Small Cranks in Early Fall

Young North Carolina pro Dustin Wilks likes to find out-of-the-way bass and out- of-the-norm ways to catch them. In fall he does this by fishing small crankbaits.

Start Early

First, when and where: "After about the first good-sized cold front of the year, when the water temperature drops just a little, look for shad in the backs of creeks," Wilks says. "That's the standard fall pattern, but I do really well earlier than most people -- even in late August.

"I think bass live shallow in the backs of creeks all summer and most people just ignore them," he explains. "That fishing picks up a little earlier than most people think.

"You're just looking for the presence of shad," he notes. "Balls or shad flipping every once in a while -- the shad don't have to be doing anything in particular."

Small and Shallow

For this pattern Wilks likes to fish small crankbaits, particularly the Yo-Zuri Crank'n Dive. "That goes down to about 3 feet," Wilks says.

Later in the fall, when more anglers are fishing in creeks, he goes to a Yo- Zuri Micro Crank which is smaller and runs even shallower.

In both cases he sticks with shad and chartreuse colors.

Coves Too

Later in the fall, Wilks branches out. He also fishes big coves and small creeks. "As feeder creeks get crowded (with fishermen), that's when I look for another opportunity in a big cove or a really small creek that would be overlooked," he explains.

In coves he starts about two-thirds of the way back, works to the back and then fishes out to the mouth until he finds the bass.

Crank and Flip

"If I come by a thick piece of cover, like a stump or laydown, I'll fish it first with a crankbait, but I'll have my flipping rod handy," Wilks says. "I'll make 10 consecutive casts to a piece of cover, and if the bass still doesn't bite I'll flip a fish a Culprit tube or 5-inch finesse worm."

Gear

When cranking, Wilks uses a Daiwa TDX SuperDrag (SD) baitcasting reel and 7- foot medium-light Daiwa Heartland rod.

"That's actually a trout rod," he says. "It's a graphite rod that's really light and limber, and I like a graphite for shallow cranking. It's not as tiresome to fish all day when you're making rapid casts, and it's more sensitive in heavy cover. You can tell the difference between stumps and fish, so you don't get hung up as much."

His line of choice is 10- to 12-pound Yo-Zuri Hybrid line, though if the cover is particularly heavy he goes to 15-pound line.

When flipping he uses 20-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon line. Fluorocarbon "is popular for saltwater and is starting to catch on with freshwater fishermen. It's super-strong for flipping. I've been using it for 3 years now and I've broken off maybe twice -- and that's because I hardly check it anymore I have some much confidence in it."

Spinnerbaits

Spinnerbaits also work well in the fall, and Wilks doesn't ignore them just for the sake of being different.

"I'll always have a spinnerbait laid out too," he says. "It's a day-to-day thing." Usually he uses a locally made Glamour Shad brand 3/8-ounce double willow with shad-colored skirt.