Fall is often one of the best times of the year to hit the water. The fishing is usually pretty solid, especially for bigger fish, plus, the crowds are low compared to the summer peak when every boat owner within 100 miles seems to be on your favorite bassin’ body of water.

So, since fall is a time of change for all creatures great and bassy, BassFIRST asked a handful of Bassmaster Elite Series pros what their favorite fall bass fishing techniques were, to help all of us catch a few more bass during these changing times.

“I like fishing topwaters for shallow bass,” said DeFoe. “I like to use the Storm Top Walker and fish it around isolated cover. This is a fun way to catch big bass in the fall. There’s nothing like watching the bite on this bait.”

“I love catching smallmouth on a Megabass Vision 110 in the fall because they hit it going the other way so often,” said Clausen. “Some of the best bites of the year come in the fall throwing a jerkbait.”

“My favorite fall technique is throwing a ¼-ounce buzzbait down the bank with the trolling motor on high speed,” said Cherry. “It’s a great way to cover shallow targets and get some explosive bites.

“You can do this all day and catch some of the biggest bags of the year. It will work from the main channel all the way to the back of creeks and pockets.”

“I like mid-depth cranking in the fall,” said Combs. “I use the Strike King 2.5 in 4-to 8-foot depths, and the 5XD in 8-to 12-feet of water. I focus my fishing on creek channel bends and channel intersections.”

“My favorite fall technique is shallow water cranking,” said Bertrand. “I like the Berkley Square Bull, and I fish it on shallow flats and back in creeks. It’s a great shad imitation, and bass are dialed into shad in the fall.”

“My fall techniques depend on where I am in relation to the Mason/Dixon Line,” said Palaniuk. “If I’m down south, I love targeting isolated cover with a Storm Arashi Square 3 and a ½-ounce jig. It’s a great way to cover a lot of water, and fish are usually aggressive.

“If I’m up north chasing smallmouth bass, I love throwing a Zoom Z-Drop on a drop-shot rig, targeting rock veins and points that have good dropoffs on one side. If there is a shallow population of smallmouth, a ¾-ounce Terminator spinnerbait reeled as fast as you can is addicting, and a deadly way to catch them.”