Laydowns, cypress trees and willow trees are preferred targets when Tyler Carriere fishes for bass in November in and around the Atchafalaya Basin.
Carriere’s go-to artificial lure at that time is a Treeshaker flipping jig, mostly a ½-ounce black/blue or black/blue/purple model. A pro on the Bassmaster Elite Series, he catches heavy bass on it more often than not, which is why he really likes its hook, a 5/0 Mustad Ultra Point.
“It’s got a big hook. It don’t have no bitty hook. No give,” said Carriere, 45, from Youngsville, who needs little excuse to put a flippin’ jig to work in November. He said jigs get plenty of action in the spring, then inexplicably fade in the summer.
“In the fall, (bass) start biting jigs again for some reason,” he said.
Where he fishes
Carriere loves every minute of catching bass with that flippin’ jig, which he usually attaches a black/blue flake Zoom Super Chunk. In November, those minutes are logged when the Atchafalaya River is low and clear, offering cover in the form of cypress trees, willow trees and laydowns, or in backwater areas around Myette Pointe and in Beau Bayou.
He also catches fish on a Treeshaker football jig at Toledo Bend, dragging it around cover, and on other water bodies similar to the Atchafalaya Basin. The model he uses depends on what kind of structure he targets.
The ½-ounce flipping jig is effective in the nation’s last great overflow swamp when there’s a lot of water over and around cypress trees and laydowns. If there isn’t so much water over and around cypress trees, Carriere downsizes the weight to a 3/8-ounce model.
In heavy cover, he uses Sunline braid. In light cover, he fishes 20-pound Sunline fluorocarbon, both on a Six Gill Reel on a 7-foot-6 flippin’ stick made by Craig Olivier at Olivier’s Custom Rods in Lafayette.
Tips
Carrier offers a few tips on fishing a jig. After taking it out of the package, trim the weedguard to just above the tip of the hook and trim the skirt to just below the curve of the hook.
Carriere often goes to another lure as a change of pace in November. It has provided some memorable catches over the years.
“I like to throw a wake bait, too, around laydowns and cypress trees,” he said. His favorite is a 6th Sense Movement 80 WK wake bait.
A black/bone model triggers the most strikes, he said; his second choice is solid black.
“But they like that bone color in it. They eat it, especially if you’ve got a little wind. They jump on it,” he said.
