Keith Lusher Jr As anglers, we are accustomed to tried and true fishing knowledge that is embedded in our subconscious from generation to generation. One of those tidbits of knowledge passed down for centuries is the simple, but very true, statement; “Find the bait and you’ll find the fish.” I had the pleasure of fishing with Ponchatoula angler Todd Oalman, where that simple fact was nearly overlooked by the both of us. We started out the day early, knowing that our best fishing would be before 8:00 due to the vicious heat of late July. Our first stop was the W14 Canal that runs along Old Spanish Trail in Slidell. We headed up the canal until the trees and vegetation forced the canal to look more like a small ditch. As we fished the grass lines and ditches the first thing we noticed was the lack of surface action from the baitfish that was usually plentiful in that spot. Cast after cast we came up empty. Our conversation filled the void and pretty soon we were deep in discussion about what might be going on. The discussion ran the gambit, from a possible fish kill, to the bass just not feeding that day. After 2 hours went by, we decided to try and “save the day” with an early return. Todd cranked up the engine on his 14 ft. flat boat and we headed back down the canal, already lining up our schedules in our heads, for the rest of the day. Then we both noticed something, about half way to the launch we spotted a tranasse on the left with mullet scattering on the surface. I turned back to Todd and made a casting motion which he silently agreed to with a nod of his head.
Top-water double rigging on Salt Bayou Todd shut down the engine and I jumped up on the bow for my first cast. I made a cast to the opening where the tranasse spilled out an immediately saw a boil just under the water’s surface and I set the hook. I reeled in an 11” marsh bass and with an excited murmur, I heard the words “find the bait” come from his mouth. Todd joined in on the action and before we could get out lifejackets off, we had 2 fish in the boat. We followed that tranasse into the marsh picking up bass after bass. At one point the action was so fast that I rigged my line with a double rig, which consisted of a two Shu-Shu’s in the Watermelon Wreck color rigged weedless on #1 worm hooks.
Bass chasing baitfish on the surface
Todd Oalman After catching a few single bass I set the hook on what felt like a small bass. After reeling him about halfway to the boat I felt the second one jump on and my rod bowed over. I slung two the two bass into the boat and we celebrated quickly and returned back to the action. Todd and I finished the day with a limit of bass and headed back to the launch with the satisfying feeling of figuring out the fish. Todd says “Those fish aren’t in there just for the heck of it. They are in there feeding, and 9 times out of 10 if you can find the bait, you’ll find the fish.”
