Tim Horton: Late Fall Cranking

“It’s a great time to be out cranking,” says Elite Series pro Tim Horton says about the late fall.

“The key to catching bass in November and December is finding out where the bass are located. I like to begin searching in a main tributary that feeds the lake,” he said. “I go halfway back into it then fish toward the back end.”

He likes to focus on channel swings with a shallow-running Bomber Model 4A because bass use channel swings as prime locations for ambushing shad.

“The shad are always moving around in late fall. What I look for is shad on the surface,” he said. “I also keep an eye out for surface action and birds.”

When fishing channel swings, Horton looks for curves with 45-degree banks – steeper banks. The key to catching bass in these areas is paralleling the bank and bouncing the crankbait off cover like laydowns, stumps and rocks.

“The Bomber Model 4A will run 6- to 8-feet deep on 14-pound test fluorocarbon line,” Horton noted. “You get the most bites when the crankbait is consistently bouncing off the bottom.”

“Most of the time I will move away from the clear water if possible,” he added. “I really like to be fishing in stained water.”

His favorite colors are rootbeer chartreuse – “it’s a confidence color for me” – and shad patterns like Tennessee shad, threadfin shad, royal shad, silver flash, pearl blue/back, black pearl and foxy shad.

Besides using fluorocarbon line, Horton uses a Duckett White Ice Tim Horton series rod. The medium heavy rod is 7’4” in length and allows for longer casts in addition to having better leverage once a bass is hooked.

Flats Too

Another area he likes to fish in November are shallow flats inside creek channels. Again he looks for schooling shad.

When it’s windy, bass get shallow and aggressive. For these fish Horton likes a square-lipped XCalibur Xcs. All three sizes of Xcs dive to just 3 feet, which Horton finds perfect for this situation. To top it off, these are silent baits (no rattle), and he feels that’s important when fishing for pressured bass or when there’s no wind.

Note that the shallow water crankbait bite gets better as the day goes on.

Category: Fishing Tips/Techniques