The Pearl River Delta isn’t exactly the easiest place to figure out. The East Pearl and West Pearl rivers are the main tributaries that make up the river system. But it’s what lies between them that makes things difficult.
As the West Pearl rises with upstream rains in Mississippi, its waters don’t just flow downstream — they branch out, feeding the Middle West Pearl River and the Middle Pearl River through major channels, while simultaneously pushing into parts of the East Pearl River through secondary connections. The timing of these water movements creates a constantly shifting puzzle.
When the West Pearl is high, it pushes water through every available channel, creating a maze of competing currents and flow reversals. When it’s low, some drains reverse direction entirely, pulling water back toward the West Pearl through the same channels that were feeding the other rivers just days before. Understanding which tributaries are feeding which rivers at any given moment requires reading water color, current direction and seasonal patterns that can take years to decipher. But come August, Devin Artigue cuts through all this hydrological complexity with a simple strategy: fish the Middle Pearl River.
“When water gets low in August, I run the Middle,” he said.
Look for structure
Artigue has been fishing the Middle Pearl since he was a kid.
“I grew up in Slidell and have been fishing the Pearl River Delta since I was little,” he said.
The 26-year-old said it’s his dad, Chuck Artigue, and his grandfather, Mark Dauth, who taught him how to fish the area.
The Slidell High graduate has been fishing the Middle River frequently recently, and he said it’s all because of the low water levels he’s seeing this month.
“As the water gets lower, the water gets clean,” he said. “Plus, the water warms up because it isn’t flowing as much.”
It’s the warming water that forces the fish into the shade, and that’s where Artigue focuses.
“When that river is at its lowest levels, I like any kind of structure,” he said. “If I can see lily pads growing next to tree branches, I’m fishing it. Also, any drains that have cooler water spilling in. That’s where I find the bass grouped tightly.”
Artigue’s crawfish theory
This month, the Middle is producing easy limits of bass for Artigue, but it’s no surprise judging by what he saw in the spring. The Slidell angler also runs crawfish traps in the Honey Island Swamp.
“I know it’s going to be a good summer, judging by how I do in the spring when I run my traps,” he said. “When the crawfish are good, I know the bass fishing will be good.”
In addition to his crawfish theory, Artigue said this August looks to be better than last year.
“Last year was excellent, but the way the water is flowing now, it’s more normal than last year when it was higher,” he said.
Early morning setup
In August, it’s important to get an early start to beat the heat. Artigue starts his day throwing a frog or a Pop-R for the big bite but will also throw a weightless Fluke in the grass.
“That Fluke is doing good right now since we had a good shad spawn this summer,” he said.
His early morning setup is a baitcaster on a 6-foot-5 Falcon rod with 40- to 60-pound Power Pro braid. For occasions when he misses a big bass on the surface, Artigue follows up with a Texas-rigged worm.
Late morning setup
As the sun begins to rise and the heat sets in, Artigue transitions from topwater to plastic on the bottom.
“During the day I’ll throw a plastic worm or a Googan’s Bandito Bug on a Texas rig,” he said. “If the water is stained, I’m going with a bluish-purple colored bug, and if the water is clean I’ll go with a more natural color.”
When working plastics, Artigue uses a 6:5 ratio baitcaster on a 6-foot-9 Falcon rod loaded with 12- to 15-pound mono Trilene XT.
In August, it’s always nice to have a decent breeze. When the wind is blowing, Artigue switches over to a different lure.
“If there’s a nice breeze and the wind is blowing out of a slough, I always hit those two points with a spinnerbait or a ChatterBait,” he said.
As the water continues to clean up as the river levels drop this month, Artigue said the bass bite should continue to be stellar into October if we don’t see any significant rainstorms between here and Jackson, Mississippi.
