Bayou Bassin' 101

With it raining cats and dogs outside I decided to get ready for my trip to Halls Bayou on Friday.  While getting my tackle ready for the trip I was thinking about my battle plans.  Oh yes you need to have a plan of attack on every fishing trip or you will find yourself at the ramp after a long day with not a lot to show for your time.  Now if I was going to a new area to fish part of my planning would be to call up Google Earth and take a bird's eye view and see if I could find some likely places bass would be hanging out.   This is an awesome tool for us fisherman that some of us might have overlooked.   You can see spots on lakes, rivers and even bayous that are likely spots to hold bass and give you a better chance at catching a good stringer.

For Halls Bayou where I know just about every inch something like Google Earth isn't needed.  I still don't go in blind mind you, I still have a plan of attack even on water I fish a lot.  So to help anyone wanting to try their luck on some Bayou Bass here are a few basics that might put a few fish on your line.  The one thing you have to remember is the currents and water levels change daily on a bayou due to the tides.   Even those changes are different from day to day as some days have little tide moment with very light currents, while others have large movements with strong currents.  On a normal day you could see 4 basic conditions, Outgoing Tide, Incoming Tide, Low Slack Tide or High Slack Tide.  If you know where and how you can catch fish in all 4 of these conditions on most days.  So lets take a look at each of these and where you should look for bass.  Of course I can't cover everywhere a bass might be on the bayou in this article but I can give you some ideas as to the places to look.

1. Outgoing Tide

You can see in the picture above the direction of the current.  Bass like most fish don't like to fight the current so they look for places that might slow or block the current and bring food to them.  As you can see there are some reeds with a small point that could be one of these current blocks.  In fact the current will be pretty strong as it come off the point and bait fish will break out of it to the eddy that is formed on the back side.  The bass will lay in the eddy up close to the reeds for cover so if you can make your bait look like a bait fish breaking out of the current, you are likely to get a bass to hit.

Also in the above picture you can see a Down Fall tree in the water.  The bass will position themselves on the down current side of the tree to get a break in the current.  They will wait there until bait fish, crawfish, shrimp or even a crab is pulled over the tree by the current and pounce on their meal.  In this case you want to work your bait so that it comes over the tree in a way that looks like something the bass wants to eat.

2. Incoming Tide

 

If the tide is incoming the same spot will also hold fish they just change their location in relations to the current breaks.  Because of the change in direction these current breaks have changed slightly and so the bass position themselves differently.   Everything pretty much stays the same from your presentation stand point except the direction you are working your bait.  You always want to work your bait with the current or at worse across the current slightly.

3. Low Slack Tide

Low slack tide can be one of the most difficult times to fish.  You can still catch fish but they will not be in the structure unless it is in deeper water.   Even if they aren't in the structure itself they will be somewhere close to the structure in deeper water.   They are generally not actively feeding in this period, but if you can find them you can get them to bite.  Even if they aren't actively feeding when presented with what they think is an easy meal they generally won't say no.   So here is where you need to slow down and maybe even break out your finesse tackle.

4. High Slack Tide

High slack tide is just the opposite to a low slack tide with one exception, the bass still aren't actively feeding in most cases.  In this case the water level is up and the bass have moved back deeper in the structure.  You have to go in and get them so a prime tactic is pitching and flipping.  So break out that big stiff rod with heavy line and your favorite pitching or flipping bait and go get them.  You will find them back at the base of the down falls and in hole or pockets in the reeds.  If you can put your bait on their head quietly, you might just get a pull and a good fight.  Remember get them out of the cover as quick as you can so they don't get you all tied up.

Well there you have it a Basics 101 of Bayou Bassin'.  I didn't cover everything here but it should give you a good start and hopefully get you some hits if you decide to try your hand at some bayou bass.  I'll try and give you some more tactics that have worked for me on the bayou in some future articles.

Until next time, Tight Lines and Take a Kid Fishing!!!