Fall transition pushes Toledo Bend bass into creeks and grass points

What anglers are reporting The last solid report was late September, when bass were just starting to push into the major creeks. Since then, we have had significant rain and a steady cooling trend that should have the fall transition in full swing.

This week's outlook Expect the recent three inches of rain to have stained the backs of the creeks and pushed fresh water into the system. With air temperatures dropping into the 60s and 50s, water temperatures should be falling through the upper 60s. This cooling trend will pull threadfin and gizzard shad further back into the creek channels, and the bass will follow them. Look for active feeding windows on grass points and along the edges of standing timber where bait is present.

Where to start Focus your search on the secondary points and creek channel swings in the major tributary arms. Locate green hydrilla with a clean edge near deep water. If the water is stained from the recent runoff, push shallower into the creeks and target laydowns and brush. Keep an eye on your electronics for bait balls in the channels, as bass will use the adjacent timber to ambush shad.

Bait box

• Squarebill crankbaits in shad patterns for stained water
• Spinnerbaits with willow blades to run over grass points
• Lipless crankbaits to rip through submerged hydrilla edges
• Chatterbaits in white or green pumpkin for working laydowns
• Texas-rigged craws to pitch into heavy brush post-front

This weekend A strong front pushes through Thursday and Friday, bringing rain and heavy northwest winds gusting over 20 mph. Thursday should offer a strong pre-front feeding window before the wind peaks. By Saturday and Sunday, expect post-front bluebird conditions with highs in the mid-50s. The bite will tighten up, so slow down and drag jigs or Texas rigs tight to standing timber and deep grass edges on the main lake points.