree you need versatility. That’s why I have hundreds of baits/lures in Plano boxes that I never use! At least I got ‘em though!

After almost 5 decades of accumulating baits, I’m finally consolidating. Sold off about 400lbs of jigs, 1000’s of cranks. Found out I can actually walk through my garage with all this stuff gone.

Fished the fall walleye bite last year from Oct through Dec. had two rods and two baits. #7 shad rap and a lipless bait (yes, ones I paint). As soon as water warmed to 39 degrees in the spring, same two baits were on fire again

I am going to try some geecrack bellows shad baits. Realistically will go back to a moon eye jig and pulse R paddle tail that works 80% of the time

isu22andy wrote:

What big plastics are you using ? Seems like they never make the jigs with a long enough shank for the big ones

These are overpriced but they work and have plenty of shank. Started buying these for lake trout in Canada but have found success this time of the year on the river as well. This year with the lack of current it’s really way more weight than is needed, but you could size down obviously.

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Vmc flat shad is another option for light weight w larger hook

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There are a few things to unpack with fall baits….

Water temperature and flow and clarity are key factors. There is a huge difference between now and Thanksgiving.

A HJ14 is a great example of why. Right now, when water is in the 50’s a SR7 is great. Standard retrieve and contact with bottom are a winner. However, when we get below 45-degree water this no longer be a thing. There are reasons some people do not have luck with HJ’s.

45 degrees and below is when HJ14’s shine. Mainly because of the action of the bait when retrieved and that it suspends. I don’t care if you are tossing a #12, 14 or any style stick bait. It has to SUSPEND! And if you’re not allowing that bait to pause motionless on the retrieve then you’re missing out. This is no joke. Most guys don’t have the patience to allow that bait to sit there. I have made people put the rod in the rod holder after 1/3 retrieve and just stop touching the rod. Every one of them were surprised what happens!! I have to do this myself every year as a reminder to slow down!

Also, it is crucial that you tune your stick baits. Make sure they suspend flat and run straight. Tuning is necessary with any crank bait. Stick baits especially. You can bend and tweak the nose of that bait up or down to get a different wobble/depth/action out of it.

buschman wrote:

There are a few things to unpack with fall baits….

Water temperature and flow and clarity are key factors. There is a huge difference between now and Thanksgiving.

A HJ14 is a great example of why. Right now, when water is in the 50’s a SR7 is great. Standard retrieve and contact with bottom are a winner. However, when we get below 45-degree water this no longer be a thing. There are reasons some people do not have luck with HJ’s.

45 degrees and below is when HJ14’s shine. Mainly because of the action of the bait when retrieved and that it suspends. I don’t care if you are tossing a #12, 14 or any style stick bait. It has to SUSPEND! And if you’re not allowing that bait to pause motionless on the retrieve then you’re missing out. This is no joke. Most guys don’t have the patience to allow that bait to sit there. I have made people put the rod in the rod holder after 1/3 retrieve and just stop touching the rod. Every one of them were surprised what happens!! I have to do this myself every year as a reminder to slow down!

Also, it is crucial that you tune your stick baits. Make sure they suspend flat and run straight. Tuning is necessary with any crank bait. Stick baits especially. You can bend and tweak the nose of that bait up or down to get a different wobble/depth/action out of it.

Good post – I need to give them more of a fair shake this year and make sure to let them pause . Your talking like 30 second pauses correct ? Or whats your sequence if you can put it into words ?

Pausing cranks in current is a seldom used tactic. I will also use it in heavy current in the summer. Holding a JSR dead still is a great way to get strikes.

I agree it’s hard to get used to pausing the HJ’s but once you get that down there is nothing better than a big walleye smashing one.

I still don’t think the 14 HJ is a good bait. I’ve caught fish on it too. For some reason the 12 is so much better. Must be the action or something. If you have a 12 and a 14 fishing side by side the 12 will outfish it.

10-15 seconds on the pause is a good start. But experiment and they fish will tell you

The other bait this works really well with is the Rapala Shadow Rap. They are a suspending jerk bait and have a really loud rattle and a bigger wobble than the HJ’s.

I’ll do the same thing Joe mentioned above and then give them a little pop. Because they are a jerk bait the movement is really erratic and will trigger strikes.

I don’t fish the river but this is a great thread. I’d say a lot of these work equally well on lakes this time of year. Agree with the pause on a jerkbait. I’m a fan of the shadow rap both original and deep. Anytime I’ve used them, 90% of the bites come on the pause. They can also work really well trolled.

buschman wrote:

10-15 seconds on the pause is a good start. But experiment and they fish will tell you

Good to know . I tried them last twice year trolling them at around 1 mph and casting them with a slow twitch with nothing to show . Sounds like I need to slow it down and let it pause more .

we run dubuque rigs on the river a ton and on my dropper i’ll often put a big ole plastic on it. a 5″ bfishn tackle grub or a hanks walleye slayer +. those big baits will either catch slot fish (20+”) or small saugers for some reason.

That’s a heck of a fish, Matt. But what is the headlamp?????

As for baits(lol), big stick baits, as you said. Find the fish, most importantly, and put one of those over/past them. Game over. Personal favs are HJ’s, X-raps, and berkley hit sticks

All 4 of the tactics I listed above worked last night. We didn’t throw plastics but sticks and big minnnows worked.

It wasn’t lights out by any means but we caught fish. Water temp is still at 55 so a touch warm imho.

There is so little flow it’s hard to get the sticks to wobble in the current. Best bet was to give them a couple pops then let them rest for 5-10 seconds. Most of the strikes came on the pause.

end of the month here on P4 should be primetime but the lack of flow will likely impact the amount of fish moving up river. i am hoping for quality over quantity this fall but who knows? i will definitely be going big on all my baits unless i am vertical and then going with what the current brings.

are water levels fairly normal or pretty low for this time of year? going out a couple times this weekend and want to be prepared.

Matt Moen wrote:

There is so little flow it’s hard to get the sticks to wobble in the current. Best bet was to give them a couple pops then let them rest for 5-10 seconds. Most of the strikes came on the pause.

This is my second favorite bite! Usually just a tick but sometimes they cream it!!

My first favorite bite by far is the “thunk” when tossing big swim baits.

buschman wrote:

My first favorite bite by far is the “thunk” when tossing big swim baits.

x2 !

-J.