Three for November

Why November

Four of our six sources put a vibrating jig in their November box, tied for the most picks on the list. It covers water fast while fish are still roaming after bait. It also keeps working in stained water, where a lot of finesse baits get lost.

Where to throw it

Throw it on wind-blown banks, grass edges and the mouths of creeks where shad are piling in. It’s at its best during the first half of the month, while water is still in the upper 50s and low 60s.

How to fish it

Make a steady retrieve just fast enough to feel the blade thump. When it ticks grass or wood, rip it free. That deflection is when a lot of bites happen.

Trailer tip: TackleTour’s reviewer started fishing the Rage Swimmer as a matching trailer on the Thunder Cricket. That conveniently happens to be pick No. 2.

More on the technique: Chatterbaits

Why November

McCormick called the Rage Swimmer his No. 1 bait for the month. Paddle tails on a jighead showed up on four of our six lists. That includes Justin Cooper’s Bass Pro picks, which leaned heavily on soft minnows and jigheads.

Where to throw it

McCormick fishes it where bass group up for winter: long points, creek channel turns and current breaks. When there’s no current, he looks at points, deep holes and springs.

How to fish it

Count it down to the depth you’re marking fish, then make a slow, steady retrieve that keeps the tail kicking. If you run forward-facing sonar, this is a natural bait to pitch at fish you can see. If you don’t, it’s still one of the easiest ways to cover a long point.

More on the technique: Soft-plastic swimbaits

Why November

This is the bait for the back half of the month. Strike King pro Dylan Akins says fish shift toward rock and crawfish by the end of November, and he targets secondary points with rock and clay. A finesse jig showed up on three of our six lists.

Where to throw it

Fish it on rocky secondary points, riprap, and clay banks that break into deeper water.

How to fish it

Drag it, hop it and pause it. When the water drops into the low 50s, slow down more than feels natural.

Trailer tip: Strike King says its pros use the slender Rage Craw or Baby Rage Craw when they want a faster fall. For a slower, more subtle fall, they switch to the wider Rage Bug.

More on the technique: Jigs

The jerkbait had the strongest agreement of any bait we surveyed, and it showed up on four of our six lists. We ran a forward-sonar jerkbait on brush back in September, so this is the old-school version: twitch, twitch, pause, on cold, windy points.

Alex Rudd’s tip is to downsize to a “+1” or a Jr. as the water cools.

More on the technique: Jerkbaits

• Early November, fish chasing shad: bladed jig.
• Fish grouped on points and channel swings: paddle tail on a jighead.
• Late month, fish on rock eating crawfish: compact jig.
• Cold, windy and slow: jerkbait. Twitch it, then let it sit.