Entry 103-4

Catching Smallies At Night And In Warm Weather With Roger Stegall

Summer Tactics

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.

Stegall: I like to throw a Spit-N-King in bright chartreuse during the hotter summer months. Sometimes I'll throw a Spit-N-King in about 10 feet of water. I'll pop it three or four times around spawning areas where I think the fish are living. I always make sure I feel the fish on the line before I set the hook. I don't set it on the strike because smallmouths are very aggressive. They can steal the baits without you knowing it. During the later part of May, the fish will slow down, so I'll Carolina rig the new watermelon Spit-N-King with either a chartreuse tail or a pumpkin-colored tail.

Fish Rough-Bottom Shell Beds

One of my favorite baits this time of the year is the new Strike King lizard that's impregnated with garlic and salt. Both the new and old Strike King lizards work when fish are not right on the bottom. When the smallmouths are feeding off the bottom, I'll fish the 3X crawfish impregnated with garlic and salt. I like the watermelon color with a chartreuse tail or the pumpkin color with a chartreuse tail. I'll fish it on a Carolina rig with a 5-foot leader and a 3/4-ounce weight. I'll use a 7-foot All Star titanium rod with a 12-pound main leader.

This time of the year, I fish a lot of rough-bottom shell beds. Smallmouths like to eat the crawfish and shad on these shell beds. I'll throw Strike King's Centipede in chartreuse-pepper out over these shell beds. For some reason, smallmouths like the bright colors in a compact bait. I'll drag the Centipede slowly, reel up my slack, then drag it and reel it again. The slower you fish a Carolina rig, the more fish you'll catch on it.

For more information on fishing with Roger Stegall, call 662-423-3869, e-mail rogstegall@fishpickwick.com, or check out www.fishpickwick.com.




 

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