The right tactics ensure that flock of workable geese comes to your field rather than the guy down the road’s.
Reports that the Venice marshes are filled with bass were confirmed yesterday during a trip south of the little oil port by the author and Louisiana Sportsman magazine editor Todd Masson.
“The fishing right now is so good,” Masson said. “The river is maybe 3 ½ feet or so, and this water’s beautiful. So this is the time to come out here and do this, from now until that river jumps back up.”
Bassmaster Elite Series pro Greg Hackney from Gonzales has reported the bite at the mouth of the Mississippi River was hectic during scouting forays in preparation for the 2011 Bassmaster Classic slated for February in New Orleans.
The author and Masson found plenty of bass flipping the rosseau canes and water hyacinths in the Delta Duck area.
“All we (were) doing is flipping the lilies, jiggling the worm and getting it to do down,” Masson explained. You let it free fall to the bottom, and when it gets to the bottom you jiggle it up and down.
“The bites are really, really subtle. When it’s a bass, you kind of watch the line and it moves off or it feels like there some tension.”
Success came on merthiolate-colored worms and 3-inch Jackall Cover Craws on wide-gap hooks beneath pegged ½-ounce tungsten or 5/16-ounce Top Brass Tackle brass weights.
“If you don’t peg your weight, then your weights going to fall on one side of (a) lily and the worm is going to fall on the other side, and it’s not going to work out,” Masson explained. “So you’ve got to peg your weights.”
The technique can take a little getting used to, and requires some perseverance.
“You’ll go a long stretch … catching nothing, and then you’ll catch three or four in one spot,” he explained.
While this pair of anglers didn’t catch the 100 fish in the day that Hackney and others have reported, they had plenty of action to keep them busy. It is important to note that spinner baits have been the weapon of choice for many of those high-number days.
While there have been some reports of 4- to 5-pound fish being caught, all the fish landed during this trip were considerably smaller.
“You know, we don’t have any beasts; the biggest fish we’ve got is maybe 2 pounds,” Masson said. “But you come out here and catch a limit (of) fish, and it’s just a blast.
“It’s a really, really fun way to fish.”
