When the River is Right

Every year or at certain times of year, when spring floods recede and river levels drop, fishing goes crazy, especially in the Atchafalaya Basin; not only for crappie, but for shell crackers, goggle eye, and bluegill. When river levels are above flood stage, the fish tend to spread out, but when the woods or marsh become too shallow, the fish concentrate in the main bayous and in the many canals. This makes for incredible catches when you find the fish. There are peak times to look for. First being, when the water levels start to recede, the fish tend to school around points and at the mouth of canals that empty into the main channels. Other hot spots are standing timber in deeper water, especially when grass beds are present. Fishing grass lines can also produce. When river levels become steady or plateau, tidal flow can create those same fishing frenzies. It is not uncommon to catch hundreds of fish. Typically no live bait is needed in these situations. However, chinquapin can be finicky at times and some types of bait will increase your catch. Live worms, crickets, small crawfish, or the many fish type nuggets may work. Sacalait, bluegill and goggle eye can be caught with your favorite cork and jig or small spinning baits like beetle spins or roadrunners. Colors always depend on the fishers preference, but the standard anything and chartreuse usually works well. Basin colors also include anything representing a crawfish since that is the main forage. The Atachafalya is a vast series of lakes, bayous, and canals. It can be a daunting task if you are a novice to locate fish, but fishing areas that look right such as standing trees or grass lines and where clear water may be mixing with muddy water can be great places to start. I always advocate reasonable catches. Keep what you need to eat and release the rest. It will be good for future catches. Good luck fishing. Hope to see ya on the water.

Comments

  1. UnknownAugust 3, 2017 at 10:31 AM

    great article Bob...as always....an inspiration.....Thanks.

    ReplyDelete

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