D’Arbonne, Caney, Bruin, Bussey Brake, Claiborne; five bodies of water in North Louisiana, each with their own distinct personality and set of circumstances that can challenge anglers during the spring. With an endless and wide ranging set of variables such as weather, water temperature and clarity, as bass transition from winter to spawning grounds, producing limits can oftentimes be difficult. But with a little helpful advice from some of the best anglers in this area, springtime may just be the best time.
Lake D’Arbonne
Lake D’Arbonne is a 15,250 acre man-made lake located at Farmerville, Louisiana. In 1990, Tracy Smith of Ruston would pull a 13-pound, 6-ounce bass from its waters, breaking the state record, bringing national attention to the lake and setting in motion a series of new state record bass to come from North Louisiana.
For over 30 years, Dale Taylor has resided on D’Arbonne where he holds the Majestic Big Bass Tournament each year. When asked about how he approaches spring bass on the lake, Taylor answered the question as you would expect from a seasoned veteran.
“There are so many variables that time of year,” he said. “Water temperature, clarity, wind direction and probably most important where the bass are in their transition period.”
Taylor pointed out that his magic number is 58, as in a water temperature of 58 degrees.
“If the water is 58 or above, those bass are going to either be transitioning from their winter holes to their spawning grounds or could be in mid-transition, holding on ridges.”
Taylor also stated that anglers should be aware that the north banks will warm quicker, making those areas prime spots for bass searching out spawning areas.
“If the water temperature is above 58, I’m probably going up Corney or D’Arbonne creeks and pitch a 3/8-ounce black and blue jig around cypress trees,” he said. “I also like pumpkin and chartreuse with a pumpkin trailer.”
Finally, Taylor pointed out that he also throws lipless crankbaits, chatterbaits and jerkbaits to cover water in order to locate fish more quickly.
Lake Claiborne
Lake Claiborne is a 6,400 acre man-made reservoir located in Claiborne Parish near the town of Homer. Ruston native Rex Moncrief first fished the lake as a high school angler with the North Central Bass Club back in the late 1980’s and he’s continued to fish the lake since.
Moncrief suggested anglers start deep and use their mapping software in order to first locate feeder creeks in and around the Bear Creek, D’Arbonne and Beaver Creek areas.
“Bass will use these feeder creeks like highways into their traditional spawning grounds following ridge and stump lines,” he said. “While I believe water temperature is important, I also think length of day has a lot to do with what triggers bass into their pre-spawn behavior. Bass don’t swim around with a thermometer, looking at it. Instead they feel increased amounts of daylight, which also plays a vital role.”
Moncrief added that his favorite springtime baits on Claiborne include jigs and jerkbaits.
“I really like using suspending jerkbaits that time of the year if I find the bass moving from deeper to more shallow water, but keep in mind water temperature can have an effect on suspending baits,” he said. “I often use weight dots in order to keep my bait in the desired water column.”
Finally, Moncrief reminded anglers that northern lake banks would warm first, making those areas more desirable for spawning bass.
Bussey Brake
Located in Morehouse Parish, the 2,200 acre Bussey Brake is a man-made reservoir reopened to the public in 2020 after some significant upgrades. Monroe angler Rob Hall describes himself as a straight forward fisherman, one who fishes only a few baits that he has confidence in. In 2025, Hall used one of those baits to pull a 12-pound, 4-ounce bass from Bussey, his personal best to date.
Hall describes Bussey Brake as a shallow water reservoir filled with stumps and underwater structure.
“The springtime is the best time to fish Bussey,” he said. “Those bass are large, healthy and the big females are looking to eat. It’s nothing short of phenomenal.”
In his straight forward approach, Hall depends on large creature type baits with big profiles to entice bass, like the four over 10 pounds he’s taken from Bussey’s waters.
“I like a large bait that I can get into tight spots without getting hung up,” he said.
The stumps, trees and underwater structure that help make Bussey such a tremendous fishery can also make fishing it difficult.
“My advice is to slow down,” Hall said. “Use your LiveScope to locate these large bass holding on cover and be patient. I’ll often make as many as six or more casts to one tree, maneuvering my boat in search of just the right angle to properly present my bait.”
Bussey’s water can become stained and muddy quickly when the wind blows, so LiveScope is a great tool to have during those periods of high winds. In the end, Hall suggested anglers be prepared for trying to pull large, true Florida strain bass from the structure-filled water of Bussey.
“These fish fight like crazy, they aren’t like your standard issue Louisiana bass,” he said. “Be sure you’ve got the right tackle setup for the lake.”
Caney Lake
Opened in 1993, Caney Lake, located near Chatham, has become a favorite destination of bass anglers looking to potentially break the Louisiana state record. The 5,000 acre lake has produced 16 of the Top 20 largemouth caught in Louisiana public waters. Lineman Dusty Nomey grew up on Caney and lives only a few miles from the lake. He considers it to be one of the finest fisheries in the entire state and has become very good at locating springtime bass there.
“A lot of times I may get called away to work storms in other parts of the country,” Nomey said. “When I return home, the fish I’ve been catching have usually moved, which forces me to almost start from scratch.”
Nomey said when this happens in the spring his strategy consists of starting on main lake points.
“Starting around Feb. 15, those Caney bass begin stacking up on lake points,” he said. “Something lots of fishermen don’t realize is that shad begin their spawning before bass, and they follow a similar path out of their wintering grounds and into the backs of creeks where they’ll spawn. The bass are simply following those big schools of baitfish, feeding with the knowledge that they’ll soon be sitting on beds for extended periods of time.”
Nomey pointed out that over the years he’s seen a change in spawning bass on Caney, noting with the advent of LiveScope larger bass have become more wary of spawning in 2- to 5-feet.
“There was a time when it wasn’t unusual to sight fish and find several large females sitting beds in shallow water, but it seems more and more I’m seeing those bigger fish spawning in deeper water, making it more difficult to find and locate them,” he said.
One thing that Caney has no shortage of is grass, but knowing how to fish it can be difficult.
“When I begin searching for spring bass on those main lake points, I’m generally throwing a lightweight Carolina rig with a centipede or small creature bait,” Nomey said. “I want to be able to pop it through the grass.”
Nomey added that he will also throw a Senko, lipless crankbait and a chatterbait. And while finding grass isn’t a problem, Nomey offered advice on what he personally looks for when fishing grass at Caney.
“If I can find a spot where the eel grass meets the hydrilla, I’m going to slow down and concentrate on it,” he said. “Those areas seem to be natural ambush spots for Caney bass.”
Lake Bruin
Originally, Lake Bruin was part of the Mississippi River prior to it changing course. The lake, which is located in Tensas Parish about 4 miles north of St. Joseph, is part of three large oxbows in Northeast Louisiana, with St. John and Concordia being the other two. At 2,824 acres, Bruin has become a favorite destination of fishermen and boaters.
For over six decades, Richard Dickey of Winnsboro has fished Lake Bruin with the Turkey Creek Bass Club. With Bruin being the only oxbow highlighted, Dickey immediately took a different approach from the other anglers featured.
“If the water temperature is below 55 degrees, I like to use an Alabama or umbrella rig out in front of the piers in deeper water,” he said.
On Bruin, docks and piers are some of the very best structure available to fishermen, so Dickey spends quite a bit of time targeting them.
“Once the water gets above 58 degrees I begin looking for bass in 4 to 6 feet of water,” he said. “I’ll throw a jig or crankbait to cypress trees and shallow piers in 6 feet of water or less.”
Dickey said that once the water reaches to the low 60s, bass will move to their spawning beds in 4 feet or less of water. When this happens he pulls out a secret weapon that only he has access to.
“For many years, my friend, Alan Butler of Winnsboro, made a small creature bait called a Bass N Eel, while some people call it a flat tail worm,” he said.
After Butler passed away, Dickey was able to acquire the bulk of inventory that was left.
“That’s my confident bait, but there are other small creature type baits that do a great job mimicking it,” he said. “Both the Baby Brush Hog and the Baby Z Craw in Green Pumpkin will do the trick on Bruin.”
Finally, Dickey added that he’s also had spring success throwing a shallow diving balsa crankbait with a square bill.
So what did we learn from these local anglers about fishing the spring? First, don’t wait too late. As soon as the water temperature warms to 58 degrees, begin your search for transitioning bass. Secondly, be aware of water depth and how fish utilize it depending on water temperature. And finally, search out the routes bass use during this transition period.
