These are not words that I look forward to hearing. I made a mistake, and for the next 2 minutes, I sit motionless, not allowed to fix my bait, or get a sip of water, while my competitors are casting, catching, and scoring bass.

Professional bass angler Randall Tharp delivers a comprehensive lesson on finding and catching bass using topwater baits during the late fall on main reservoir channels. As Tharp notes, there’s a commonly held misconception that all the bass migrate to the backs of creeks in the fall, but the main river channel can be productive, especially on Tennessee River lakes.

The most exciting time of the year is quickly approaching for a professional tournament bass fisherman. As you read this, I’m getting things set up with my new boat, new gear, and a lot of stuff the general public won’t be seeing for a year or so. Now is the time to school myself up and get dialed in with the new things that’ll make my job as a bass pro easier.

It takes a while for fall to reach Randall Tharp’s home in Port St. Joe, Florida. But when the Rapala pro is on the road fishing a fall tournament a little further north, he reaches for a Rapala BX Brat crankbait to generate bites.

With the chilly nights and shorter days of early autumn, bass anglers might easily overlook some of the best topwater action of the year.