phoTo by JoDy WhiTe
phoTo by mATT pAce
TARGET : GrASS BAIT : JiGS , TeXAS riGS , FroGS
Ouachita ’ s hydrilla expansion will offer an atypical summer option : deep and shallow . If the hydrilla tops out , this matted vegetation will be a sure bet , but look for the less dense milfoil beds to also play .
TARGET : open bAnKS BAIT : bUzzbAiTS , bUzz FroGS , Whopper pLopperS
Slinging moving topwaters along key shallow banks where fish are cruising or feeding throughout the day is known for producing big catches .
Deep , Shallow or Both
With the cup only three days long , winning with shallow fish is a much more likely scenario than it used to be in a Southern impoundment in the summertime . When brad Knight did it in 2015 ( a four-day event ), he defied logic and won from a single shallow area in big blakely creek . most observers predicted Knight ’ s fish would run out by the weekend . They didn ’ t . more typical for a shallow win that time of year is running and gunning with frogs , soft plastics and the like , catching a fish here and a fish there and working a couple of key areas – maybe around shallow wood , bream beds or natural springs .
Fishing deep has also won at ouachita – twice – thanks to the plethora of options offshore . There ’ s grass , timber , brush and bait schools that attract groups of bass . Timing is often critical offshore , but a milk run of spots can easily win it . of course , anyone can uncover a schooling spot or a few brush piles that ’ ll help fill a limit before going shallow and hunting kickers midday . This two-pronged approach hasn ’ t won a cup yet , but has churned out several top 10s in FLW ’ s championship event .
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