Grass forms the dominant cover throughout most of this area. Forget deep-running crankbaits -- use buzzing frogs, weedless lizards, jerk shads or other soft-plastic lures with hook points inserted into the plastic. Skitter these over the tops of matted grass. Frequently, bass erupt through the vegetation to engulf such an offering. Anglers can penetrate vegetation with heavy jigs or work the edges with worms and spinnerbaits.

“In places where people can’t even get a Texas-rigged worm to go through the grass, a Stanley Ribbit easily hops across the top,” said Lonnie Stanley, a five-time Bassmaster Classic veteran and lure manufacturer. “(It’s) rigged with a 3/0 to 5/0 wide-gap hook. I’ve caught big bass on it in very shallow water covered in grass so matted that no other bait could work in that spot.”

At the lower end of the Atchafalaya Basin near Morgan City, the 14,000-acre Lake Verret connects to Lake Palourde and Grassy Lake through a labyrinth of canals and bayous. Lake Palourde contains 11,500 acres and Grassy Lake covers 1,024 acres. Anglers find many fish in the lakes, marshes, swamps and dead-end canals throughout this area.

“The Lake Verret area probably has lower numbers of bass but bigger fish,” said Mike Walker, an LDWF biologist in New Iberia. “The marshes in St. Mary and Terrebonne parishes have the numbers. With a minimum length limit of 14 inches in the Atchafalaya Basin, the average weight of bass harvested is right at 2 pounds, but there have been some bass over 10 pounds in the Basin due to the Florida bass stocking program. With no minimum length limit for harvested fish, marsh bass average close to 1 pound.”

At the northern end of the Atchafalaya Basin near Breaux Bridge, Henderson Lake suffered as much from drought as it did from the Hurricane Rita fish-kill. Henderson Lake spreads through about 5,000 acres of backwaters from the Atchafalaya River, much of it shallow, weedy flats. However, natural waters such as Lake Pelba and Lake Bigeaux can drop to more than 20 feet deep in places.

Canals, including the one under Interstate 10, also hold deep water. Texas Canal runs parallel to and just north of I-10. Amoco Canal runs through Henderson Lake from the levee area and connects with Texas Canal. The Boulevard Canal runs parallel to the levee along the western shoreline and connects several landings to the southern flats.

“Henderson Lake is the best bass lake in my area, with Chicot Lake a close second,” said Jody David, an LDWF fisheries biologist in Opelousas. “When the Atchafalaya River at Butte LaRose is around 9 or 10 feet (deep), fishing really picks up. If the river is too high, it’s tough to fish. It floods at about 12 to 14 feet. The lake produced some bass in the 4-pound range since Hurricane Rita. In the past, it produced bass almost up to 10 pounds.”

CENTRAL LOUISIANA
For monster bass, Chicot Lake, a 1,700-acre wooded jewel wholly within Chicot State Park in south-central Louisiana, produced bass weighing nearly 14 pounds in the past. Shallow and wooded, Chicot Lake averages about 7 to 8 feet deep, but a few holes reach 15 feet deep. Some cleared boat lanes provide easy maneuvering, but most of the lake looks more like a flooded forest complete with brambles, thickets and grass. Lily pads cover many areas.

The Red River cuts across Louisiana from Shreveport to the Mississippi River near Simmesport. With about 250 river miles divided into five “pools” or managed impoundment areas, the system can offer excellent fishing. In times of low water, anglers catch plenty of fish in the main channel. During flood stages, people would probably find more action in such oxbows as Port Lake, Beehive Slough, White House Lake, Caspiana Lake, Little Ninock Lake, Red Oak Lake or the backwaters around St. Maurice and Hampton.

Fed by the Red River, the 13,000-acre Black Lake near Campti holds some monster largemouths. It went through a 40-percent drawdown in 2005, which could mean good fishing in 2008. The lake averages about 8 feet deep, but some holes contain considerably deeper water that provided refuge during the drawdown. Calvin Mundy landed a 12.76-pound bass here in May 2005.

One of the most picturesque waters in Louisiana, Cane River Lake began as part of the Red River. In the 19th century, the Red River changed course near Natchitoches, leaving a long, narrow lake that runs for 35 miles. The old oxbow averages about 12 feet deep, with some holes reaching 25 feet deep. The lake has produced bass exceeding 10 pounds.