Bass

I can still remember the first goggle-eye I ever caught. I plunked a big minnow next to the gnarly roots of a huge swamp white oak along the banks of a borrow pit that encases the lake at Big Oak Tree State Park in Mississippi County, Missouri. Our farm was only a stone's throw away from the park.

Recently, I took a friend to one of the better smallmouth lakes I know.

It is a good idea to begin a late fall fishing day with lures like spinnerbaits and jerkbaits, since they locate active bass and allow you to cover water. But some days, bass simply won't chase and hit a moving lure. That is especially true when cooler water temperatures cause bass to be less active.

After two weeks of inconsistent fishing, due to an overabundance of weather fronts, the bass are once again biting.

There's no better time to chase largemouth bass than fall.