There’s nothing worse than the havoc created by beavers and their dam building. But not all beavers are bad. There are sweet beavers, too — and they are great for catching summer bass.
“There’s no doubt, my favorite bait to throw on the Ouachita River in the summer is the Sweet Beaver,” Dustin Perkins said. “It’s a chunky plastic bait that kind of looks like a flat crawfish with a beaver tail. In fact, it’s a favorite for any time of the year.”
Produced by Reaction Innovations, the lure comes in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors, but Perkins and fishing partner Trapper Munn prefer the regular Sweet Beaver in black/blue or watermelon/red.
They Texas rig these plastics with 4/0 Trokar Eagle Claw hooks and 3/8- or ½-ounce tungsten bullet weights. On occasion, when smashing the lure through piles of floating debris or vegetation, they will up that weight to a full ounce.
Because the river water isn’t too clear, they use heavy line. Their favorite is 20-pound Seaguar red label fluorocarbon. In extremely high-water conditions when the water is really murky, they will go heavier.
They fish Sweet Beavers anywhere from a foot of water near the bank or in laydowns to 8 to 10 feet deep around points, standing timber or river drop-offs.
