See how these lures can help you catch fish in cold 50 degree water in the video below.
This video is a sample of what you can find fall bass fishing 50 degree water. It includes a demonstration of some great baits outlined below, and how to use them for optimal success in 50 degree water. Sometimes seeing something in action will help you get a better idea of what to do. This trip transpired in the first part of November, on Gunlock reservoir. I caught about a dozen bass that morning. Don’t pass up on some of the other baits not on film mentioned down later in this post too. For more great video’s go subscribe to my YouTube Channel.
This post will show you 4 good lures for fall bass fishing in 50 degree water. In the fall, as the water temperatures cool, the bass tend to respond differently from what they traditionally do at other times of the year. These 4 lures will help you catch bass when the water hits around 50 degrees. Paying attention to the water temperature is a sure fire way to put together the puzzle for catching more bass. Use these 4 good baits in the fall as outlined here, and you will be surprised at how many bass you can catch when the water get’s cold.
Fall Bass Fishing 50 Degree Water
Fall bass fishing when the water gets down around the 50’s makes bass behavior change. Bass are usually still pretty aggressive, but they are sitting a little deeper generally. You can still catch them easily if you know what to use to get them to bite. Typically, a reaction faster moving bait is the ticket at this time of year. Especially for the bigger fish. Yet, they will still hit those slow moving soft plastic presentations. The best place to find bass are the long skinny points that go all the way out on the main lake. In clear water the bass at this water temperature will be even deeper around 30 – 40 feet. If the water is dirty look for bass to be shallower. A bass wants to be as deep as possible, but still have enough visibility to be able to feed if needed.
The bigger a bass is the more food he needs. A bass is cold blooded, so as water temperatures cool they don’t need to feed as much. The little ones have toned down their eating at 50 degrees, but the big ones still need to chomp. This makes cold 50 degree water the best time of year to catch bigger fish. Fishing in colder water you will find you won’t catch as many bass, but often the quality size of the bass is better.
Best Baits for 50 Degree Water
Check out these good baits and techniques to continue to catch bass in 50 degree water. Not everything in your tackle box will work well this time of year, but these techniques always seem to produce. Concentrate on two styles of fishing in 50 degree water. Use deeper reaction baits, or slow moving deep soft plastic presentations. Those two types of presentations usually will get the job done in 50 degree water conditions.
Rapala DT10
The Rapala DT-10 is a classic lure for colder water temperatures to get bass to bite. It comes in a variety of great colors, and get’s down to those perfect deeper depths. The DT-10 is really quite easy to use. Just cast it out on those long points and start winding it back. It works best if you can get it to bang the bottom occasionally. This get’s those bass to instinctively bite whenever something out of the ordinary reacts by them. Grab a couple of these baits because you are probably going to hang a few up if you’re doing things right.
Biffle Bugging
The Biffle Bug paired on a wobbling hard head produces some awesome success in 50 degree water. You can fish it pretty easily as well. You cast it out. Let it fall down to the bottom. Then start reeling it back slowly. You should be feeling it bumping and grind the rocks as you retrieve the hard head back. What happens is the bait will temporarily stick behind a rock. Then it will spring free creating a reaction strike from the bass. Use a constant retrieve with a heavier head to fish deeper, and a lighter head for shallower water. The key is keeping biffle bug moving fast enough to be ticking and springing off the rocks, but also reeling it slow enough to stay in contact with the bottom.
Neko Rig
The Daiwa Neko fat is a great set up for catching bass in 50 degree water. The Neko Rig is a lot more subtle than a drop shot rig, and it can be fished easily at any depth. This set up works best on a good spinning rod and reel set up to be able to cast it far, and get those finicky bass to bite. When you are using a Neko Rig, make sure you are maintaining contact with the bottom. It also helps to just do a steady shake of the rod with a stop and go reeling action. There is something about the convulsing action of a shaking bait to trigger bass. Often a dying bait fish will quiver as it dies. A key trigger for bass to eat. This is why a Neko Rig can be catch a lot of bass in 50 degree water.
Carolina Rig
The slow drag of a Carolina Rig can’t be beat in 50 degree water. One major benefit of a Carolina Rig is it get’s down deep super fast. This will save you time waiting for your lure to get down to where you want it to be. Another reason the Carolina Rig work so good is the slow bottom crawling action this rig imparts to your bait. The leader from your weight to your lure creates a free flowing motion. This slow gliding in the cold water is good. In cold water baitfish and creatures just don’t move as fast. This makes a Carolina rig a killer for catching fish because it makes your bait look more natural in 50 degree water temperatures. A sure fire killer bait on a Carolina Rig is a fluke or a baby brush hawg. You need to either imitate a crayfish or a dying baitfish with your lure on your Carolina Rig, and you will for sure get some bites.
Additional Fall Fishing Cold Water Tips
Fall fishing in 50 degree water can be a lot of fun. You will experience way less fishing pressure, less boating traffic, and the bass are still feeding up for the winter months. They usually are fat and big at this time. One other thing you might want to consider throwing are chatterbaits and spinnerbaits. Big vibrations simulate quivering dying fish. Bass are predators. They love to eat things they don’t have to work hard to kill. Start pulling out other good vibration baits in 50 degree water to catch those bass.
Lastly, the links in this article are affiliate links were you can pick up baits, rod’s, reels, line, and anything else mentioned here to “Krak” some bass when you fish 50 degree water in the fall. Krakenbass receives a small percentage of the sales through these links. I only use links to baits, and gear I personally trust and know work. These links are here to be helpful for you, and not for the small amount I make for the sale of the products. I hope these products can help you “krak” some bass like they have for me. Thank you for your support!
As Always,
Stay Stoked!
