HOW TO CATCH SMALLMOUTH NOW WITH ROGER STEGALL
The Crankbait for Smallmouth
 Editor’s
Note: Longtime 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.
My first choice to fish for smallmouths is a crankbait.
The smallmouth are very active in November, and they
like medium-diving crankbaits. At this time of the year,
smallmouth will find plenty of shad to feed on, so the
gray ghost is my first choice of colors for my crankbait.
The new gray ghost has red eyes, red on its sides and
red hooks. The smallmouth will be following shad at
this time of the year. You can fish the crankbait around
the bank or underwater ledges or drop-offs. Secondary
drop-offs, points and underwater road beds will also
be where you will find the  smallmouth
now. The reason I prefer a medium-diving crankbait is
because the smallmouth will be holding in 4 to 8 foot
of water in November, and these depths are where this
bait performs best. The smallmouth usually prefer either
a medium retrieve or a medium stop-and-go retrieve.
The reason the stop-and-go retrieve is so important
at this time of year is because I believe that the stop-and-go
retrieve makes the bait look like a shad that's gotten
away from the school of other shad and stops and looks,
trying to decide where it should go next. Many times
an isolated shad like this offers an easier meal to
the smallmouth than a shad swimming with a school.
If cloud cover rolls in, I'll change colors. On cloudy,
overcast and rainy days, I will be fishing the chartreuse
with a powder-blue back crankbait.  Chartreuse
is a color that smallmouth like, especially on cloudy
days. I've found that the smallmouth seem to like the
contrasting colors that you get with the chartreuse-and-powder-blue-colored
crankbait. I believe on cloudy days, the chartreuse
looks like a bright light to the fish, and on cloudy
days I've noticed that the shad look kind of like a
bright light. I'm fishing these crankbaits on 10-pound-test
Shakespeare Supreme Line and like several types of cranking
reels.
My third favorite color crankbait for November smallmouth
is the bream-colored crankbait. Although smallmouth
prefer shad at this time of the year, they won't eat
shad all day, every day. They like a variety in their
diet, and on some days, they'll prefer bream. So if
I can't catch the smallmouth on the gray ghost or the
chartreuse with the powder blue back, I'll throw the
perch/bream-colored crankbait that has bars on it to
make it look like a bluegill. I like this color because
it doesn't look like a shad. You have to remember that
smallmouth, like other bass, don't always eat the same
food every day. Often they'll feed on bream, even though
shad may be the most-dominant food in the lake  and
their favorite food. So anytime I'm going smallmouth
fishing at this time of year, I always have three various
colors of crankbaits with me, and I'll be fishing them
in the places where smallmouths hang out. One of the
reasons I like smallmouth fishing so much is because
the smallmouth are extremely active and eager and anxious
to chase a bait. If you use the color of crankbait that
the smallmouth prefer on the day they want it, you can
wear them out and catch good numbers and good sizes
of smallmouth during November.
To fish with Roger Stegall at Pickwick lake, contact
him at (662) 423-3869.
To learn more about fishing below the
dam at Pickwick, contact the Hardin County Convention
and Visitor’s Bureau at info@tourhardincounty.org,
call 731-925-8181 or 800-552-3866, or visit www.tourhardincounty.org.
Pickwick Landing State Park offers fishing, boating,
hiking, camping, swimming and golf. Lodging includes
the lakeside inn with over 100 rooms, cabins that sleep
eight and a campground that contains 48 sites with grill
and electric/water hookup at each site. A restaurant
at the park offers delicious southern cuisine. Call
731-689-3135 or 800-250-8615 to learn more.
TOMORROW: NEW REDFISH MAGIC - PERFECT FOR SMALLMOUTH
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