November 2013

Buckle up... Big fish season is here.

Well I'm glad October is over. The fall lake turnover is like a nightmare that won't end. It seems to get longer each year LOL! This year due to the excessive amount of rain and mild temperature it spanned 3 weeks, and as I'm typing this blog there are still areas of the lake that are turning -so it still isn't completely over yet. Blueback lakes don't seem to suffer as bad, but thankfully I will not have to worry about turnover on Carters for another 11 months.

With that being said, I had a productive month and was able to boat some impressive fish during the month of October. My worst day/trip in October still boated 8 fish. So in hindsight it could have been worse. I also was lucky enough to boat the biggest spotted bass I've ever laid eye's on... ever. This 7lb+ MONSTER made quite a *splash* on the web. Within 24 hours of me boating the beast it was shared on Facebook by companies like St Croix, Big Bite, Sunline, Spotsticker Baits, and others. I also received some cool congrats texts from Kim Stricker, Joe Thomas, and Mark Zona. It was even featured on Jay Kumar's Bassblaster email which has hundreds of thousands of subscribers. Thanks to all for the kind words and support! A fish like that is rare and I'm LUCKY to be the guy that caught it (although, I'd rather a client been on the other end!). This fish was caught on a 1/4oz Spotsticker Crawler Head and Big Bite Real Deal Craw just days after posting it in last month's recommended gear.

Looking Ahead

November starts the season of some of my favorite fishing of the year. After the turnover, fish start putting on weight big time. Some say it is "feeding up" for the winter, but biologists tell me it is more a matter of ideal water temps and oxygen levels. Spots just get really active this time of year, and the probability boating one over 5 or even 6 lbs increases dramatically.

November always offers multiple patterns in lots of depth ranges. Good fish can literally be found from the surface to 60+ft. Our water temps should dip down into upper 50's by month's end which will really open things up. As temps drop, big schools of fish will be following bait into the channels and back into the creeks. These schools are not easy to find and it takes a lot of looking, but when you do find em, you can hit pay dirt. You must use your electronics to find them. Good places to search are major channel turns and long points. Last year, we shot a video specifically targeting this migration. Click here to view it. We shot this video on Black Friday the day before a major cold front moved into our area, Bill and I located a massive school of fish and Adam Broughton did a fantastic job editing this film. By the way*** For those of you looking for marketing manager/consulting , professional website, logo design, professional videography/photography, do yourself a huge favor and give Adam a call. My business has increased tremendously since he took over my site and marketing management. He is the real deal!

Gearing Up in November

OK guys and gals... if I had to choose 3 baits to use this entire month it would no doubt be:

1. A 3/16 unpainted Spotsticker jighead first and foremost. Super versatile, shallow to deep, I can catch em on the Spotsticker. I would tip this with a Big Bite Shaking Squirrel in a natural Green Pumpkin based color; my favorite is Bold Gill.
2. Next would be a jerkbait, like the new Strike King KVD Jerkbait. I like the bigger version 3 hook model in Clearwater Minnow. This is my new favorite jerkbait and their colors scream spotted bass candy!!!
3. Last would be some kind of jig, either football jig or casting jig 1/4oz up to 3/4oz doesn't matter just something natural crayfish pattern that you can cast a long way. SpotSticker has a new line of hand-tied jigs in casting (slick head, good in timber) or football (good for rock). Check them out at www.spotsticker.com

Fewer people think about fishing in the fall than in warmer months. Football season is here, many people are going to the woods on the weekend rather than the lake, and the chilly temps simply shy some people away from the water. The people that DO fish during this time are typically more serous fishermen/women, and if you go, you're likely to be rewarded with some of the most fun fishing of the year.

Good luck out there,