Red River, LA Fishing Report

Bass If history repeats itself, as it has for the past several years, look for some big fish to be caught on the Red River in February. Typically, February in Northwest Louisiana means two things, hunting season is over, time to FISH!

With the water temperature still hovering in the 40�s and 50�s most of the bass will be on the deeper drop offs or outside bends of the oxbows. The magic depths seem to be 5 to 10 feet of water. This all depends on the weather and air temperature. Crawfish or Black Blue pattern 9/16oz. Southpaw Jig and pig combo or Texas rigged dark colored creature baits rigged with a 1/4oz Tungsten weight and 17lb Vicious fluorocarbon should be the tackle of choice. Fish these baits slowly around the edge of the drop offs in the timber. If there is a warming trend move up shallow to the 5 foot areas near the deeper water. For suspended fish in the same areas or along the rocks try a 100 or 200 series crawfish pattern or La. Shad pattern Bandit crankbait. Fish the crankbait on 12 to 15lb Vicious monofilament line with a stop and go retrieve.

Crappie

Shiners and small crappie jigs tipped with shiners fished along the edge of the ridges in the oxbows should be a good bet on the Crappie.

With the clarity of the water I recommend 17lb Vicious mono for cranking. Bandit 100 series crankbaits in Firetiger or Chartreuse blue worked around the rocks and cuts will catch some nice bass.

Bream~ No report

Bass~ Early morning bite will be around the edges of the grass flats with a white and chartreuse or white spinnerbaits with tandem silver willow leafs fished on Vicious 30 lb braid around the grass will be the big producer. Once the sun is up, smoke shad & watermelon colored soft jerk baits will produce around the grass flats. Junebug and watermelon colored creature baits Texas rigged with a ½  worm weight fished on 30 lb Vicious braid or 17 lb Vicious Florocarbon around wood and heavy grass in 10 feet or less should produce better bites.

Small 7/16 oz Southpaw Jigs in Black & Blue or Black & Red tipped with a Craw in matching colors will be a good bet. Fish the jig combination along the edges of the flats or deeper banks. If we have several days of warm weather or late in the day ease up on the flats and slow roll a white and chartreuse spinnerbait around the stumps and lay down logs. The 100 series Chartreuse-blue back and crawfish colored Bandit crankbaits fished in and around the stumps on the flats will produce well if the blade bite slows.

Crappie

Shiners and small crappie jigs tipped with shiners fished along the edge of the ridges in the oxbows should be a good bet on the Crappie.

With the clarity of the water I recommend 17lb Vicious mono for cranking. Bandit 100 series crankbaits in Firetiger or Chartreuse blue worked around the rocks and cuts will catch some nice bass.

Bream~ No report

Crappie~ No report

. Tight Lines,

Russell McVey, email southpawguide@msn.com

Listen to my Reports of Fishhound.com Hope it helps>

Fishing is best early until 9 am.  Main river is producing a lot of fish good numbers. Fish are in 2 - 10 ft of water. 

best baits are wing dean, pale spinner, diving crank baits about 8ft.

Use beavers in the backwater.

Bandit Lures pro staff member Russ McVey says that the summer time patterns are in place. The weather is hot and so is the fishing!

Bass~ Early morning bite will be around the edges of the grass flats. Frogs and white and chartreuse or white spinnerbaits with tandem silver willow leafs fished on Vicious 30 lb braid around the grass will be the big producer. Once the sun is up, smoke shad & watermelon colored soft jerk baits will produce around the grass flats. Junebug and watermelon colored creature baits Texas rigged with a ½ worm weight fished on 30 lb Vicious braid or 17 lb Vicious Florocarbon around wood and heavy grass in 10 feet or less should produce better bites.

With the clarity of the water I recommend 12lb Vicious mono for cranking. Bandit 100 series crankbaits in Firetiger or Chartreuse blue worked around the rocks and cuts will catch some nice bass.

Bandit Lures pro staff member Russ McVey says that the summer time patterns are in place. The weather is hot and so is the fishing!

½ oz white or white chartreuse buzzbaits or frogs will be a good producer around the pads and grass the first hour after daybreak. On the main river, a Bandit 100 series or the Bandit Flat Maxx in chartruse blue back or firetiger colored will be a good producer along the rock jetties. Concentrate on the outside of the rocks. If you enjoy fishing Texas rigged plastics, watermelon or black red flake creature baits rigged with a ½ oz. Tungsten worm weights fished around the grass beds will be a sure bet. Best depths are going to be around 6 to 10 foot.

Crappie

Shiners and small crappie jigs tipped with shiners fished along the edge of the ridges in the oxbows should be a good bet on the Crappie. Seven to 12 feet of water with standing timber should be a good place to start.

Fishing should be right on track for May. Post spawn and early summer patterns will be the focus. The river has settled down and is looking great for some early summer time fishing. With most fishing still in the back waters around the grass and pads, but don't forget about the rocks. Frogs & buzz baits will be a great choice in low light conditions and possibly all day around the grass and pads. Make sure to have a soft jerk bait tied on in case a fish blows up on the frog or buzz bait and he misses it. Throw the jerk bait in the same spot the blow up happened and hold on. If the topwater bite slows, grab your flipping stick with a Texas rigged dark color creature bait tied on and start dropping it in around the stumps near the grass.

For suspended fish in the deeper timber and along the miles of rocks try a 100 or 200 series shad pattern Bandit crankbaits.

BASS~

With the water temperature still hovering around 60 degress in the back waters most of the bass will be on the deeper drop offs or outside bends of the oxbows. The magic depths seem to be from the bank out to 10 feet of water. This all depends on the weather and air temperature. We have received a lot of fresh water which has made the main river have a strong current and very muddy. Some of the back water areas are in the same condition. The key will be to find the cleaner water in the back water areas.

Crawfish pattern 7/16oz or 9/16oz. Southpaw Jig and pig combo or Texas rigged dark colored creature baits rigged with a 5/16 or 1/4oz weight should be the baits of choice. Fish these baits slowly around the edge of the drop offs in the timber. If there is a warming trend move up shallow to the 5 foot areas near the deeper water.

For suspended fish in the same areas, try a 100 or 200 series crawfish pattern or La. Shad pattern Bandit crankbait. Fish the crankbait with a stop and go retrieve & bang it off the stumps.

Crappie~Shiners and small crappie jigs tipped with shiners fished along the edge of the ridges in the oxbows should be a good bet on the Crappie.

With the water temperature still hovering around 60 degrees in the back waters most of the bass will be on the deeper drop offs or outside bends of the oxbows. The magic depths seem to be from the bank out to 10 feet of water. This all depends on the weather and air temperature. We have received a lot of fresh water which has made the main river have a strong current and very muddy. Some of the back water areas are in the same condition. The key will be to find the cleaner water in the back water areas.

Crawfish pattern 7/16oz or 9/16oz. Southpaw Jig and pig combo or Texas rigged dark colored creature baits rigged with a 5/16 or 1/4oz weight should be the baits of choice. Fish these baits slowly around the edge of the drop offs in the timber. If there is a warming trend move up shallow to the 5 foot areas near the deeper water.

For suspended fish in the same areas, try a 100 or 200 series crawfish pattern or La. Shad pattern Bandit crankbait. Fish the crankbait with a stop and go retrieve & bang it off the stumps.

The water is moving back at a fast pace!  With the expectations of the Red River BASS MASTERS CLASSIC at the end of this month, everyone is feeling the excitment grow!

NEW RIVER ACTIVITY.............

In the Shreveport, Louisiana area and just above the I-220 line, a strong layer of broken Brown Foam is now being spotted moving down stream. This is indicative of the faster flows of water from the recent rains up stream.

When the leaves fell back in the fall, they started decaying and now it has been accomplished, the gasses have been given off a foamy substance. This is a naturally occurring issue but it sometimes gives people an un-nerving response!  The Louisiana State Department of Environmental Quality stated they will be heading down to the river on Tuesday to make a determination of the cause & effect.

This activity will not affect any fishing or other activities and is seen in this area every year when the rains come up stream. 

WATER TEMP is still in the area of 60 degrees so the bass are in the deeper sections and in the Oxbows north of the city area. The best fishing is in the back waters, and in the sections which lay off the main stream.

Some of the Bass Patterns right now being used are the Crawfish Pattern Jigs. 7/16 to 9/16 . Most of these styles should be used in the 10’ to upper sections.

BASS~ Small 7/16 oz Southpaw Jigs in Black & Blue or Black & Red tipped with a Craw in matching colors will be a good bet. Fish the jig combination along the edges of the flats or deeper banks. If we have several days of warm weather or late in the day ease up on the flats and slow roll a white and chartreuse spinnerbait around the stumps and lay down logs. The 100 series Chartreuse-blue back and crawfish colored Bandit crankbaits fished in and around the stumps on the flats will produce well if the blade bite slows.

Crappie~Shiners and small crappie jigs tipped with shiners fished along the edge of the ridges in the oxbows should be a good bet on the Crappie.

Red River

Fished from daylight till noon today trying to locate some bigger fish for upcoming guide trips. Started out on a main river point caught 6 real quick on topwater and Texas rig, biggest was only 2.5lbs. After 8 am moved to some grass and pads, caught 2 on frog but no size. At 10am moved to some deeper Hycinths and began punching with a Jig and Craw, missed one. Left the river at noon. Not to bad of a day

Russ 

Red River~ Vicious Fishing Pro Staff member Russ McVey says that September is going to be a good month. Fishing the river during the summer months has been the consistent producer. This should hold true for the early Fall bite.

Bass~ Look for the bass to move closer to the rocks on the river. Shad will be the key to locating the bass. Tenn. Shad or La. Shad colored Bandit 100 & 200 series crankbaits rigged up on 10 or 12lb Vicious fishing mono should be a good producer around the rocks. Buzzbaits and weedless frogs will be a good producer around the grass and wood. Be sure to have a red shad Wave worm shaddick tied on in case you have a topwater bite and miss it. Best depths will be 7 to 10 feet.      

Caddo Lake

 The lake is about 3 ft low and caution should be taken when operating the big motor

White and chartruse buzz-baits or weedless frogs during low light conditions will be a great way to start the day. Texas rigged Junebug or Redbug colored creature baits rigged with a ½ oz. or ¾ oz. Tru-Tungsten Flippin weight punched through the grass mats around the outer trees that are accessible will produce some quality bites in the heat of the day. Best depths are going to be around 6 foot or less.  If the bass are suspended a weightless Texas rigged watermelon red or Junebug  senko type bait will get there attention. Remember to look for the grass and pad mixtures when fishing this pattern.

In the bayous a pearl black back or chartreuse blue back pattern 100 series Bandit crankbaits fished around the mouths of the bayous will catch the quality bass. 

BASS~ ¼ oz and 3/8 oz white or white chartreuse spinnerbaits and buzzbaits will be a good producer around the shallow cover early and late in the day. As the sun comes up and the blade bite slows, a Bandit chartreuse black back or chartreuse and blue back Flat Maxx crankbaits will produce some great action in the timber. If the main river is not to muddy a firetiger colored Bandit 100 series or the Bandit Flat Maxx will be a good producer. If you enjoy fishing Texas rigged plastics, try a watermelon/chartreuse creature baits rigged with a ¼ oz. worm weight. Best depths are going to be around 6 foot or less.