river-rat

Three summers ago I fished the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario for 10 days and have to say it was the trip of a lifetime. I was with my brother and nephew and we caught dozens of smallmouths each day. We had several over 5 lbs. and I caught one over 6 lbs. in Lake Ontario. I hope to make the trip up there again some day.

It's been hotter than all get out here in south Louisiana with excessive heat advisories of heat index temps reaching 110+ most days. I made a couple of daytime trips and caught a few but nothing that would make me want to keep going. I've done the vast majority of my fishing at night in a couple of the oxbow lakes I frequent. Some nights have been good and some nights not so much but at least it's tolerable. I'm waiting for the first break in the heat which is usually around the third week of September before I start back fishing during the daytime.

If I could go back in time I would pick the Atchafalaya Basin in 1973. In the spring of 1973 the Mississippi River reached the highest point ever and was threatening to over-top the levees between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The Corps of Engineers also discovered that the Old River Control Structure, which diverts 30% of the Mississippi's flow down the Atchafalaya River, was in danger of failing and the river would change course. For the first time, the Morganza Floodway was opened to take pressure off the Control Structure and protect communities down river. In doing so the Basin was flooded to it's highest point ever also. When the water came down to fishable levels in July of that year the bass fishing went completely off the charts. We were catching 100 largemouths or more on most days up to 4 lbs. with a "bad day" being 30-40. The fishing was so easy you could catch bass on whatever your preferred method was.

My vote also goes to the Oldham's Eye Max jig.

I grew up fishing and hunting in the Atchafalaya Basin. When I was much younger my brother and I used to drag a 14' johnboat to hidden lakes way back in the Basin but the days of dragging a boat a couple of miles or more to reach some of those old lakes are over.

Do a search for "tube rattle" on Tackle Warehouse or another site and you will find what you need.

Have to totally agree with this. After spending time on the water I'm much more relaxed.

I've been using a Snagless Sally since the 1960's and still rely on it at times. As I've stated on this site before, I could fill up my house with the number of bass I have caught on this lure. Like Catt I recommend using some type of trailer. And @PhishLI, I still have Hawaiian Wigglers that I have modified and use to a great extent in some situations.

I would say a texas-rigged worm would be my #1 confidence bait, but I have others that I rely on also. For example, a jig, flipping tube, and spinnerbait rate almost as high on the list as a plastic worm. Give me these four options and I'm good.

I use Plum Apple and Red Shad/Green Glitter in several of the plastics I throw. And I would say that a Red Shad worm (with or without the green glitter) has probably caught as many if not more bass in the Atchafalaya Basin than anything else since that color came out many years ago.

I absolutely agree with Catt on moon rise and moon set. Not just for night fishing but for during the day also.

I do a ton of night fishing from mid-April until October. The first thing to think about is safety first. Make sure your running lights work and use them when moving to a different location. Also use something like a Q-Beam Max Million for navigating and take it slow. There is no need to run wide open at night. And I ever take my life jacket off at night. I carry two LED flashlights and utilize a cap light for changing baits. Red light does not affect night vision. My cap light has a three-way switch with one of the lights being red. When fishing keep the lights off as much as possible especially if you are fishing in shallow water. As for tackle, I keep it as simple as possible. I rely on a 5/8 oz. spinnerbait, a plastic worm, and a brown and orange jig. Sometimes I might throw a buzz bait. Start in the same areas you normally fish during the day. If you aren't having any success first try moving shallower and then out deeper if there is no action. Like daytime fishing you have to find them. But I must warn you -- night fishing can become addictive. I've been doing it for 50 years and can't get enough of it. Now that I'm retired I go at least two nights a week sometimes more.

Not to my knowledge. Gene Larew had made the 4" Salt Craw in Camouflage but discontinued it many years ago. It was one of my all time favorite colors in the Salt Craw. I bought every pack I could find at the time. Unfortunately, I ran out a couple of years ago. You might try to find someone that custom pours plastics and see if they can make that color.

Only have two 1. PFD is required when the outboard is running 2. No alcohol

This is easy. These 3 are always on the deck. Jig, Texas Rig, Spinnerbait

I put myself through college working construction as an Iron Worker which most of the time meant I was working in the air. I had no problem walking beams as narrow as 4" and never had a problem no matter how high off the ground the job was. I had great balance back then. Now, not so much. In fact I just finished my second round of vestibular rehabilitation with a Physical Therapist for balance issues. I'm really careful in the boat and have decided that wearing my life jacket all day is probably a wise move.

Bass Assassin makes a 7 1/2" worm in a color called Camo which I can vouch for.

I don't really have a problem skipping an Oldham's Trailer Hitch Jig under docks with a Strike King Rage Bug or Gene Larew Salt Craw trailer. I don't often change from the Oldham's Jig, but I have also used a Santone Lures Rattlin' Jig for skipping at times.

The Johnson Silver Minnow was my first thought also. I would also try swimming a Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Worm or a 10" Worm with a 3/16-1/4 oz. slip sinker.

4" Flipping Tube Gene Larew 4" Salt Craw Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw Rage Bug

If it were me I would use a 4” curly tail grub in either silk chartreuse or yellow. That’s what I use around here and I fish a lot of muddy water.

When I want to fish a smaller jig I don’t necessarily drop down to a lighter weight. For example, there are times when the fish are feeding on small crawfish. When this occurs I will still have a 1/2 oz. jig tied on but I will shorten the skirt and pull out several skirt strands to have a smaller profile. For a trailer, I’ll take a 4” Gene Larew Salt Craw and cut it down to 3”. With this set up I still have a jig heavy enough to penetrate heavy cover like treetops and laydowns whereas a 1/4 oz wouldn’t.

I fish areas affected by the tides all the time. The bass will set up to spawn in areas where there is enough water to bed during low tide. They just seem to know that any beds they build at the high tide level will be high and dry after the tide falls.

I'm always rigged before I go fishing. And depending on water levels I always have a plan of the area I'm going to fish in the Atchafalaya Basin.

I was fortunate enough to have my Grandfather and Dad take me fishing at an early age. When I was 12 they started to teach me to throw a baitcaster so that I could go bass fishing with them. When I was 14 (this would have been in 1966) I was fishing a local pond that had a lot of vegetation near shore. My Dad gave me an Uncle Josh Pork Frog on a weedless hook and told me to cast it out and twitch it across the vegetation. On about the third cast the water exploded and I somehow managed to catch my first largemouth over 7 pounds. Been hooked ever since.