CHRISTMAS CATCH PRO

Also, marshes filter the water, so the exiting flow is cleaner and more conducive to feeding. You can catch bass on the rising tide, but higher water allows them to venture nearly out of reach, while falling water brings forage and predators to the more accessible marsh edges.

True for any tidal environment, Carriere finds the outgoing cycle generally produces the most consistent action.

While bass mostly remain above the brackish zone, the water still fluctuates with coastal tides. “Especially when the water’s falling, they eat whatever comes out those ditches.” “The fish will eat shrimp, they’ll eat crabs, they’ll eat mullet, they’ll eat perch, they’ll eat mud minnows,” Carriere said. He’ll also hop and swim a Junebug or black/blue flake Zoom Speed worm on a No. They’re about the width of a boat, and they’re mostly a mud bottom with a little bit of hydrilla.”Ĭarriere catches his marsh fish by slow rolling a baitfish colored 2.8 Keitech on an Owner Flashy Swimmer - a weighted shank hook with a trailing blade and a TwistLOCK Centering-Pin Spring. “The surrounding flat might have a foot of water and that little ditch might have a 1 1/2 to 2 feet of water. “Duck hunters cut these little ditches when they run through the marsh. “I fish the little mud boat ditches that run through the reeds,” Carriere said. If the fish feels your resistance before you feel the fish, that’s usually a blown opportunity. That’s the most important thing in the wintertime - forcing lethargic fish to bite.”Īlso important to Sumrall - the lightest weight that will pull his bait through the mat. “If I get a bite on a four-second soak, I might try to concentrate on that (timing). “I may flip the bait in there, yo-yo it three or four times and the next time, I might pull it up to the mat and shake it for about five seconds and leave it in there a little longer. “The (stocked) Florida-strain largemouth really get lethargic in the wintertime, so you really have to pay attention to what they want,” he said. The punch-drop-repeat routine may work in the warmer season, but this time of year, Sumrall reminds himself to vary his presentations to determine what triggers the fish. Technique tip: Pay attention to the soak time. “If I feel like I need more bulk, I’ll add a Delta Lures punch skirt.” I really don’t think the fish notice the bait color that much it’s more of a reaction bite,” Sumrall said. Top colors are Bruiser Flash, California Love and green pumpkin. If he’s getting short strikes, or if the water’s super clear, he’ll downsize to a Baby D-Bomb and a 3/0 hook. Sumrall does his punching work with a Missile Baits D-Bomb rigged on a 4/0 Gamakatsu Super Heavy Cover Flipping Hook with a 3/4- to 2-ounce weight and 60-pound Sunline X-Plasma braid. “In the wintertime, I’ve sat on one mat and caught 30 fish without moving my boat.”

When that sun hits it, that mat is like a heating blanket for the fish. “The mat is a roof it’s the first thing to warm up in the morning when we have colder nights.

CHRISTMAS CATCH PRO

“Typically, you’re not going to find a lot, but when you do find mats between trees and the bank - especially at the mouths of ditches, drains or marsh outlets - it’s going to be money,” said the pro from New Iberia. Such scenarios, he said, are usually few and far between, but they’re definitely worth the search. In renowned hotspots like the Atchafalaya Basin, Bayou Black and lakes Cataouatche, Caddo and Chicot, Caleb Sumrall spends many December days punching isolated mats tucked amid cypress trees. įor an insider’s look, we asked a trio of Louisiana-based Elites for their favorite ways to enjoy the Bayou State bounty. With mostly warm conditions accommodating shorts and t-shirts right through Santa’s visit, the fish are usually in a cooperative mood - even in the colder times. While most of the nation is shivering and snooping around deeper haunts for wintering bass, anglers follow a different set of rules for largemouth inhabiting Southern Louisiana waters.

Christmas catch