SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2026 · CEDAR CREEK LAKE
Fall ledges and shallow humps light up on clear water and steady pressure, bass feeding steadily in the mid-70s.
WATER 77°FAIR 67°FWIND 8 MPH SSESEASON FALLPOOL -5.4 FT
We are in full October fall transition. The water is comfortable at 77 degrees, still warm enough for bass to move freely and chase, but cool enough to keep them from burying deep all day. The lake is slightly below pool, clarity is normal stain, and pressure is steady, which means patterns repeat and fish respond predictably. Bass are not locked in one zone right now. They slide up onto the shallow ledges and secondary humps early and late, then back off to slightly deeper structure as the sun gets bright and warm. This is the sweet spot of fall, when you can catch them all day if you adjust your depth and speed with the light. All the schools across the lake are keyed on shad, so reaction baits that mimic those fleeing minnows will pull strikes all morning. The solunar major hits near 2 PM, so expect a brief second wind around then.
The day's game plan
EARLY MORNING · 7:25 AM to 9:00 AM
Secondary points and channel-edge breaks in 8 to 14 feet, the transition zones where deep water and shallow flats meet. Key Ranch area, spillway humps, and Crappie Island shoreline edges.
5-inch green pumpkin or watermelon-red Zoom Trick Worm rigged wacky style on a 1/0 shaky head, 1/8 ounce. Drag it slowly along the edge, pausing 2 to 3 seconds every 5 feet. Let it breathe.
Bass wake up feeding and are still shallow before the sun gets high. The slight stain keeps them confident at the edge, and the wacky worm works because they are keyed on smaller shad. The slow drag mimics a dying or stunned minnow, and they cannot resist it when the mood is right first thing.
MORNING · 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Shallow humps and hard sand flats in 6 to 12 feet across the mid-lake structure. Work spinnerbaits and squarebills along the gentle slopes where the flat meets the deeper edge.
1/2-ounce white or chartreuse spinnerbait with a single Colorado blade, steady medium retrieve. Also burn a Strike King KVD 1.5 squarebill in sexy shad or chrome, 6 feet deep, crank it steady along the contour.
Light is building but not yet harsh. Reaction baits work because bass are competitive and feeding on schooling shad. The spinnerbait's vibration cuts through the stain, and the squarebill's deflection off the slope triggers strikes before the fish has time to think. If a few clouds roll in, stay shallow and work faster. If it stays clear and bluebird, drop to the deeper part of each zone and slow down slightly.
MIDDAY · 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM
Transition into the deeper side of the mid-lake ledges and primary points, 12 to 18 feet. Shift to the steeper breaks and the harder bottom near the channel swings.
1/2-ounce lipless crankbait, chrome or red shad, burned steadily across the break at a moderate pace. Change to a slab (3 to 4 inch silver or white soft plastic on a 1/2-ounce jighead) and work it with a sawtooth retrieve, lift and drop, if the bite gets picky. Drag it along the ledge, keep it in contact with the bottom.
Sun angle is highest and water is warming in the shallows. Bass drop to slightly deeper ledges where it stays cooler and where baitfish also retreat. The lipless crankbait's rattle keeps bass interested even when they are not aggressively chasing. The slab's vertical presentation and tight action work on bass that are more selective. The solunar major around 2 PM can kick activity up, so stay in deeper zones until 3 PM before making the move back shallow.
LATE AFTERNOON · 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Secondary points and creek-channel edges in 10 to 16 feet. Work the bends where the creek channel widens onto the flat.
3/8-ounce jighead dressed with a 4-inch green pumpkin or junebug soft plastic fluke. Pitch it to the deep side of the edge and work it with a slow vertical lift, drop, and slight drag. Keep it on the bottom or just above.
Light is dropping and water is cooling slightly as the sun moves down. Bass start to sense the transition and slide back toward slightly shallower zones with access to deep water. The jig-and-fluke combo is a confidence bait that works when bass are being selective. The junebug color works best on bluebird days because the dark silhouette shows up against the light water.
EVENING · 4:30 PM to 6:15 PM
Shallow flats adjacent to channel drops, 6 to 10 feet. The same secondary points where you started this morning, but now from a fresh angle because bass have been feeding all day.
5-inch watermelon or green pumpkin Zoom Trick Worm on a 1/8-ounce shaky head, slow presentation along the flat-to-edge transition. Mix in a finesse squarebill (1.5 size, 4 feet deep) on short casts if bass are chasing.
Sun is low and bass are moving shallow again as they sense the shift. They are still feeding actively from morning and midday and will run one more shallow cycle before dark. The wacky worm from this morning works again, and if fish are aggressive they will chase a small squarebill. If the wind picks up from the south, the wind-blown banks around the channel edges can extend this window by 30 to 45 minutes because the water stays more oxygenated.
DUSK · 6:15 PM to 7:30 PM
Shallow points, dock pilings, riprap, and inside creek bends in 3 to 8 feet. Work the shadiest side of structure.
Bone-colored or black topwater Plopper, steady small walking retrieve on the surface. Also throw a 4-inch dark-colored shad swimbait on a 1/8-ounce jighead, slow burn 2 to 3 feet deep.
Light is fading fast and bass move up to feed in the shallows one last time. Topwater works because bass are less cautious as shadows grow and they can hunt without being exposed. The swimbait's realistic silhouette and easy speed work when bass are feeding on shad and want an easy meal before dark. Pressure is steady so you should get consistent response.
NIGHT · 7:30 PM to full dark
Shallow flats and inside creek bends, 2 to 6 feet, near any structure that holds baitfish (docks, riprap, channel edges, submerged timber).
Black or dark-blue 5-inch soft plastic worm on a 3/16-ounce Texas rig, slow drag along the bottom. Or fish a black jig-and-trailer in the same zones, dragging and pausing.
Dark water favors dark baits because they create a strong silhouette against the light coming from above. Bass hunt by feel and lateral line at night, so vibration and displacement matter more than color detail. The drag-and-pause is the slowest, most deliberate retrieve, giving bass time to track and commit to the strike. Full moon is waning, so nighttime feeding is decent but not peak. If you fish night, stick to the shallowest access points to deep water and work cover methodically.
Where to fish
- Key Ranch and spillway humps — 8 to 18 feet, with sharp breaks from shallow flats to deeper ledges · Sandy hard bottom with occasional rock outcroppings, transitions from flat to steep drop-off, mid-lake access to deep water
These humps are traditional fall staging zones where shad school and bass position to intercept them. The shallow flats allow early/late feeding, and nearby deep water gives bass an escape route. Consistent year-round, especially strong in October. - Crappie Island channel edges and secondary points — 6 to 16 feet, shallow flats adjacent to steep channel swings · Submerged timber, brushy cover, hard-sand transitions, creek channel bends
Creek channel serves as a highway for migrating shad and bass following them. Inside channel bends and near-island structure concentrate both predators and prey. Shallow flats give early/evening access, deep channel provides midday refuge. - Main lake primary points near the dam — 10 to 24 feet, with distinct primary-point structure and deep-water proximity · Rock and gravel hard bottom, steep drop-offs, shallower nose moving into deep water
Primary points funnel bass movement between shallow and deep zones. Access to deep water is direct, so bass use these as staging and transition areas. Fall shad schools concentrate here before moving into creeks, and bass follow. Reliable all day with depth adjustment for light and temperature.
What to throw
- Zoom Trick Worm 5 in, wacky rig — 5 in · Green pumpkin or watermelon red · 1/8 oz shaky head (Early morning through midday on shallow flats and transitions, dusk return.)
Drag slowly along edges and pauses 2-3 seconds every 5 feet, let it sit on the bottom. - Spinnerbait 1/2 oz, single Colorado blade — n/a · White or chartreuse · 1/2 oz (Morning and midday on humps and shallow structure.)
Steady medium retrieve along contours and slopes, keeping the blade ticking just above bottom on deeper passes. - Strike King KVD 1.5 Squarebill Crankbait — 1.5 in · Sexy shad or chrome · n/a (Morning through midday on shallow humps and channel edges.)
Crank steady, let it dive to 4-6 feet, deflect it off structure edges and let it tick the bottom. - Lipless crankbait 1/2 oz — 2 in · Chrome or red shad · 1/2 oz (Midday when bass have dropped to deeper ledges.)
Burn it steadily across ledges and breaks at a medium-fast pace, rattle attracts bass even when they are not chasing. - Topwater Plopper, River2Sea Whopper Plopper 110 — 110 mm · Bone · n/a (Dusk and early evening as light fades.)
Steady small walking retrieve on the surface, gentle pop-pop-walk rhythm, no hard strikes.
How to work it
- Drag-and-pause on the edge — Early morning and evening when bass are feeding on edges, also works midday on deeper ledges when fish are selective. · Secondary points, channel edges, and flat-to-break transitions in 8-16 feet.
Position your cast at the transition from shallow flat to deeper water. Drag the worm or jig slowly along the edge, moving 3-5 feet, then pause for 2-3 seconds and let gravity settle the bait. Repeat. Keep light contact with the bottom. - Sawtooth retrieve on the slab — Midday and late afternoon when bass have retreated to cooler, deeper structure and are being selective on bites. · Mid-lake ledges and deeper channel bends in 12-18 feet.
Drop the slab to the bottom, lift it 1-2 feet with a sharp upward jerk of the rod, pause as it falls, then drag it 2-3 feet along the bottom. Repeat the lift-pause-drag cadence. Keep slight line contact so you feel strikes on the drop. - Deflection retrieve on squarebill — Morning into early midday when light is still moderate and bass are semi-aggressive and feeding on the move. · Shallow humps and mid-lake primary and secondary points in 6-12 feet.
Aim casts at the edges of humps and points. Let the bait dive to 4-6 feet, then crank steady so it ticks and deflects off bottom contours. Do not pause. Maintain contact and let the deflection trigger the strike.
Pro tips
- On clear bluebird days like today, start deeper than you think. Bass will slide shallow at dawn and dusk, but spend most of midday on ledges in 14-18 feet. If you chase shallow zones in bright sun, you will miss the best bite of the day on the deeper edge. Work the transition first thing, then move deep by 10 AM and stay there until 4 PM.
- Steady pressure means predictable patterns, so replicate what works. If green pumpkin wacky worms produce in the 8-10 foot zone early, come back to that exact depth and presentation on the return route. Fall bass are feeding but selective, and repetition beats searching.
If conditions change
If a cold front moves in overnight and pressure rises with clear skies, drop baits one size down immediately, switch to finesse presentations (drop shots, shaky heads, small jigs), and fish tighter to cover. Bass will be lethargic and the strike zone shrinks. If the lake muddies from upstream runoff, move to the spillway area where the lake usually stays clearer, upsize your trailer, and switch to chartreuse or black baits with more vibration. If wind picks up from the south, stay on wind-blown banks and around channel edges longer into the afternoon because those zones stay more active and oxygenated. If sky clouds over and rain approaches, keep working the same zones but switch to reaction baits and faster retrieves, as the pressure drop will fire up the bite.
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