November bass fishing on Lake Jackson changes with cooler nights and shorter days. Grass, lily pads and other vegetation die back and new water appears. Patches of pads and grass hold pods of baitfish and that will keep the feeding bass nearby.
Techniques change too. Water temperatures will drop into the low 70’s and fish, in general, will move shallower. There’s not always a great top-water bite, but some mornings are better than others and it’s a good time to have some fun and possibly catch one of those Lake Jackson monsters.
One of my favorite big bass baits in November is the stick bait. Weather it’s a long floating Rapala or a double spinner Devil’s Horse, both will attract some awesome strikes. I work my top water baits a little different than most, by fishing them slow with a very long pause in between each twitch. I use heavy monofilament line and after the initial cast, count as high as 15 seconds before moving it. Over the years, time on the clear waters of Jackson has enabled me to see firsthand how these big fish first approach these baits. Like a submarine surfacing, the bass will float straight up with little horizontal movement. Many times you’ll see the water swirl on a calm day and on the next little movement, they’ll blast it!
The heavy mono is key for several reasons: it’s buoyant unlike fluorocarbon, it doesn’t wrap around the hooks like braid does, and it allows you to haul fish away from or out of heavy vegetation.
Swim baits, soft plastic jerk baits and plastic worms all have a time and place in November depending on the weather, depth and types of cover you’re fishing.
Crappie fishing will also pick up this month. Working edges of deeper water that still have grass or lily pads with live minnows is one good way to target these tasty guys. Large schools of bait will roam the deeper areas like the sink holes so you can drift minnows or troll these spots.
As of this writing, water levels were still low, but not to the point you can’t access the lake. Small boats and kayaks can be launched in several places, but bass and pleasure boats need to use the ramp at Sunset Landing.
JR MUNDINGER
(850) 296-4071
www.fishtallahassee.com
fishtallahassee@yahoo.com