Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin is a massive stretch of tidal water where bass anglers can run just a few hundred yards from almost any launch site and find plenty of hungry mouths to feed.
Even so, local bass pro and television host Ronnie Eschete of Thibodaux says the $100,000 first-place prize on the line in the Feb. 11-14 FLW Tour event will probably go to the pro who ventures out and stumbles across a mother lode of largemouths lurking around a grass-filled marsh located miles from the launch site at Bell Rivers Park Landing.
“The spillway area will produce lots of fish, and quite a few of the pros will fish there, mainly because it’s close,” Eschete said. “But I wouldn’t bet that the tournament will be won there. I think the angler that wins it will be the one who is willing to make the run to get away from the crowd.”
Eschete cited the Gibson, Bayou Black and Lake Verrett areas as good bets with plenty of potential for producing 25-pound sacks. He said the bass will be on a strong prespawn pattern and suggested that anglers concentrate their efforts around shallow grass beds and other cover in or near brackish water.
“You’ll have to sacrifice 3 to 4 hours of fishing time to lock through and get to some of these areas, but it definitely can be worth it this time of year,” Eschete said.
A variety of lures will bring out the bully in the mean Cajun bass, but Eschete thinks 3/8-ounce jig/craw-worm combos, spinnerbaits and tube lures will produce some of the heavier bags brought to weigh-in.
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