Entry 128-3
Roger Stegall - How to Catch Smallmouth Now
Buzzbaits in November Will Help You Catch Smallmouths
Editor's Note: Longtime Strike King Pro Fisherman Roger Stegall of Iuka, Mississippi, has guided fishermen on Pickwick Lake on the Alabama/Mississippi/Tennessee border for over 17 years. Here's some of his tactics for catching big smallmouth during the month of November.
Stegall: A lure that many fishermen over look is the buzzbait at this time of the year, since most anglers think of the buzzbait as a spring and summer lure. But actually it's very deadly in the fall. I like Strike King's Bleeding Bait Series of
buzzbaits, particularly the white with some red on the head and a chartreuse-and-white skirt. I like this bait because it has the three dominant colors the smallmouth prefer in November, white, chartreuse and red. On cloudy or rainy days, I'll fish this buzzbait around boat docks, stumps and logs or on open-water flats where the smallmouths are schooling in 5-7 foot water.
One of the ways that I modify this bait is to take the rivet off the blade and soak it in Purex to bleach it and cause it to squeak more than it normally will. The smallmouth can't stand a squeaky buzzbait and just have to eat it. During the fall, smallmouths will become extremely active when you're fishing the buzzbait.
Another advantage to buzzbaits at this time of year is that most people aren't fishing them. This lure is one smallmouth aren't accustomed to seeing and are more likely to hit. I've had some of the best strikes I've ever had fishing a buzzbait at this time of the year. I fish the buzzbait on the same rod as I do a spinner bait. But I'll use a baitcasting reel and 17-pound-test line because the bigger line helps the bait stay high in the water, which makes it fish better. I like the super-tough Shakespeare Supreme line when I'm fishing this bait.
To fish with Roger Stegall at Pickwick lake, contact him at (662) 423-3869.
