[dropcap]N[/dropcap]ovember is the month when your true fishermen will be out on the water. Most anglers have traded their fishing gear in for their hunting gear. So this means less pressure from fishermen, less boat traffic and finally a less crowded boat ramp and parking lot! Yes this month will usually mean cooler weather but it will also mean some really big fish will be caught as well.
Larger bass have been moving back to the shallow waters and this is when I like to start targeting structure because they will be there feeding up for the winter months. Don’t be afraid to fish skinny water because the bigger bass will be looking for easy prey. The schools of shad will begin to tighten up in a ball and when this happens the bass will go into a feeding frenzy. If I fish where there is a grass line in a lake, I like to throw Rattle type bait or a crankbait that I can rip it through. Many times the bass will strike it as you rip it free on a reaction strike. Crankbaits allow you to cover more water when you are searching for bass. Shad colored shallow crankbaits work great this time of the year. I like to throw a square bill crankbait for shallow fish, especially if you have structure that you can bump the bait into such as stumps. Your crankbait will ricochet off the stumps causing a big strike if the fish are holding onto stumps. I will use heavier line such as Sufix 17 to 20 pound test line when I know that I will be targeting bass in shallow waters. Reasoning for the larger line is to keep it up the water column and to have a stronger line since I will be throwing it into stumps, trees and rocks.
I also like to fish a Katch-Her Lures Jig when I am fishing around wood structure. You can easily skip this jig or flip it into cover looking for the bigger fish. These can be paired with a Strike King 3” Rodent or a Strike King Twin Tail Menace Grub as a trailer for the jigs. Another great bait to use if you are fishing slow and want the bait to stay in the strike zone longer to entice a bite is the Deep Creek Sink ‘N Catch worm. You throw this bait with no weight. It is thrown either Texas Rig or Wacky Style (which is hooked in the middle of the worm). I like to use either a 4.0 or 5.0 Diachii Hook for the Texas Rig to ensure that I get a good hook set.
Buzzbaits are a great bait to use in November. A lot of anglers don’t think so for this time of the year but it does catch a lot of good bass. You want to retrieve the buzzbait parallel to the shoreline to keep it in the strike zone since bass are searching for food in the shallow waters. I put a trailer hook on the buzzbait just in case they short strike the bait, plus it gives me another hook to ensure a good hook set! Lew’s makes a great rod for buzzbaits. The Lew’s Custom Speed Stick is a 7’6” casting rod that allows you to throw a longer cast and allows for a great hook set. I like to throw buzzbaits on 17 or 20 pound Sufix monofilament line for a strong hook set.
So remember when your buddies are kicked back watching fishing and hunting shows, you can be out there actually catching some big fish while they are daydreaming about it!!!
See you on the water,
Hal Abshire