Anglers addicted to the sport of bass fishing have been known to travel great distances and endure the elements in hopes of snagging a double-digit fish. Fortunately, Louisiana fishing enthusiasts do not have to travel far, since Bussey Brake promises lunkers of a lifetime.
Lane Martin of Paulina, a frequent visitor to Bussey Brake, has invested a great deal of time navigating the lake’s chocolate colored waters in windy conditions and maneuvered within the crowds coming to catch dream limits. He said the activity heats up in February and continues through April.
“The third week of February is typically magical,” Martin said. “When March rolls around you can catch the big bass up on the beds.”
According to Martin, various conditions and combinations promise big results. With a depth of 3 to 10 feet of water holding the fish, he tries to maintain within that 6 to 8 foot range. Bottom creature baits spark attraction with black and blue jigs appealing to big bass appetites. Martin additionally relies on Zoom’s Monster Magnum worms in the Junebug color.
“The angler’s confidence has a lot to do with it,” he said. “If you have a confidence bait, you should eventually start to catch.”
Bussey Brake draws a crowd, and Martin indicates the bass suffer from the pressure. As a result, anglers suffer due to a limited bite. Martin looks for bushes and willow trees in the open water as they are choice locations for less-pressured fish.
Battling the wind
Wind can wreak havoc on Bussey Brake. Martin said the water is typically churned up, but when an angler can locate a greenish-tint in the water, you can expect an improved bite.
“The wind can be just terrible on Bussey,” Martin said. “Any southwest winds and north winds kick up the water and make it dirty.”
With that wind, however, some good can surface. If the wind is an indicator of a storm moving in, Martin points to an increase in activity because of a mixture of lightning and thunder. Still, water churned up too heavily can impact visibility.
“Without visibility, fishing Bussey can be an extremely humbling experience,” Martin said. “I rely on LiveScope, which gives you a better chance to catch the bigger fish.”
While LiveScope proves useful for many, it’s not a tool in every bass angler’s toolbox. Combating the elements and fishing smarter must serve as the means to catch record fish. Martin has also discovered something about the Florida strain of bass found in Bussey.
“These Bussey Brake bass are a different species of bass because they are true Florida strain, which fight like bull reds and won’t cut you any slack and will get you hung up in the thick bushes and Willow trees,” Martin said. “When you talk to most anglers on the lake, they will tell you horror stories about how the big one got away, but it’s the truth because I’ve experienced it myself many times.”
Don’t give up
Even though Martin and his son have pulled many big bass from Bussey Brake ranging from 8.20 to 11.37 pounds, the fishing can be mentally challenging.
“More times than not, Bussey Brake bass will leave you feeling sad when they don’t cooperate,” Martin said. “Now is the time of year where everything comes together, and you have the best chance to pull some real double digit lunkers.”
Martin adds that when you find the sweet spot and everything comes together, keep your confidence up and continue fishing.
“If you start catching bass on Bussey, don’t quit fishing,” he said. “You never know when they will start biting again.”
