Keith Lusher When it comes to Bayou Lacombe, perhaps nobody has their finger of the pulse of fishing like Forrest Green. Whether it’s catching speckled trout in the fall, croaker in the summer, or sac-a-lait in the spring, Green is always one step ahead of the game. While most anglers are waiting for the bass to spawn and for the water to clear up, the Lacombe native says he’s on the fish right now. “This past winter the water never got down to 49 degrees on Bayou Lacombe. The water here is already 65 degrees and each day that goes by without a front the water temperature goes up 2 degrees,” he says.
Green caught this bass pitching a black and blue Yum Craw Worm This past week Mr. Green made two trips in which he caught two bass over 6 lbs. on each day. His first came on the tail end of a stretch of warm days without a cold front. He was pitching a Black and Blue Yum Craw Worm with a 5/16 oz. sliding weight in the shallows. Green says that the fish are patrolling the shallows right now but it’s not for the reason most people think. “These fish are way down in the depths all winter and when that water hits 60 degrees that allows them to investigate closer to the shoreline. That’s where they’re finding crawfish that are coming out of the swamp,” he says. Green released the lunker bass but says he did keep a few smaller ones to eat. While cleaning the fish he found proof that they’re feeding on crawfish. “I kept 5 smaller bass to clean that day and 3 of them had crawfish in them,” says Green.
Green caught this bass after a cold front fishing in deeper water While to the average fisherman the water in the bayou leaves something to be desired, Green says it’s the muddy water you want. “Muddy water is what everybody’s fussing about right now. I love it, there’s nobody out on the water. So when I start hearing them complain about the water I just say, ‘Aw yeah this muddy water is something else,” he jokes. The reason Green likes muddy water in the winter is simple, “Muddy water doesn’t get as cold as clear water so in February, muddy water is a blessing,” he says.
While Forrest caught his first 6 lb. bass during a warm up, his second came right after a cold front. “I went to the same spot I found those fish when it was warm but I grabbed a crank-bait and fished deeper because I knew they were still in that area but just deeper because of the cold weather,” he says. He was using a KVD deep diving crank-bait and pulled his boat about 50’ off the bank to start casting. “I got out in the bayou and I threw that bait all the way to the bank. After a few turns of the handle that bait worked it’s way into 8’ of water and she nailed it! I bent back on that fish and said ‘oh this is a good fish right here!” exclaims Green. The fish jumped 30’ away from the boat which made for a long nervous fight but Forrest was able to bend down and lip the bass as it neared the boat.
The early success that Mr. Green has had on Bayou Lacombe is no doubt a result of the time he dedicates trying to figure the bass out. And while the fishing has been good so far Green says its about to get even better. “These fish are about to bust through the seam and be all over the place in a few days - Watch em!”
While Forrest caught his first 6 lb. bass during a warm up, his second came right after a cold front. “I went to the same spot I found those fish when it was warm but I grabbed a crank-bait and fished deeper because I knew they were still in that area but just deeper because of the cold weather,” he says. He was using a KVD deep diving crank-bait and pulled his boat about 50’ off the bank to start casting. “I got out in the bayou and I threw that bait all the way to the bank. After a few turns of the handle that bait worked it’s way into 8’ of water and she nailed it! I bent back on that fish and said ‘oh this is a good fish right here!” exclaims Green. The fish jumped 30’ away from the boat which made for a long nervous fight but Forrest was able to bend down and lip the bass as it neared the boat.
The early success that Mr. Green has had on Bayou Lacombe is no doubt a result of the time he dedicates trying to figure the bass out. And while the fishing has been good so far Green says its about to get even better. “These fish are about to bust through the seam and be all over the place in a few days - Watch em!”
