Zone 3 – November
Strike King pro Dylan Akins highlights some of the best places to fish for bass in November in Zone 3.
In November in Zone 3, Dylan expects water temps to be between 64 to 75 degrees. He expects bass to be in the fall transition to creeks and pockets, mostly following baitfish. By the end of the month, Dylan says that bass will move to more rock and eat more crawfish. Secondary points with rock and clay are a good starting point.
In clear water, Dylan Akins reaches for Carolina Chrome, while his pick when conditions turn stained is the Strobe Shad. He throws Pro Bone when the water gets muddy.
The Evader pulls double duty — fish it on a steady retrieve as a topwater minnow or twitch it below the surface as a rising jerkbait, all with the same bait.
Akins prefers Carolina Chrome for clear water, Oyster for stained water, and Bone for muddy conditions.
Designed and reviewed by Kevin VanDam himself, the KVD Sexy Dawg Jr. is an easy-to-work, far-casting walk-the-dog topwater built for big strikes on the surface.
Akins uses Green Pumpkin for clear water, Watermelon Red Flake for stained water, and Bluegill for muddy conditions.
The softest, saltiest plastic Strike King has ever produced, the KVD Finesse Worm is loaded with exclusive Coffee Scent technology that causes fish to bite and hold on longer.
Akins reaches for Green Pumpkin Craw in clear water, Bama Craw for stained water, and Black/Blue when the water turns muddy.
Built with a tungsten head that's 40% more dense than lead, the Compact Tungsten Casting Jig delivers the same castability of a much larger lead jig in a smaller, more sensitive package.
When the water is clear, Akins throws Phantom Watermelon Craw, Phantom Brown Craw for stained water, and Demon Craw when conditions get muddy.
Co-designed by Kevin VanDam and Todd Castledine, the Gravel Dawg 10 grinds through rock, wood, and grass with a wide wobbling action — and its specialized bill deflects off cover to keep you in the strike zone longer.
Zone 3 – November
Strike King pro Tristan McCormick uncovers some of his key locations to find bass in Zone 3 during November.
“November bass fishing in Zone 3 can be really fun. A lot depends on the weather,” McCormick begins. Because of the declining temperatures, bass are starting to prepare for winter. “For the most part in November, fish start to get in their winter stage. What I mean by that is I basically call it their ‘wintering holes,’” McCormick says. Their “wintering holes” consist of a few key places. “They will school up heavily on long points or creek channel turns – somewhere easy for them to sit there and feed. In some states it’s current related and that’s when you will see them set up on current breaks, points with current rolling over them or creek channel bends,” he says. If there is no current present, McCormick offers a few other suggestions. “States in Zone 3 without current force bass to set up on points, deep holes, springs,” he shares.
There are some crucial baits that McCormick uses that excel in Zone 3, especially in November. “The number one bait for me is by far the Rage Swimmer. I can fish it deep with a ¾- to 1-ounce head and I can also fish it in that medium depth with a ½-ounce head. Once you get a bite there will be more than 1 there without a doubt,” McCormick says. “Jerk bait is also a really good bait to get some bites. Once you get that school fired up on a swimbait you can pick a XD up and catch them every other cast. It can be a lot of fun when you find that sweet spot the fish are setting on,” McCormick assures.
If the water is clear, McCormick prefers Ghost Shad. In stained water, he switches to Electric Shad. For muddy water, he will favor Pearl Flash.
If fish are not chasing a fast-moving bait, the Rage® Swimmer will often trigger fish to respond. The beauty of the Rage Swimmer is that the legendary tail maintains its swimming action whether burned through a school of feeding fish, or slowly crawled across the bottom or through cover.
McCormick’s choice for clear water is Sexy Shad, while he opts for Pro Green if the water is stained. Oyster is his go-to in muddy conditions.
Lethal action and the perfect combination of roll, wiggle, and flash, the KVD® J300 Deep dives up to 11-feet and has a proprietary weight transfer system for increased castability.
He opts for Citrus Shad in clear water, and switches to Powder Blue Back Chartreuse if the water is stained or muddy.
If looking for a stealthy approach, the 5XD Silent Crankbait is a great option when ledge fishing or targeting schools and provides the same action and diving ability as the original 5XD.
If the water is clear, he will throw Chrome Blue, while more stained water calls for Chrome Sexy Shad. McCormick prefers Royal Purple in low-vis conditions.
The Red Eyed Shad has incredible action and features some awesome paint jobs, premium hooks, 3D eyes, and free-floating rattles to give you the best action and sound of any lipless crankbait.
In clear water, he ties on Sexy Shad 2.0, while White is his go-to when conditions turn stained. He reaches for Chartreuse Sexy Shad in muddy environments.
Built with an ultra-thin, ultra-stiff stainless steel blade and a jungle-style flipping hook, the Rattlin' Thunder Cricket delivers maximum swimming action, flash, and thump with a superior hookup ratio.