Not every lake in the state is blessed with the amount of cover that Fork possesses. While the bottom of Lake Fork resembles an underwater forest, the floors of others look more like the surface of the moon: a few humps and ridges devoid of anything resembling natural vegetation. Fishing these lakes in the same manner that you would those waters chock-full of cover is a recipe for disaster -- or, at least, an empty livewell.

Veteran angler Jason Barber -- www.kingscreekadventures.com; (903) 887-7896 -- knows that in order to catch fish later in the year at Cedar Creek Reservoir, he can't move offshore and fish the main points and drops. Instead, he has to rely on the artificial cover to put his clients on fish.

Bass congregate around cover, and at Cedar Creek the predominant cover comes in the form of the many boathouses lining the shore. A bass angler who is riding across the top of Cedar Creek when the rest of the state is hunting needs to find the nearest boat dock and start chunking and winding, because bass will surround it.

In the fall, bass are on a major feeding binge and fast-moving baits that cover a lot of water in a hurry are the best way to locate the docks that seem to be holding more bass.

Jason passed along this tip: "Starting in October and running into November, I like to throw crankbaits in chartreuse or crawfish patterns, or spinners in chartreuse and white with tandem blades, usually a willow leaf and Colorado blade combination."

He admits that other colors of spinnerbaits might work, but for my money, spinners should come in one combination: white/chartreuse. Jason doesn't use painted blades either, sticking instead with the traditional gold or silver to attract fish.

"You can flip a 3/8-ounce jig in black/blue or crawfish colors around the boat houses," he continued, "or use a Rat-L-Trap in gold, chartreuse, or a crawfish pattern."

These baits work exceptionally well as long as you keep them right next to the boathouses. Make a cast down each side and one along the front, keeping your bait within a couple of feet of the cover. "If that doesn't work," Jason advised, "get your bait up under the dock in the shady areas."

The key to catching a lot of bass at Cedar Creek is locating a pattern and then repeating that pattern at multiple locations on the lake. If the bass are hanging out at boathouses in 10 feet of water in one cove, they'll be around boathouses in 10 feet of water in the next cove as well.

Now, don't think that every bass in the lake will be hanging around boathouses, because some will still be around brushpiles in open water. The only difficulty in catching those fish will be in finding the brushpiles. "If you can locate them," Jason continued, "brushpiles are another good fall hotspot. Try deep-diving crankbaits and Carolina-rigged plastics for bigger fish. Texas-rigged plastics and jigs also work."

But, as Jason pointed out, the problem is locating the brush. It might pay to put some miles on the boat in scouring points with your electronics to locate brushpiles other anglers might not want to tell you about.

Fall in Texas is one of the greatest times to be a bass angler, ranking right behind spring as the best time to be out on the water. Daytime temperatures are finally bearable, and bass are feeding. If you can wait just a few more weeks to stow the bass rods before picking up your rifle or bow, you might find that the fall is your favorite time of the year to chase bass, too.