Entry 220-3
Mid-September until Mid-October Fishing with Roger Stegall at Pickwick Lake
Editor’s
Note: Roger Stegall of Iuka, Mississippi, a tournament
bass fisherman for 31 years, has been guiding on Pickwick
Lake on the Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama border for
21 years. Stegall knows the fish on this lake so well that
each morning, just before sunrise, the fish call him to find
out what they’re supposed to be doing, and where they’re
supposed to be holding. This week, Stegall will tell us how
he catches white bass, stripers, largemouths and smallmouths
from mid-September to mid-October.
Part 3: Largemouth Now
Question:
Roger, in October, how are you catching largemouths?
Stegall: We can catch largemouths many-different ways at this time of year. Late September, October and November are prime times to fish the Strike King Series 3 crankbait. I like the shad and the pure-white colors. You’ll catch tons of largemouths and some smallmouths fishing this color crankbait from now until after Thanksgiving. The Series 3 crankbait is probably one of the best crankbaits that’s ever been made. It’ll catch bass in 5 to 8 feet of water, it runs true, and it has rattle in it, giving the bait a lot of fish appeal.
Another bait I catch a lot of largemouths on at this time of
year is Strike King’s George Cochran’s Quad Shad.
This spinner bait came out several years ago, and many people
have forgotten about it. 
This
spinnerbait has four blades on it and is very productive. It’s
excellent when fished around grass, logs and open water. Any
place you’ll fish a crankbait or a lipless crankbait,
you can fish the Quad Shad. My primary color is white. However,
if there’s some cloud cover, or the day’s rainy,
I’ll throw chartreuse-and-white. Most people have forgotten
about the Quad Shad, but I catch bass on it every time I go
fishing. The last time I saw bass chasing minnows on the edge
of the grass. I threw a finesse worm and a Series 1 crankbait,
and they wouldn’t hit either one. Then I pulled out my
Quad Shad and caught three bass with three successive casts.
The Quad Shad is effective because it has four blades on it, and it resembles a little school of shad minnows. To be honest, when the Quad Shad first came out, I thought it was a gimmick bait. But then about 6 or 8 months after the bait hit the market, I was out guiding with two fellows. We saw bass chasing minnows, and I said, “I’m going to try this crazy Quad Shad. The minnows that the bass are chasing are about the size of these blades, and I’ll find out if this bait works.” I cast a white Quad Shad with silver blades and caught a 3 pounder on the third or the fourth cast. Immediately I said, “Well, that spinner bait will catch a bass.” Then after about five or six casts, I caught about five or six more bass in the 2-1/2- to 3-pound range.
I said, “Hey, this is a good idea. I’ve got a tournament
coming up in the next week or two. 
I
think I’ll try this bait in that tournament.” When
the time for the tournament arrived, I sort of halfway forgot
about the Quad Shad. My partner and I fished three or four places
and didn’t catch a fish. I suggested we fish this bank
I’d fished before because I’d caught a pretty-good
number of bass off this bank with the Quad Shad. We went to
that bank. On the first pass we made down that bank, I caught
five bass that weighed a total of 15 pounds. Two were smallmouths,
and three were largemouths. We won the tournament with that
Quad Shad. One day with this bait made a believer out of me.
To contact Roger Stegall, call (662) 423-3869, or visit www.fishpickwick.com, or email rogstegall@fishpickwick.com.
Contents:
- Part 1: Bet on the White Bass
- Part 2: Stripers That Will Break Your Line and Your Heart
- Part 3: Largemouth Now
- Part 4: What To Do When the Bass Won’t Bite
- Part 5: Lunker Smallmouth – How To Catch Them
