The first week of November felt more like early September with warm weather, bright skies and very little wind.

If you missed the early morning bite you probably went home with an empty livewell.

A cold front gradually made its way south Thursday just to remind everyone that it is November and the holidays are around the corner.

The Black River/Horseshoe Lake Complex is producing some nice-sized crappie. Most of the fish are coming from the bayous.

The bass fishing is fair on the complex. Try the bayous with spinnerbaits and jigs.

You can catch a few Black River Lake bass on topwater plugs, but you better be on the water early.

Last week I was told the control structure was open on Lake Bruin. I fished the lake recently and the gates are closed.

The lake is about 3 feet lower than normal. So far this has been a very dry season and all of the lakes in this area are lower than normal.

The bass on Lake Bruin were hitting topwaters like the Zara Spook and Rebel Pop R early and late.

The lake is full of eelgrass, and a Gama Frog pulled over the matted grass will produce some nice size bass.

Lake St. John continues to produce limits of hybrid striped bass. Fish the outside bend head near Neely’s Spokane Landing.

The stripers will hold along the first drop-off or between the piers.

It’s hard to beat a Rat-L-Trap when fishing for stripers. Try bream or shad pattern Traps and keep moving.

The hybrid stripers roam around a lot looking for schools of shad and small bream.

The Rat-L-Trap allows you to cover a lot of water and you’ll pick up a few largemouth bass while your hunting for the stripers.

The Mississippi River stage in Natchez is holding around 14 to 15 feet. The Old Rivers are low but they are not land-locked yet. Cover is scarce.

Locate a log or brush pile in the water and chances are a big bass will be around.

Try spinnerbaits and jigs around the visible cover, and when you run out of targets move offshore and try to locate cover that is not visible above the water.

A good depth finder is a must when trying to locate submerged cover and suspended fish.

Our area lakes averaged about 74 degrees before the recent cold front passed through. As the water cools down, get ready for the best season of the year to catch bass and crappie in the Miss-Lou.

Eddie Roberts writes a weekly fishing column for The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at

fishingwitheddie@highstream.

net.