How-To

Top fall lures with Hartman

Posted on
As the temperatures begin to drop across the country, it’s time to start getting geared up for fall bass fishing. In this photo gallery, two-time Bassmaster Elite Series champion Jamie Hartman shows a few of his favorite baits for fall bassin’. Head to basspro.com or your local Bass Pro Shops to get the gear you need!
When Hartman thinks about fall fishing, he thinks of crisp mornings in New York and fishing for big smallmouth. A number of his top lures for fall fishing are centered around smallmouth, while the other lures are great for both species.
Hartman’s top lures are a mixture of power and finesse that cover a variety of different depth ranges.
1. Crusher Lures Mini Football Jig paired with a twin tail grub.
“This bait can be used in a lot of different places, but it really shines around rock,” Hartman said. “This bait is a smallmouth killer, but I still catch a ton of largemouth on it as well.”
2. Reaction Innovations Vixen Topwater
“I switch it up between a Vixen and a Heddon One Knocker Zara Spook depending on if I’m targeting smallmouth or largemouth,” he said. “You can cover a ton of water with a topwater in the fall. Throwing a topwater over submerged grass or rock piles can be huge for this time of year.”
3. Drop Shot paired with a Gajo Baits Spirit Shad
“The drop shot is a pretty obvious choice when it comes to smallmouth fishing,” said Hartman. “You can drift it in current, cast it at rock piles and grass edges, target spawning fish or drop it vertically for fish under the boat.”
4. Bass Pro Shops Tender Tube
“The Tender Tube comes in a variety of great colors. I tend to use a standard green pumpkin in the fall to imitate crawfish, but the lighter colors can imitate a shad,” he said. “I will throw the tube anywhere that a smallmouth lives – rock, grass, sand, deep, shallow or anywhere in between.”
5. Berkley Stunna Jerkbait 112+1
“The Stunna 112+1 does a good job of covering the 6-12 foot range,” Hartman said. “It’s great in open water, but I really like it around a mixture of rock and grass. You have to figure out the right cadence because each day it will change.”
6. Swimbait on a jighead
“I typically like a 3.5- to 4.5-inch swimbait with a 1/4-ounce jighead,” he said. “Smallmouth will bite a swimbait regardless of where they’re set up.”
7. Crusher Lures Jamie Hartman Vivid Spinnerbait
“A spinnerbait can be deadly on smallmouth or largemouth in the fall,” said Hartman. “You can burn a spinnerbait in open water, but I still like a mixture of rock and grass for the spinnerbait. This Vivid spinnerbait can be burned at high speeds which makes it great for smallmouth.”

Head over to Basspro.com to get geared up for fall fishing!

Related