Flipping for Fall Bass

By Walker Smith

It’s almost here. The crisp breeze, clean air, cool mornings and the light morning frost on your boat carpet – fall is on its way. While this fall may be the most widely anticipated season in recent memory due to this summer’s oppressive heat, we “fish heads” have just one thing on our minds – the crankbait bite. The excellent crankbait fishing that fall offers is no secret to most anglers. As the shad make their annual migration toward the backs of creeks, hungry bass are sure to follow.

There is, however, an equally effective, often-overlooked fall pattern for putting bass in the boat. This can be an outstanding time of year for flipping shallow water cover for big bass. While cranking in the fall definitely leads to large quantities of bass, many anglers have a hard time locating and putting that “kicker” fish in the boat. If you break out your big flipping rods, you may be surprised at the number of quality bass you catch.

Missile Baits pro John Crews flips his way to big checks in professional fishing, and though he’s also known as a crankbait chunker and winder, he’s often camped out in the shallows with his flipping stick in hand. He recently shared some of his favorite fall flipping conditions, locations and baits.