Mississippi River Oxbow Bluegills that is!
On The Fly Freshwater
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May 2024
Article and Photos by Jimmy Jacobs.
For a host of fly casters across the southland, including many who eventually turn their attention to cold-water species, bluegill and other panfish were where the fascination with the long rod began. Tossing popping bugs or nymphs to those feisty and cooperative panfish was addictive.
For those fly fishers that continue to enjoy targeting bluegill, May is a special month. These fish are prolific spawners, taking to the beds monthly from the early spring right on through the summer and into early fall. Monthly, around the time of the full moon, they repeat the spawning ritual. However, it is the first couple of days before and after the full moon in May that provide the most prolific bedding and fishing action of the year.
One place this full-moon fishing can be found in Louisiana is in the oxbow lakes along the western edge the Mississippi River. These vestiges of Old Man River’s earlier channel provide some ideal habitat for bluegill, along with good spawning areas. Often the shallow bottom at either end of these lakes will be pockmarked and looking like a moonscape of craters. That is the result of the male bluegill fanning our circular beds where they hope to entice piscatorial lady friends to come lay their eggs. Then both prior to and after the eggs are placed in the beds, the males are very territorial, attacking other fish, critters or flies that they see as a threat to their progeny.
Historically, False River was one of the premier bluegill destinations in the Pelican State. However, in the late 1990s, silting and water clarity became issues that led to the collapse of that fishery. That silting had covered over many of the shell beds the panfish used for spawning areas. Fortunately, in 2018 a major effort was kicked off to revive this 3,212-acre body of water located in Pointe Coupee Parish, just northwest of Baton Rouge.
Roughly, 95,000 cubic yards of sediment were taken off the North Flats area of the lake. The False River Watershed Council worked with State Representative Major Thibaut to secure funding for the project. Additionally, the Booker Fowler Hatchery in Forest Hill then stocked the lake with 4,600, 4-inch bluegills. More stockings of bluegill have taken place during ensuing years. Thus, False River is on its way back to being a great fishery.
In the meantime there are a large number of other oxbows of all sizes along the Mississippi’s western shore, stretching north from Baton Rouge to the Arkansas border. Virtually all of them harbor populations of spawning bluegill this month. Some of the larger, better-known ones that offer angling almost as good as what was found in False River in the past are Old River at Vidalia, lakes Yucatan, Bruin and St. Joseph between Newellton and Avondale, along with Cocodrie Lake at Ferriday.
Obviously, your best bet for catching some bluegills is to locate the spawning areas. These spots often betray their location by giving off a fishy odor. You can just follow your nose to them. Or, as mentioned, in clearer water you can spot the beds. Once you find the spawning area, tossing popping bugs or small nymph pattern flies in and around the beds can provoke aggressive strikes from guardian males.
If you are having little luck at locating those two clues, there are a couple of other ways to prospect of the ‘gills. The first also involves popping bugs. Heading to the shallows in either end of the oxbow and tossing the poppers up on the shallows is often effective. But it usually is best early in the mornings and just before or during dusk.
At other times of the day, casting weighed nymphs under a strike indicator is the ticket for success. You want to have about 2 to 3 feet of leader beneath the indicator. That’s because the area to target is at the first drop off out from the bank. Since not all the bluegill will spawn at the same time, that is the region where you encounter the fish that are staging as they prepare to join the others in the shallows.
Catching bluegill on very light 2- or 3-weight rigs can be a lot of fun, but when you are fishing an oxbow, you are better served by 5- or 6-weight set ups. This is particularly true when tossing weighted flies. These lakes also are home to some big catfish, stripers, hybrids, largemouths and freshwater drum. All of these species will grab even small forage if it is dangled under their noses. You could get a very big surprise while expecting a bluegill.
With the May full moon occurring on the seventh, you need to take a note from the ancient Druids and turn your eyes to the heavens. When that lunar orb is almost completely round, it’s time to head to an oxbow for some bream fishing!
