The cooler the water gets as December arrives, the better his bassing success is when pro Tyler Carriere of Youngsville fishes with a Strike King Hack Attack structure jig.
“A jig is always good in December. It depends on how cold it is. I just use it when it starts getting cold,” Carriere said, noting it doesn’t take much of a cold snap to cool off the mostly shallow, fishable waters in and around the Atchafalaya Basin, including Henderson Lake.
That’s when it’s time to tie on a black/blue model because, he said, that color is always good when the water’s cold.
When he flips it around a deadfall or treetop in the water, he targets the outside parts of the structure before the interior.
“I try to work the outside edge first, then I start working the inside of the tree. Fish the outside edge first, then go to the heart of it,” he said, explaining that by fishing it that way, it’s possible to pick off two or three bass on a single piece of structure.
“I just kind of work it slow. I let it hit the bottom and bounce it back. I flip cypress trees and everything else, stumps, whatever.”
Carriere said he uses braided line a majority of the time.
“Around our house, you should put on braid, depending on the color of the water. Mainly around our house, I usually use braid. If it’s real clear, I like to use fluorocarbon,” he said.
When he does choose braid, it’s Sunline 50-pound braid. If the water conditions call for fluorocarbon, he chooses Sunline FX Shooter 20-pound.
“Some like to throw 25-pound. I use 20,” said Carriere, who uses a 7-foot-2 Sixgill MH rod and a Sixgill Wreath reel to fish with jig.
