The Mixing Line
Muddy water. It’s an all but universal deterrent to bass fishermen across the state. Here on the Northshore, muddy water takes on a life of its own because of our rivers’ rich soil-lined shorelines and silty bottoms. Personally, I’ve always struggled fishing muddy water and have avoided it for the simple reason being that I believed the fish can’t see my lure.
I recently made a trip with local bass angler Joe Picone to the West Pearl River which is known for it’s high, muddy water that flows 365 days a year. As we headed upriver, the waterway looked exactly the same as when I first fished it 10 years ago; like swirling chocolate milk. As my confidence shrunk at the sight of the murky water, Picone pointed to a small drain that spilled out of the swamp. “That’s what we’re looking for,” the 75-year-old veteran bass angler called out. As we drew closer to the drain, I noticed clean, black water running out of it. As Picone grabbed his rod, two bass exploded on the surface as baitfish scattered. That was all it took for me to snatch my rod and cast out. Within seconds we both had fish on the line and my disgust for fishing the river began to erode.
We caught six bass in our first spot using Texas-rigged red and black colored craws. Our next spot produced the same results, and it soon became obvious that finding value in muddy water was in direct correlation with finding clean water that was spilling into it. “When fishing the West Pearl you want to target the drains,” Picone said. This is where the clean water from the swamp is mixing with the muddy water in the main river.” As we continued to pick up bass at each drain the conversation shifted from catching fish to questioning what the scene looked like from beneath the surface. We talked about the possibility of photographing these fish feeding along the mudline.
Upon returning home after our trip, the wheels in my head continued to spin. Was it possible? I certainly had the camera equipment to film underwater so that wasn’t an issue. The only problem would be finding a drain in which the mixing line was predictable enough to sink a camera and record the feeding phenomenon. I decided on a spot that I knew very well. It was a lake in my neighborhood with a small ditch that drained run-off water after a downpour. I’ve witnessed bass feeding here along the mixing line before and knew exactly where to place the camera. Four days went by, and that downpour came. Before the storm rolled through, I preemptively planted the camera which was an underwater motion sensor camera made by Trail-cam. The next morning, I retrieved the camera and returned home to review the photos. As I scrolled though numerous photos of shiners schooling near the drain, my attention shifted from looking for bass feeding, to trying to figure out what the shiners were doing. As they darted around in the clean water it looked to me as if they were feeding on tiny bugs and small organisms that were flowing out of the drain. As I scrolled from photo to photo, my attention became focused squarely on the shiners, and then it happened! I was looking at a still shot of a shiner swimming by taken at 9:32:05 when I opened the next file, the unassuming shiner was hit by a tank of a bass that exploded across the mixing line. I sat in awe and after reviewing the photo what felt like 100 times, it became clear that I have only scratched the surface on learning how bass feed along the mixing line.
Tournament Results
The Double Nickel Bass Club got together at the East Pearl River for a tournament that saw partly cloudy skies and an incoming tide. Winds were non-existent making it hot when the sun came out. Nineteen anglers fished the tournament and in the end, it was Barry Lee who came out on top with a 3-fish bag that weighed 7.58 pounds. Ralph Williams came in second place with a limit that weighed 7.09 pounds. In third place was Jim Bob who weighed in a 7.07-pound bag of fish. Bob also brought in the big fish of the day; a 3.95-pound bass.
The fifth and final points tournament for the 2022 Liars and Lunker’s Spring/Summer Series was held on June 26 at Crawford’s Landing. Seventeen teams participated, despite the forecasted rain and high temperature. At the end of the day, some giant sacks of bass were brought to the scales. Taking the win was the super consistent team of Charles Dauzat and Mark Mohr with 17.38 pounds. They also had the days biggest bass which was 5.69 pounds. Second place went to Dalton Thompson and Samantha Beard with 14- pounds. Taking third place was Jay Breland and Timmy Dickens with 13.47 pounds.
Upcoming
Tournaments
The Bayou Lacombe Big Bass Tournament is holding their next event on Friday, July 15. Biggest bass wins. $10 per person entry fee. Blast-off is at 5 p.m. at the Main St. Launch in Lacombe.
The Double Nickel Bass Club is holding their next tournament at the East Pearl River on Tuesday, July 12. For more information, please contact Joe Picone at 985-630-4170.
Pearl River Team Trails is holding their next tournament at the East Pearl River on July 9. For more information, please contact Charles Dauzat at 985-960-3260.
Florida Parishes Bass Anglers are holding their next tournament on the Tchefuncte River at the 4th Ave. Launch on July 10.
Liars and Lunkers is holding their classic tournament on July 31 at Lock One. This is a tournament for all of the anglers that fished at least three of the five Spring/Summer Series tournaments. Anglers can fish either side of the lock and we will fish until noon. Food and drinks will be served at weigh-in. We will also have a $50 per boat optional side pot. For more information or to confirm if you have qualified, please contact Chad Hartzog at 985-502-3217.
(Keith Lusher Jr. writes a weekly column. For more info, visit NorthshoreFishingReport.com.Contact Keith at keith@northshorefishingreport.com.)