November is just about here, and while it’s typically the month I start to put the rods and the boat away here in Wisconsin, it’s actually been pretty warm. Highs are still in the 60s and 70s, and water temps are still hovering around 60 degrees.
Winter is coming though…
For us in the north, November usually marks the end of bass season, but for those of you further south, it can a great time to fish. With hunters off in the woods and a lot of pleasure boaters starting to put their boats in storage for the winter, you can sometimes get the whole lake to yourself.
September is generally a transitional month for bass fishing and can be one of the trickiest all year, but October generally seems to be much more productive for me. November can be tricky up here in Wisconsin as fish start to feel that cold and get a little more lethargic, but that doesn’t mean you can’t catch some BIG bass this time of year.
Fish can be pretty spread out, but once you find a winning pattern, fall fishing is a blast.
So without further ado, here’s 5 bass baits for the month of November , that should play across a majority of the country.
1. Jig
The jig has been in hand the past few months and it’s gonna stay there. For me up in the north, it’s one of the few baits you can get bit on all the way up until the bitter end.
Setup: Green pumpkin or more natural colors in clear water, black and blue or dark colors in dirty water, and I’m generally throwing it on a 7′ to 7’3″ medium heavy fast with 30-pound braid to 20-pound leader. I have a shorter rod specifically for dock skipping, but you can skip just fine on your everyday jig rod.
If you seen any of the previous months, you already know I’m loving that new mini flip jig from Seth Feider and the boys at Black Sheep Custom Tackle… it’s all I use right now, and I honestly think I’ve fished it every day for the past 3 months.
Where to Fish: When it gets cold I LOVE to skip docks, and as folks start to roll in their docks before ice up, sometimes the last few stragglers will hold some good bass. You can also flip it into laydowns and brush piles, or even steep rock banks, what grass clumps or weedlines you have left. Pad stems and reed stems can be really good too… trolling motor on high, beat the bank, cover water, and keep it moving.
Colors: Blue Craw, Orange Craw, Black Blue
2. Lipless
A lipless crankbait is great this time of year, and in parts of the country, it’ll really play all the way until the spring. In really, really cold water, I’ll probably swap it for a blade bait, but we can talk about that in the later winter months.
Setup: I like a lipless on basically the same setup that I do my Chatterbait. 7′-7’4″ medium heavy with a more moderate or moderate-fast action. Straight fluorocarbon and usually 14-pound test. The tight wobble of the Berkley Jack is great for cold water… it’s basically a blade bait/lipless hybrid.
Where To Fish: I generally like to yo-yo my retrieve more as the water gets colder, but if the bass are chasing bait in those shallow bays and back pockets on your lake, you can generally get them with a lipless back there. Stained water helps, windy conditions or early morning/low sun conditions help too.
Colors: Firetail Green Craw, Mossy Ghost, Blue Chrome
3. Jerkbait
A jerkbait is a staple in cold water, but the truth is, I probably have one tied on year around. I might not pick it up every single day in the summer, but it’s tied on and ready to go. That being said, as waters temps start to cool, fall is one of my favorite times to work it.
Setup: I like to use a shorter, 6′ 8″ baitcaster (St. Croix Victory), but you really don’t need to spend a ton on a jerkbait rod. You’re gonna feel them there when you go to twitch, so sensitivity isn’t all that necessary. Many anglers, even some professionals, will throw them on a spinning rod. I usually use 12 pound fluorocarbon.
Where to Fish: Depending on your type of lake, you’re gonna wanna look for long points, steep drop-offs, bluff walls and creek channels. Anywhere you can find transitions, deep to shallow pockets, and of course, if you have forward facing sonar… it does make it easier.
Colors: Northern Lights, Table Rock, Hankie Pankie
Colors: Ghost Ayu, OZ Shad, Pro Blue
4. The Ned Rig
When those shallow cruisers get spooky and refuse everything else, the Ned rig is your ultimate bailout bait. It’s great for smallmouth and largemouth, but overall, it just seems to excel in tough conditions.
The Setup: The magic of the Ned rig is the ElaZtech/TPE plastic, which floats and makes the bait stand straight up off the bottom. You’re going to want a pretty light jig head depending on how deep you’re fishing. Medium Light spinning rod with a fast action does the trick, and I always run 10-pound braid to a fluorocarbon leader.
Where To Fish: There is a few different ways to fish it. Pitch it to isolated boulders in 3 to 15 feet of water and literally just dead-stick it. Don’t shake it, don’t drag it. Just let the natural water current do the work. Or, you can drag and hop it here and there along gravel bars and shell beds. Sometimes you can even slowly retrieve and keep it continuously scooting along the bottom. Gotta try them and see what works.
Colors: Green Pumpkin Goby, Goby Bryant, Green Pumpkin
Colors: Green Pumpkin Blue, Baby Bass, Black
Colors: Matt Black, Matte Green Pumpkin Brown, Spicy Melon
5. Crankbait
Cranking in cold temperatures can be a winning pattern if the conditions are right. Sometimes, lethargic bass seem to prefer the tight wobble of a flat-sided, but on other occasions, the wider wobble of a squarebill will draw a reaction bite when it bounces off cover.
If I suspect a good cranking bite… I generally have a few ready to try, different wobbles, different colors, and like to use a VMC Snap for quick changes. Don’t be afraid to burn that reel as fast as you can.
The Setup: Once again, you can get away with the same rod you use for the lipless or your Chatterbait if you have a nice moderate action on it. But overall, your standard 7′ – 7’4″ medium heavy cranking rod (moderate action) will work for your full size squarebills, or you can go with a medium power for smaller, lighter ones. If you have a good topwater rod, you can probably get away with using that too.
Where To Fish: Generally, I’m looking for a bit of stained water and some relatively shallow, rocky bottom. Throw them around shallow chunk rock, riprap banks, and submerged laydowns. These hard structures absorb heat from the afternoon sun, drawing in both baitfish. Bang it off everything you can find to entice the bite.
Colors: Spring Craw, Midnight Pearl, Lone Ranger
Colors: Rootbeer Crawdad, Red Crawdad, Copper Green Shad
Colors: Tennessee Shad, Firetail Green Claw, Phantom Craw
And for a more detailed bait recommendation, specific to your exact location and waterbody, check out the Bass Forecast Bait Advisor.
Just input your ZIP code or share your location, and Bass Forecast will give you 5 bait recommendations, a bite rating, and suggestions for peak feeding times.
Bass Forecast Bait Advisor
What is Bass Bait AI – Powered by Bass Forecast
Our advanced bass fishing algorithms analyze over 11,000 factors, including weather shifts and bass behavior, to predict what baits will give you the best chance at success for any GPS location. Just enter your location, and it does the calculating for you.
Giving you the complete bait breakdown for major and minor Bass feeding times in any bass fishing location. Click HERE to learn more.