Months like May provide a litany of fishing related activities to chose from. With many teens seeing their last days of school before summer vacation, popular saltwater destinations get choked up with fishermen. For anglers who like a real challenge, Tchefuncte River bass are hard to beat. Although the place isn’t known for it, catching dozens of bass can be common, and big bass aren’t out of the cards either.
One of the biggest keys to having success in the Tchefuncte is playing the tides correctly. No matter what, falling tides are preferable because the fish are much easier to pattern: They’ll be at the mouths of drains and cuts in the river.
Anglers can eliminate just fishing down the bank, and be very efficient by stopping at each cut when the tide is falling.
On a rising tide, the fish still feed, but they’re a little less predictable. Bass will stage on points, cuts, laydowns and cypress trees.
One of the best techniques in May and all throughout the summer is flipping, pitching and skipping light Texas-rigs to cypress trees. Largemouth will hold tightly to big cypress trees, waiting for bait to sweep past them.
Making accurate casts is a must. Throw your Texas-rig on spinning gear, and you’ll catch as many fish as you would in a vegetable garden. Baitcasting equipment is essential.
Stiff rods, fast reels and heavy line are all crucial. Medium-heavy to heavy-power rods, reels that posses a 7.1.1 gear-ratio and an absolute minimum of 17-pound test are critical. The Tchefuncte is a mangled mess of cypress trees, laydown trees and line-chewing timber, so heavy gear will help you set the hook, and get the fish out of the thick cover.
Bass in the Tchefuncte have a variety of food sources, but one of their main ones is small crawfish. The Matrix Craw works excellently Texas-rigged with a 1/8-ounce weight, and the lure accepts a 4/0 hook perfectly. That size puts the hook as far back into the lure as it can be, making for an optimal hookup ratio.
The Matrix Craw also features a hollow spot at the tail of the crawfish, allowing for easier hook penetration when anglers set the hook.
The nightcrawler-colored Matrix Craw is the best on the Tchefuncte. The color looks exactly like a crawfish, and it mimics the forage perfectly.
Oh, and the 12- to 15-inch bass that roam the Tchefuncte aren’t too bad in the fryer, either.