Smaller-profile lures key for November, angler says
There are so many great fishing options during the fall that it can be hard to choose one. Speckled trout are practically committing suicide in the marsh, redfish are everywhere, shrimp are popping for their lives and huge flocks of birds are diving.
The hardest thing about November fishing is figuring out exactly what to do.
Even with the all the saltwater madness, avid freshwater angler and tournament fisherman Jason Pittman frequently points his boat toward the West Pearl River this time of year, and he said once conditions get right there in the fall, the bass fishing is phenomenal.
The key to discovering when the conditions are favorable is to check the Pearl River gauge at Pearl River.
“Anything under 8 feet is going to be great,” Pittman said. “If you can catch it falling, that’s even better.”
The West Pearl has a ton of current flowing through it, and Pittman uses that to his advantage.
“We’ll get a couple cool fronts coming through, and those fish will start feeding because they know winter is coming,” he said. “All you’re looking for are ambush points on current.
“A lot of times we’ll look for an outside bank,” he said. “The fish are starting to get a little weary because they know cold weather is coming so they’re not going to get trapped up there in the shallow water, so they’re going to stay somewhere they can move out to deeper water if stuff goes bad.”
Pittman likes throwing smaller profile baits in November. He likes the Rat-L-Trap Echo 1.75 crankbait, and Santone’s ¼-ounce, compact spinnerbait.
Pittman really likes the compact spinnerbait.
“It’s just a smaller profile, and in the current, it comes through a little bit easier,” he said. “I’m looking to catch those aggressive fish that just want a quick meal that are eating a lot — instead of one fish that’s looking for a big meal.”
Moving baits aren’t the only thing Pittman throws in November, and he said it’s important to carry slow-moving baits, too.
“When the reaction bite slows down or if you get some fish that are short striking or maybe hitting it but not taking it, we’ll flip a craw down in there, like a Mister Twister Poc’it Craw.”
