Fishing Report

Warming water temperatures, a great weather forecast, but…. what do the fish think about it?

It’s still a bit cold at night and in the mornings, so dress in layers if you are going out. This week’s fishing report is still hit or miss, but things are getting better. Over the weekend, there were some good catches of bass made in the shallower water. Some were on flats, some around the banks and some around cypress tree stands. There are quite a few smaller male bass in the 10-14 inch range being caught. Best baits on the big bass are black and purple jigs, creature baits (green, watermelon, red flake) and larger plastic worms fished slowly. A few good catches are also reported on Rogues and jerk baits fished slowly. The male bass are hitting just about anything, but wacky worms, spinnerbaits seem to be working best. Chartreuse is good. Most of the best catches have been up D’Arbonne and Corney creeks.

Adam Haddox with a nice D’Arbonne crappie

White perch are scattered. There were still a few fish being caught in and along the channels and up in the sloughs. The fish aren’t as concentrated as they were, which means they are migrating to shallows. Shiners are working well and both hair and plastic body jigs seem to be producing. We haven’t heard of many good catches of great big crappie, but a few are showing up here and there. The big ones that are being caught are full of eggs. With the warming water temperatures and good forecast for this week, maybe they are about to break loose. Crappie seem to be heading into the banks right at dusk and a few are being caught off piers at dark and just beyond.

Here’s a tip: With all the water level and temperature fluctuations we’ve had, the spawn is a bit later this year than the past couple of years. Don’t be surprised if the fish hold out in a little deeper water and spawn in 5-7 feet of water instead of 3-4 feet of water. Unless you are on top of a lot of fish, vary the areas you fish in and try different depths to find them. Some good catfish are also starting to be caught around the banks, both in the evenings and at night on yo-yo’s.

Oh, and that water temperature: Yesterday the surface temp was reading around 55-56 degrees in some areas of the big lake and as high as 57-59 in some of the arms and really shallow water. Most of thr really shallow water is muddy after Sunday’s rain. The water is the warmest I’ve seen this spring. That’s getting mighty close to the 60 degree water temperature that we have convinced ourselves that fish like to spawn in. One last thing. The water is clearing in most of the lake, but it’s still a bit murky. Here’s this week’s weather forecast for Lake D’Arbonne:

Here’s a look at some other area lake and river reports:  Some good catches of white perch are coming from the OUACHITA RIVER. Sloughs and backwater lakes are producing on jigs and shiners. Fish seem to be a little deeper here than usual as well.  Bass fishing has been fair on spinnerbaits and big plastic baits. Crappie are on the move at LAKE CLAIBORNE as well. Just like D’Arbonne, they seem to be moving up later in the day and at dusk, then heading back deeper during the cold nights. Again, shiners and jigs both seem to be working. The key is finding the fish. Fishing around piers at night is also picking up. The fish at BLACK BAYOU north of Monroe also seem to be moving shallow. White perch are fair on jigs and shiners. Bass are running on the small side, but hitting plastics and jigs.

CANEY LAKE bass fishing has been good around the piers and boat docks. No reports of huge fishing being caught, but several in the 6-8 pound range. Catfishing has been fair. POVERTY POINT RESERVOIR has produced some good catches of white perch in the shallows. It’s getting time for the big fish to turn on here.

If all else fails, always remember:

A BAD DAY FISHING IS STILL BETTER THAN A GOOD DAY AT WORK!