Entry 103-2
Catching Smallies At Night And In Warm Weather With Roger Stegall
Nighttime Baits
Editor's Note: Roger Stegall of Iuka, Mississippi, a longtime Strike King Fishing Team member, has guided for smallmouths on Pickwick Lake on the Tennessee/Alabama/ Mississippi border for 17 years and has fished for smallmouths on the lake since 1975. In an average year, he and his party of fishermen will catch 50 to 60 smallmouth bass that weigh 5 pounds or more. At times, he'll even catch smallmouths that weigh 8 pounds or more. Stegall most enjoys fishing for smallies at night during the warmer months. This week, Stegall shares his tactics for catching nighttime smallies.
Carolina Rig:
Often at night, I'll throw a Carolina rig in a junebug color. You can use a shorter 3-foot leader at night. I fish on pea-gravel points and banks, or, I try to find some humps and ledges at night on which I can throw a Carolina rig. I work the bait slowly and give it a pretty good jerk every once in a while. I use a junebug-colored 3X Lizard or a junebug-colored 3X Centipede. The 3X will last so much longer and will hold up against 10 times more fish.
Nighttime Spinner Baits:
I like the spinner bait with the Indiana blade No. 5 in black or black and red. I fish it just like I'll fish a Texas-rigged worm - bottom hopping it off a steep bank. I use 12-pound High Impact Stren line. I usually keep my drag set light and use a medium/heavy action rod. You don't have to have big line because you won't have as much water drag on the line in deeper water.
Rattling for Nighttime Smallies:
Another bait I use a lot is the little Bitsy Flip with a rattle on it that Strike King has just developed. I put a Denny Brauer 3/8-ounce Chunk Trailer to make it smaller. I shake it a lot when I throw it out, and then I let it fall. That rattle rattles and falls slower because it has a that Chunk Trailer. I position the boat in 15 to 20 feet of water and throw it in 3 feet of water.
Nighttime World Records:
The current often runs at night, which helps anglers catch the smallies. At night I fish points of islands where water is running over a point. When there's not a current, I'll fish flats where they'll hit buzzbaits or Diamond Shads. On an average night, I'll catch 10 to 18 fish a night. Some weigh 4 to 5 pounds. I'll occasionally catch a 7 pounder.
For more information on fishing with Roger Stegall, call 662-423-3869, e-mail rogstegall@fishpickwick.com, or check out www.fishpickwick.com.
Contents:
- Part 1: Fishing on a Full Moon
- Part 2: Nighttime Baits
- Part 3: Catch Smallmouths After the Spawn
- Part 4: Summer Tactics
- Part 5: Work the Current
