ROGER STEGALL ON PICKWICK LAKE

Structure Provides Good Bass Fishing

EDITOR'S NOTE: Few anglers see or ever catch a 7-pound smallmouth bass. However, in 13 years of guiding and fishing Pickwick Lake, which borders Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee, Roger Stegall of Iuka, Mississippi, has caught more than 50-smallmouth bass weighing more than 7-pounds each. This week Roger Stegall talks with us about how to fish Pickwick Lake.

Question: Roger, what do you do to produce both largemouth and smallmouth bass from Pickwick Lake throughout the year for your clients?
Answer: I put brush piles out on the edges of underwater humps and underwater points. I don't use cedar trees like many fishermen do. I prefer to put oak trees with really big limbs into the water. Crankbaits and spinner baits will hang up in trees with small limbs. Big limbs also provide more shade and cover for bass. I'll fill 5-gallon buckets with concrete and put big limbs in those buckets. I'll sink the buckets so that the limbs stand straight up and down in the water. I'll also sink large rocks on or near the humps I fish to provide more structure and cover for the bass.

Question: Can you catch a lot of fish at these spots?
Answer: The structure I design provides me with both productive and reliable fishing spots. Some of the places I created helped me to win $22,000 in a 2000 FLW tournament.

Question: What kind of bass hold on these spots you create?
Answer: I catch both largemouth and smallmouth at these places. I like to fish Pickwick Lake because I never know what type of fish I'll catch there. I'll catch largemouth, smallmouth, sauger, catfish, white bass and just about everything else that swims on the spots I've created.

Question: How many spots will you fish in a day?
Answer: I usually will fish 25 to 30 places, depending on how often the fish bite. When I fish in a tournament on Pickwick, I force myself not to fish a spot more than 10 minutes unless I catch bass on that spot. However, when I guide other fishermen, I may stay on a spot a little longer because my customers may require a little more time to thoroughly fish a spot.

Question: How do you fish these sites?
Answer: First, I'll fish these spots with a crankbait and try to hit the limbs with a crankbait to trigger a strike. After I fish with the crankbait, I either will fish a Carolina-rigged lizard or a jig top water. Last year, I ran my crankbait through the limbs of a tree four times without getting a strike. The fifth time I cranked through the tree, a fish jarred the bait, but I didn't hook it. I gave the line some slack, and the crankbait floated toward the surface. However, before the crankbait reached the surface, a 4-pound, 7-ounce smallmouth took the bait, and I caught that fish.

For more information on staying at Pickwick Landing State Park on Pickwick Lake, contact the Hardin County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau at info@tourhardincounty.org, call (731) 925-8181 or (800) 552-3866, or visit www.tourhardincounty.org. Pickwick Landing State Park offers fishing, boating, hiking, camping, swimming and golf. Lodging includes the lakeside inn with over 100 rooms, cabins that sleep eight and a campground that contains 48 sites with grill and electric/water hookup at each site. A restaurant at the park offers delicious southern cuisine. Call (731) 689-3135 or (800) 250-8615 to learn more.

TOMORROW: STEGALL'S BEST DAY OF SMALLMOUTH FISHING