HOW TO CATCH SMALLMOUTH NOW WITH ROGER STEGALL
New Redfish Magic - Perfect for Smallmouth
 Editor’s
Note: Longtime pro fisherman Roger Stegall of Iuka,
Mississippi, has guided fishermen on Pickwick Lake on
the Alabama/Mississippi/Tennessee border for over 17
years. Here's some of his tactics for catching big smallmouth
during the month of November.
A new lure this year is Strike King’s Redfish
Magic with its safety-pin-type spinner and soft-plastic
glass-minnow body. This type of lure is a saltwater
fisherman's favorite because it combines the two lures
that usually produce redfish at this time of the year,
the gold spoon and the glass-minnow soft-plastic jig.
The Redfish Magic gives off the flash of gold that you'll
get with a spoon and has the glass minnow trailer trailing
behind. But  what
most freshwater fishermen don't know is that the Redfish
Magic is also the perfect bait for smallmouth. The gold
Colorado blade will always attract smallmouth, and that
chartreuse-and-pearl glass minnow looks just like a
Sassy Shad lure that many smallmouth fishermen know.
As I mentioned yesterday, since the smallmouth are keying-in
on shad, anytime you can fish with a shad-colored bait
and flash that bait, you will attract and catch smallmouth.
The vibration of the blade on the Redfish Magic will
cause the tail on the glass minnow to vibrate quite
a bit.
The big advantage of the glass minnow on the Redfish
Magic is that it's
made out of tough 3X material, which means the body
of the lure won't tear up like the body on the Sassy
Shad and other soft-plastic jigs will. This lure also
has a good, sharp, wide hook in it that you can use
to stick a smallmouth. I like to fish the Redfish Magic
around stumps and logs where there's numbers of minnows
concentrating. If a steady retrieve doesn't get a strike,
I'll fish this lure with a drop-and-go action like I
will a jig, reeling it up from the bottom and letting
it fall back to the bottom. The Redfish Magic lure vibrates
so much, it really calls smallmouth bass to it. Too,
the Redfish Magic will catch almost any fish that swims,
including stripers, hybrids, bass, crappie and even
catfish. Most of the fish that live in reservoirs containing
shad will be feeding on shad during the fall. The shad
that die off in the fall make an easy meal for these
gamefish.
 On
cloudy overcast days, I'll be fishing chartreuse with
glow chartreuse, and on bright sunny days I'll be fishing
pearl. I'll fish the Redfish Magic on 12-pound-test
line. This lure is an excellent bait to use when the
smallmouths are holding in deeper water, especially
when you're attempting to catch them on breaklines.
I'll fish this lure just like I will a jig, hopping
it up off the bottom to cause the blade to turn and
then letting it fall back to the bottom. Most of the
time the smallmouth will attack when the bait is falling
back to the bottom.
To fish with Roger Stegall at Pickwick lake, contact
him at (662) 423-3869.
To learn more about fishing below the
dam at Pickwick, 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: BUZZBAITS IN NOVEMBER WILL HELP YOU CATCH
SMALLMOUTHS
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