Winter Bream
January is not typically associated with bream fishing, but that is exactly what Mike McCallum targets this time of year along Bayou Liberty Road. McCallum has been bank fishing the Bayou Liberty area for the past seven years, learning how each stretch of shoreline fishes as the seasons change. “I fish all the time out here,” he said. “I love it.”
On a recent stop at one of his regular bank-fishing spots, McCallum was set up with live worms under a small cork. The bite was not fast, but it was steady enough. By the end of the trip, he had put together a healthy bucket of bluegill and catfish, with his biggest bream stretching right at 10 inches. McCallum said a typical winter trip produces around 10 bream, along with five or six blue catfish mixed in. While winter is not ideal for bream fishing, he believes adjustments in depth make all the difference. “On my first cast out here, I put the cork about four feet off the shoreline,” he said. “That cork sat there for about five minutes and nothing touched it.”
Instead of waiting it out, McCallum made another cast farther toward the middle of the bayou.
“I plopped that cork out about 10 feet and bam, it shot under,” he said.
That was all the information he needed. McCallum immediately started fishing deeper, working that same depth along the bank until the bites came consistently. By the time he packed up, he had enough fish set aside for a fry.
Covering water is a big part of McCallum’s approach, and he rarely limits himself to just one spot along Bayou Liberty Road. “If they’re not here, I just move on down to my next spot,” he said. McCallum has several bank-fishing locations he rotates through, often fishing multiple pull-offs in a single trip. That strategy paid off last week after a slow start. “I didn’t have much luck in my first two spots,” he said. “So I moved back into Coin Du Lestin and fished a culvert that emptied into the bayou.”
That move made the difference. Working the culvert where the moving water dumped into the bayou, McCallum was able to put five bass on the bank from that one location before the bite slowed, reinforcing his belief that winter bank fishing success often comes down to mobility and paying attention to small changes in depth and current.
ICW Mixed Box
Daniel Kelly of Mandeville made a trip to the ICW for some trout fishing. Kelly and his fishing partner quickly boxed their two-man limit of speckled trout, then went exploring for reds. That decision paid off when they found fish stacked up along the edge of the ICW, mixed in with what Kelly described as some “solid green trout.”
Despite stopping to buy a couple dozen live shrimp that morning, the trout wanted nothing to do with natural bait. Kelly said every fish they caught came on artificial lures.
“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “The trout wouldn’t touch live shrimp.”
Instead, the bite came on Limelight and Avocado Matrix Shad paired with a 3/8-ounce jighead. Kelly said it was one of those days that serves as a reminder not to abandon artificials too quickly, even when live bait is sitting in the boat.
“It’s always funny to see artificial outfish live bait right in front of you,” Kelly said.
Tournament Results
Double Nickel East Pearl River kicked off its points season with a chilly start but solid fishing across the board. Despite low water at launch and an outgoing tide throughout the morning, 15 boats showed up and every angler managed to catch fish. Most came prepared for the cold, and the bite held up well enough to make for a competitive weigh-in. Jerry Bullock took first place with a five-fish limit weighing 7.77 pounds. Bullock also claimed big bass honors with a 4.28-pound kicker that anchored his bag. Ralph Dunn finished close behind in second place with 7.29 pounds, followed by Ronnie Flowers in third with 7.19 pounds.
Upcoming Tournaments
Pearl River Team Trails will hold its next tournament at Crawford Landing on February 13. For more information, call Charles Dauzat at 985-960-3260.
The Double Nickel Bass Club is holding its next tournament at the East Pearl River on Tuesday, Feb 3. For more information please contact Dwain Crumby at 985-502-6006.
(Keith Lusher Jr. writes a weekly column. For more info, visit NorthshoreFishingReport.com. Contact Keith at [email protected].)
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