November is here and it’s officially getting cold.
September was pretty warm, October was also pretty warm for the most part, but we should start seeing those temps drop around the country and true cold-weather fishing take shape. September is 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… especially with half the anglers you know out in the woods, it usually gets a little quieter out on the water.
So without further ado, here’s 5 bass baits for the month of November , that should play across a majority of the country.
1. Lipless
A lipless crankbait is great this time of year, and 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. 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.
Jackall TN Lipless Crankbaits – 1/2 oz.
Colors: SG Threadfin, Craw Fish
Colors: Firetail Green Craw, Mossy Ghost, Blue Chrome
2. Jig
You really can’t go wrong with a jig any time of year. But in the fall months, as the grass starts to die off, bass tend to move towards hard cover… and that’s when I LOVE skipping docks. You can also flip it into laydowns and brush piles, or even steep rock banks, what grass clumps you have left. Any form of isolated cover can be a goldmine in the late fall.
Green pumpkin or more natural colors in clear water, black and blue or dark colors in dirty water. I like the compact size of the Outkast Stealth Fighter jig, and the vertical line tie is great for swimming it out and through grass, but if you want to strictly skip, the Untamed Tackle Ace Jig has a great head for skipping.
If you’re just gonna buy one, go with the tungsten Outkast, otherwise… give both a try.
Outkast Tackle Stealth Fighter Jig – $8.99
Colors: Money Craw, Black Sapphire, Green Pumpkin Craw
Trailers: Crush City Cleanup Craw, Netbait Paca Chunk,
Untamed Tackle Ace Jig – $4.99
Colors: Magic Blue Craw, Donk, Green Pumpkin
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, early fall is one of my favorite times to work it.
I like to use a shorter, 6′ 8″ baitcaster (St. Croix Victory), but you don’t need a fancy rod for jerkbait fishing. 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. It’s pretty standard to use 10 or 12 pound fluorocarbon, and then 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: Elegy Bone, GG Megabass Kinkuro
Colors: Northern Lights, Table Rock, Hankie Pankie
Colors: Ghost Ayu, OZ Shad, Pro Blue
4. Underspin/Paddle Tail
In November, covering water with some kind of paddle tail or minnow-style bait does the trick. Of course, you can’t go wrong crawling an old-fashioned Keitech along the bottom, but I’ve had a ton of success this year with the Rapala Crush City Mayor, as well as the Great Lakes Finesse dropkick shad (the minnow too). Pair it up with the sneaky underspin and it’s deadly for smallmouth, but largemouth will hit it too. If you have forward facing sonar, it can be MUCH easier to find those fish that are spread out looking for bait, and that’s when the ol’ minnow shaking is tough to beat.
Colors: Electric Shad, Shad, Pro Blue Red Pearl
Colors: Pro Blue Red Pearl, Albino Shad, Gizzard Shad
Keitech Swing Impact Fat – 3.3″
Colors: Pro Blue Red Pearl, Electric Shad, Ayu
Size: 3/16, 1/4 oz
Great Lakes Finesse Sneaky Underspin
Size: 3/14
Great Lakes Finesse Dropkick Shad
Colors: Green Pumpkin Shad, Gizzard Shad, Shiner
Colors: Electric Shad, Albino Shad, Gizzard Shad
Rapala Crush City Mooch Minnow
Colors: Goby, Electric Shad, Albino Shad
5. Crankbait
Speed cranking in cold temperatures can be a winning pattern if the conditions are right. Generally, I’m looking for a bit of stained water and some relatively shallow, rocky bottom to entice that bite. It doesn’t hurt to have some isolated wood cover around too. Sometimes, lethargic bass seem to prefer the tight wobble of a flat-sided, but on other occasions, the wider wobble of a squarebill will do the trick. It really just depends on your body of water, the depths you’re targeting, and the temperature of the water. 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.
Rapala Ott’s Garage OG Tiny 4 Crankbaits
Colors: Rootbeer Crawdad, Red Crawdad, Copper Green Shad
Colors: Spring Craw, Midnight Pearl, Long Ranger
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.
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