TYLER, Texas — Fall is here and that means a different way to fish.
East Texas fishing guide Robert Walls showed us the fall weather pattern approach to catching bass.
Colder mornings are dropping the water temperature in East Texas lakes. That means fish are more active, more agitated and even more aggressive.
The rapid drop in water temperature moves fish from deeper to shallow water. It’s why our guide Robert Walls of Walls Fishing Guide Service starts us near the docks at Lake Tyler Marina.
“Normally if you get around a dock, the closer you can get to a pole without getting stuck; a lot of times, they’ll sit right on the edge of the poles waiting for the shad to come by to ambush it," said Walls.
That's because bass school up in the fall looking for baitfish. Walls says the best time to fish is right before a cold front arrives.
“Probably the day before the front is good. They’ll start feeding up to where they need to go. A lot of times, they will move out. They’ll want to come in and eat the shad and get back out before the cold front gets there”, explained Walls.
If you're wondering how Walls knows so much about Lake Tyler, it's because he grew up on the lake. He fished there since he was three.
The former mechanic is now a full-time guide on several East Texas lakes, including Lake Fork where many clients want to try their luck in search of one of the lake's famed giant bass.
“They wanna catch one big fish and that’s all they’re there for", said Walls. "But that’s what the lakes is known for is big fish so that’s what they want, to go out there and chase.”
Walls knows guiding is more than catching fish. It's tying lines and teaching how to throw an open face reel.
"It’s kinda a patient business, you gotta be patient with your customer, they’re there to learn”, said Walls.
And you can learn a lot by watching. For instance, Walls go-to lure in the fall is the weightless fluke.
“I’ll throw it up on the grass and bounce it, jerk it across the top of the water, like the shad a little bit and let it fall and usually on that fall they’ll usually take it.” Walls guides but also gives back.
He's known to scout area lakes and offer tips to high school teams before the five day cut-off allowed in high school fishing tournaments.
“I’ll give them a lot of pointers and some of em, I’ll even go to the lakes and pre-fish and give them the information”, says Walls.
Recently, Walls organized a fundraiser for Cooper Reid. You might remember Reid who was injured during a September football game. Reid is also a member of the Troup High School bass fishing team.
The tournament held on Lake Tyler raised more than $6,000 to help Reid's family with medical expenses.
No matter what season, that kind of approach of giving back is good for everyone.
RELATED: Hooked on East Texas: Skeeter Boats
RELATED: HOOKED ON EAST TEXAS: A 'fizz story'