Louisiana weather can go from hot to cold to hot in a short period of time. Passing fronts bring rain and high winds. River levels may go high one week and fall out the next. Winter bass fishing is tough to begin with but weather often makes it impossible to figure out a pattern. Along with a few local spots, here are a few tactics to help fill a limit.
By far the best wintertime bait is a jig and pig. Crawfish are a primary food source because the little crustaceans hatch in the late fall. The Pearl River and Tchefuncte River have plenty of bottom crawlers for bass to target. Colors on the local crawfish vary but a black or black and blue Stanley jig is an all-around workhorse. Beginners should start with a half-ounce head because there is a big learning curve with a jig. The right action pole, fishing on a slack line, working it through cover, and feeling the fish when it takes the lure are part of the equation when it comes to pitching a jig. The wooded area of the Pearl is the place to master all the nuances of jig fishing.
There are a few jig combos that work well on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain. First, if the water temps are in the low fifties and below, switch to a pork chunk. It has better action than plastic. Next, Blue colored trailers are the mainstay for the area. Black neon would be a close second in muddy water. Finally, any lure can be a jig trailer. Berkley Chigger Craw, Zoom Chunk, and finesse crawfish are a few of the possible attachments. After the half ounce head is comfortable, try heavier and light sizes until one is right for the area.
On bright sunny days, bass may patrol grass mats for food. The mats heat up like a roof on a house which is home to insects, frogs, and bait fish. Penetrating a big sinking with a gnarly hook through a mat is fun. However, with big rods and heavy weights, it will put a workout on the arms and back if fished all day. In Southeast Louisiana, sinkers that penetrate our mats run from ¾ - 1 ½ ounce. And the sinkers cost more than your favorite crankbait. The biggest tip on punching mats is the right rod will make a world of difference. A rod with tip that has some flex and butt with the right stiffness helps the fish load up on the bait and gives the angler time to react to the bite. In our area, extra fast and extra heavy rods are the least preferable. An extra fast or fast action rod with a medium heavy blank is a good starting point. Abu Garcia Veritas or Villain lines work well. Add 65 pound Spiderwire or 25 pound 100% Fluorocarbon (if water is clear), a peg, and a snelled Berkley Fusion heavy cover hook to the mix for a dynamite setup for winter bass.
If water temperatures are fifty and below, the above tactics are what an angler should stick to on the Northshore areas. Red crankbaits and spinnerbaits would be next on the list to try. Red crankbaits that reach the bottom mimic a fleeing crawfish. A big mistake anglers make this time of year is fishing to shallow. Three to five foot diving baits and a few five to seven foot divers keep the bait in the bottom cover and finds the strike zone on colder days. Anglers should slow the bait to a crawl. Long pauses and slow cranking is the best tactic during the early winter months. Spinnerbaits are good this time of year, too. However, anglers should make a blade change. The goal is to slow the bait down. Switch to a single Colorado blade or a tandem combo without a willow leaf blade. Heavier heads help by keeper the bait closer to the bottom and in contact with cover. A basic tip is the crank the bait just fast enough to feel it thumping.
A tournament winner might reply when ask where he caught the fish with the phrase “In the water!”. When north winds suck the water out of the marsh along the bayous and rivers of the Northshore, the fish are still in the water. Many anglers panic when faced with a dry marsh. However, a change in tactics should put fish in the boat. Less water means less places for a fish to call home. Anglers should hits drains and points but check deeper canals and dead ends for fish forced out of the woods. On a cold blue northern day, a trip with ten bites is a good trip.