1) Learn to tight-line. Using a cork doesn’t allow fishing to be done deep enough to fish the 12 to 14 feet needed on the most important fish-holding structure — piers and pilings in front of camps.
2) Use jig poles, not rods and reels. You need the control they offer.
3) Not every pier or piling is equal. Some are baited and some are brushed. Some are just better than others. Put the time in to learn them; pay your dues.
4) Use solunar tables to narrow your efforts to the best periods.
5) Wind is a big factor on Old River. Always fish a spot upwind. Fishing down- or cross-wind doesn’t allow enough boat control to stay on a spot.
6) Move a lot to find out where the bite is best. Jig fishing allows that because it is a faster style of fishing than using live shiners.
7) This is not a particularly productive place for bank beating. The water in the lake is almost always far too high to fish shallow during the spawn. There are times however, that good catches can be made in mid-summer near cypress trees standing in 5 feet of water.