Another month is behind us. As we move into November fishing patterns that were successful in October will change a bit as the lake water continued to cool off.

We’ll see water temps in the upper to mid 60s this month. Cold fronts will become more numerous and the fish will be feeding more often ahead of the fronts rather than behind a front.

Water temps in the 60s is cool enough to keep the fish moving shallow but not cold enough to knock off the surface lure bite for largemouth bass. You may have to slow your retrieve down a bit but don’t rule out top water lures just yet.

Buzz baits, walking style lures like the Heddon Zara Spook and anyone of the many chuggers and poppers will catch bass this month. The good news is the bottom bite is about to improve.

Those in the fishing world that know me think of me as a die-hard jig fisherman, a bottom bouncer. A lead head jig with a silicon or living rubber skirt with a plastic trailer has put more fish and larger fish in my live well than any other lure I use, along with several thousand dollars in the tournament winnings.

The reason for this is confidence. I know if that bass is holding tight to a cypress tree I can catch it on a jig. Confidence in a lure is necessary if you plan to use it consistently. I fished with many guys that wanted a jig fishing lesson.

We would start at daylight and by 9 a.m. if they had no fish, they would change lures. That’s their first mistake. You have to hang with the jig and be very patient. The bites will come but on most days jig bits are few and far between. That’s why you have to be confident and dedicated to become good jig fishermen.

The jig may produce fewer strikes than other lures but the bites you get on a jig are usually from big fish. It’s a trade-off. If you want to catch numbers the jig is not the way to go. If you want quality fish, go with a jig.

The jig bite excels in this area when water temperatures drop below 60 degrees but, if you try different style retrieves and change the weight of your jig, you can catch big bass during all seasons of the year. Right now I favor the lighter jigs like a 1/4 ounce to a 7/16 ounce jig head with a smaller plastic trailer.

The trailer should have a lot of action. As the water cools off I switch to a heavy jig like an 11/16th to 3/4 ounce. When fishing water below 60 degrees I trail the big jig with a large plastic trailer that has less action.

Try different retrieves. During several early to mid October fishing trips I had good success swimming rather than hopping the jig. As the water cools off I’ll switch to a hopping retrieve until it really gets cold.

In cold water, water below 57 degrees you’ll get bit more by dragging a jig. I watched all the different retrieves on an underwater video camera. When dragging a jig a plume of mud or slit created by a dragging retrieve triggers strikes.

A dragging retrieves looks just like a crawfish trying to escape from the jaws of a big bass. Pick up a jig and stick with it and you’ll catch fish.

Eddie Roberts writes a weekly fishing column for The Democrat. He can be reached at fishingwitheddie@bellsouth.net.