"Code Blue" Caddo!
Caddo Lake Recap
The Baldcypress tree is a legendary fixture of the deep south and Caddo Lake is no exception to this moss-draped branches and buttressed trunks. Everywhere you look you see the Baldcypress. The lake itself spans nearly 26,000 acres of mostly swamp when full pool with depths from inches to over 20 feet in the channels. This shallow bayou with it’s slow moving current, incredible views, and the plentifulness of fish make this a bucket list destination for not only anglers but also sightseers, boaters, and naturalists.
This was my fourth trip here and it didn’t disappoint despite the lower water levels. The part of the lake I like to fish most was almost dry with only a couple channels running through it and covered in the invasive sylvania which is prevalent throughout the lake. I don’t know what it is about these bass that they just love to bite blue baits! Blue worms, jigs, chatterbaits, buzzbaits, you name it! So let’s take a deep dive into the “Code Blue” Caddo recap!
I spent most of my time in the upper part of the backwaters fishing shallow areas amongst the trees and weed lines. The water was tanic in nature and in most places with three feet or more of depth you couldn’t see the bottom. During practice I spent most of my time flipping a senko and neko up to the trunks of the cypress. I would “deadstick” it and wait for a bite. If I didn’t get a bite in about 10-15 seconds I would try again. The suspense of placing the bait there and getting a bite was exciting to say the least! Sometimes it would be a ditch pickle and other times it would be a 15-18 inch bass. There were bigger ones in the area but I would soon find out that they were the most difficult to catch.
On the last day of practice I almost went to Bisteneau where the big bags would eventually be caught during the tournament. I ended up exploring more of Caddo and plastic welding the crack in the hull of my kayak again. My goal would be to get two days of limits and catch enough inches to secure a spot in the top 50 anglers and earn a ticket to the championship next spring. Currently, I was 51st and with roll downs I was 43rd.
On Day 1, I launched at a very remote site on a sylvania filled trail. There were three other anglers launching there and we all muscled our way through the muck in less than a foot of water through the cypress trees. And yes, it was dark! And yes, it was very spooky too! Once through, the beauty of the lake emerged with the first light and rising sun. It was an incredible sight!
I headed for a shaded channel I found in practice and started flipping the trees. Sure enough, I got a nice one right away! I would pull two out of this area and then hit the main channel and “dink and dunk” every tree I could find with the right depth. It didn’t take long to get a limit but I needed upgrades. I faced a bit of adversity in this area with a recreational angler wrecking the bass all around us. He got on one of the best spots and by the time I got there it had been blasted. Then we had several mud boats come through and make some chocolate milk for us along with some nice wakes. It was part of the game that day and we had to keep fishing hard. I did upgrade three times and ended up with a respectable 82.25 inches on day 1 putting me in 69th place of the 194 anglers. I would need to improve if I wanted to make the championship. I wanted so bad to head for Bisteneau but not knowing the lake and the fact that there were around 100 anglers with many in contention it was not a wise choice to make. So I went back to the same launch for Day 2.
On Day 2 two of the three anglers from the previous day were at the ramp. Again, same scenario with very calm conditions. I went back to the shaded channel to find it much cooler there. I got one good bite and landed a 17 incher. I left after a bit as it was very dead in there and headed out to the flat where there was a school of bass pushing bait back to the weed lines. It took a while but I got a limit and with about an hour to go landed a nice 18 incher that would eventually move me up several places in the tournament field. A water moccasin swam in front of me with a few minutes to go which gave me the "heebie jeebies!" I also caught four huge bowfin which is like catching a seal without fins! I nearly broke 80 inches and ended up with 161+ for the two days and a 58th place finish.
The baits I used were a Z-Man Fishing Products Big TRD in June Bug which was Neko rigged with a Berkley Fusion19 2/0 drop shot hook and a 1/16 oz Kayakjak’s Neko Button Head. I also threw a Black/Blue Senko Texas Rigged on a bait caster.
After doing some math I figured I still have a chance to qualify. We will have to see how the results pan out. No matter the finish I gave it my best this year fishing all 5 opens across the country and meeting some fantastic people along the way! I’m so grateful to participate at this level and compete against not only bucket list destination fish but also the very best kayak anglers in the world. The quality of anglers continues to improve and it will be even more difficult to qualify in the future.
I also got to make some great memories with my good friend Michael Thomas Fishing, Adam DeWitt, Chris Falin, Steven Kidd, and Dennis Campbell. Michael and I enjoyed some really good camping meals! God created a masterpiece when he made Caddo!
Congrats to legendary kayak angler Gene Jensen of Georgia who took the title and to all the check winners! A shout out to Nebraska's Kristine Fischer who cut a check as well! They all put up some monster bags! I want to thank Steve Owens and his mighty crew who go all out for us and give us a chance to experience what it is like to fish at the national level. And to Mark Cisneros who continues to take some incredible shots of anglers on the water each time out. That guy has photography talent like no other!
A special congrats to Rus Snyders who is now a two time BASSMASTER Kayak Series! To accomplish the AOY two years in a row is just incredible! And yes, I consider him to be the top kayak angler in the world right now. The dude is definitely a fish whisperer!
A shout out to my sponsor roster as well! Thanks so much for supporting me in my pursuit to participate in and promote the sport of kayak fishing!
And thanks to my wife Diane Hughes who lets me go out and do these crazy trips. She has always supported me in all that I done in my career and fishing. I'm very grateful for her!
Complete Results:
Bassmaster Kayak Series at Caddo Lake
Next up is the Eco Fishing 250 on Lake of the Ozarks!
Let's go!