Less boat traffic, moving water are key pieces to cash in on bass
With the brutal summer months becoming a distant memory, the cold weather has the bass fishing action heating up. Those armed with an arsenal of tackle, some patience, and an understanding of what to look for can end the day with bass boasting large numbers in size and quantity.
The first piece to the Tchefuncte River puzzle is the slowdown of activity. While the summer stacks boats pulling wakeboarders and skiers, it also entices many jet skis and wave runners. Views from atop the Interstate 12 bridge and the Madisonville Riverfront depict what often looks like a rush hour traffic jam. As the cold temperatures make their southerly approach, the Tchefuncte River boating population begins to dwindle. It is then that bass fishing capitalists seize the opportunity to take back the river and make up for lost time in extracting big fish.
Mouths of drains
According to local bass fisherman Sam Jenkins, the north winds and cold fronts start moving the water, and if you know what to look for, anglers can set their trap and concentrate on the waters exiting canals and drains.
“Get in the mouths of drains and any kind of tributaries or canals,” Jenkins said. “Set up about 20 yards off the mouth and cast into the waterway and reel it straight out the mouth.”
Jenkins indicated that a good day of fishing the Tchefuncte results from the right conditions, with falling or moving water being critical. Jenkins takes a systematic approach when fishing the Tchefuncte and always starts with the marsh during December.
“I like to start with the marsh because you typically get better water movement,” Jenkins said. “As a result, the water is much cleaner. The bass like to suspend themselves in that cleaner water.”
According to Jenkins, the only proverbial fly in the ointment is that salinity levels are rising and potentially influence a revision to his bass fishing strategy. If the water sees an influx of salt, the targeting areas found upriver provide an excellent alternative.
“I would concentrate on fishing from Interstate 12 and north,” Jenkins said. “The mouths of the Little Tchefuncte and the Abita Rivers should hold some good fish.”
Shad color works
After pinpointing promising habitat, Jenkins said the next step is making that sometimes tricky tackle selection. Swimbaits and crankbaits offer positive results, but plastic worms and buzz baits can prove appealing to hungry bass lurking beneath the surface of the water.
“Shad color is a really good choice to use in December,” Jenkins said.
Anyone who fishes the Tchefuncte regularly understands the significance of the plastic worm and its reputation for bringing in some big bass. While the Tequila Sunrise color has long been a color favorite, Jenkins offered what might appear to be a buffet of plastic worm choices.
“Tchefuncte River bass like those darker colors,” he said. “Junebug brings fish. Tequila and grape catch fish, too. You can always go to any old-school worms where the dark body is paired with a lighter tail.”
Jenkins likes to change things up when attempting to pull bass from the Tchefuncte. If the target zone reveals a little structure protruding above the water’s surface, he will try to agitate the bass with a black buzz bait.
Working the river between fronts and identifying the bait of choice will make a December day of fishing the Tchefuncte more enjoyable. Jenkins said to pay attention to moving water. It is the critical ingredient to a successful recipe of catching nice bass on those inviting and cool days.
