The Mississippi River is on a slight rise.

This is not a huge rise that will shut fishing down. It is just about what we needed to will help get the fish activity going.

It looks like the rise will stop around 20-21 feet, maybe. There is not much predictable about the river this year.

That is good news for fishing on these live oxbows that rise and fall with the river until landlocked around 14 feet.

At 18 feet and lower visible cover is very thin which may be the reason for very few good fishing reports from these waters this week.

A few people are catching white perch by drift fishing over deep water with multiple jig poles.

I recall many years ago when not that many people drift fished for perch in this area.

Once all the cover in the Old Rivers was sitting on high ground, drift fishing for offshore suspended fish works.

The anglers catching bass that are being caught from these waters. the ones I spoke to, said the fish were holding on shallow cover.

I have not spoke with anyone that has located bass off the banks.

The cool front that passed a couple weeks ago was followed by a high pressure system that left our weather pretty much the same with highs in the low 90’s and lows in the 60’s.

Hopefully, we will have some more cool weather soon.

Water temps did drop to the low 80’s but the warmer days are bringing the temperatures back up to the mid to upper 80’s.

Just a few degrees drop in water temperature would certainly get the fish moving and feeding.

The Mississippi River should be around 19.0 feet today with a rise to about 19.8 feet by Wednesday.

The predictions say we will see another slow fall by next weekend, maybe.

On the landlocked lakes, there is fair bite going on during the early morning hours.

I spoke with a few white perch anglers that said they were averaging 15 to 20 perch in a half day on Black River Lake but were not catching any big fish.

Over near Sicily Island on Bayou Louis the drift fishermen, and ladies are catching some larger perch.

Most are fishing the main lake and not up the bayou.

Reports from Lakes Bruin, St. John and Concordia have been slim to none.

That is probably because not many are fishing these waters.

That would be one reason to try out the bass.

They have certainly not been under a lot of pressure.

Surface lures should produce early in the morning and in the late evening.

By mid morning you can go to crank-baits or bottom lures like light jigs and small soft plastics and catch a few bass.

What we really need is some cooler weather and rain to get these usually popular waters stirred up.

The fishing is always better on the landlocked lakes when the water temperature is a lot cooler.

 

Eddie Roberts writes a weekly fishing column for The Democrat. He can be reached at fishingwitheddie@bellsouth.net.