November brings with it cooler temperatures, deer season, and bass in the creeks. The bass on Sam Rayburn have started their fall feed and will be feeding up through the entire month, except on your day off that manages to be the day after a major cold front. The water temperatures are falling plus the lake level is rising . The creek edges that run through the grass become major highways for bass and if you can find the spot in the creek that is holding a traffic jam of bass then look out! Bass will gang up in areas during the month of November and this can make for some fast and furious action. With the lake on the rise, also be looking for bass to be over the top of the grass and on the inside edges. Crankbaits become a must this time of year but topwater baits, spinnerbaits, and soft plastics are all valuable tools for catching these bass. Shad and chart/blue crankbaits are a must on Rayburn in the fall. You can cover a lot of water with these baits and they run at an excellent depth on 14# or 17# line. Make multiple cast to areas that you have caught a fish, there is a good chance you will catch more. If you catch several and then the action slows, then try a different color bait or a different bait all together. Don’t forget about lipless crankbaits. On those windy days try casting a 3/4oz Rat-L-Trap over the grass flats keying in on the creek channels. Try several retrieves to find out which one the fish want for that day. Slow rolling a Stanley Spinnerbait 3/8 – 3/4oz (chrt/wht) on the edges of the grass and creek channels can also be a very affective method for hunting down these largemouths. You may need to down size your blades to allow the bait to stay deep or use a smaller spinnerbait and add larger blades to work is extremely slow. Another affective tactic this time of year is to add a plastic trailer to your spinnerbait for added action. Zara Spooks, Chug Bugs, and a 3/8oz Stanley buzzbait will catch those bass that are sitting on top of that grass or on the mat edges waiting to ambush some easy prey. Be sure to use heavy line when fishing these baits, those bass will dive down into that hydrilla and with out strong line you may never get that bass in or your bait back for that matter. Because these bass tend to gang up, try a Norman Front Runner tied ahead of your topwater bait. The bass will see a fish frantically swimming around and will go after the Front Runner allowing you to catch two at a time. Wacky worms and Zoom flukes are very affective when catching fish that are holding in drains , ditches, and over the hydrilla on these grass flats. These bait can make the difference in having a good day, after a front comes down and seems to shut the fish off these baits fished slow will produce good numbers of inactive fish. Remember to be careful when your on the lake and try to pay attention to the weather. Cold fronts and storms can roll in and turn a great trip into a disaster. Practice catch and release and have a great day on the water. Just a reminder that Christmas is just around the corner, why not ask for a guided trip or give one to that special someone.
Water Temp: 72
