By David A. Brown
Special to BassFan
When the first morning of this year's Costa FLW Series Central Division event on Lake Dardanelle brought a fresh round of thunderstorms like those that had pounded the area during practice, most anglers lamented the starting-gate limitation. But pro Ron Cherkes took advantage of the week’s rainfall and targeted a storm-water outfall just a few minutes from the take-off site.
Toward the back of Illinois Bayou, the outfall from a storm-water pumping station ran below the Highway 326 riprap and boiled to the surface like a geothermal spring. Cherkes and his co-angler reported picking off several keepers with a mix of jigs, crankbaits and Zoom Speed Worms.
Throughout the tournament, the spot hosted a steady rotation of anglers looking to benefit from one of the most dependable scenarios in all of bass fishing.
“If there’s water running out of a pipe that’s coming into a lake somewhere, there’s fish around it,” said FLW pro J.T. Kenney. “Maybe not in the dead of winter, but any other time spring, summer or fall, if I see a pipe with water running, I’m fishing it.
“I might not stay there long, but I’ll pull over there and fish it. Then again, I’ve had tournaments where I spent nearly 2 full days on a pipe.”
Northern pro Joe Lucarelli’s also a fan of storm drains. When Lake Champlain experienced historic high water during a flood year, he found a drain pipe spilling into the Ticonderoga area at the lake’s southern end.
With inundated backwaters spewing their overage, Lucarelli found the Champlain largemouth stacked around the outflow. Pitching a jig into the active zone kept him busy with lots of quantity and the occasional quality bite.
“When the water is high, the pipes flow hard from backwaters and the fish load up like crazy,” Lucarelli said. “You’ll catch 10 1 1/2- to 2-pounders in a row and then you’ll catch a 4.”
What it Offers
Lake Guntersville guide and past Forrest Wood Cup champion Kevin Hawk said the first point of attraction is Largemouth Bass 101 – comfort. Food is a close second and Hawk expects to find the buffet hopping where focused inflows reach the lake.
“I'll target storm drains immediately following a storm to capitalize on warmer/cooler water running into the lake/river, depending on the time of year,” Hawk said. “The moving water also provides fresh oxygen and possibly baitfish to attract the bass.”
Kenney agrees: “Whether there’s (food) for the baitfish from wherever that pipe’s draining, or that different water coming into the lake water is concentrating some baitfish right there, the bass will come to that pipe.”
Go With the Flow (or Not)
Clearly, running water brings an attractive dynamic, but drain areas may still hold the interest of fish long after the most recent run ceases. For example, Texas pro Phil Marks knows that the deep furrows cut by storm-water outflow can be popular staging areas during the pre- and post-spawn periods. In such scenarios, the dry pipe has no direct impact on the attraction – it’s more about the carvings of previous outflows that create contour changes to which bass may relate.
With broad water control structures, the downstream action may be spread across a vast area.
Hawk said he prefers flowing water, but he’ll also check known drains even when they’re not draining. Fish are actively drawn to the area by water movement, but the habitat may remain suitable between the flows.
“When the water's moving, I use reaction baits, like swimbaits, and cast directly into the moving water,” Hawk said. “I switch to bottom presentations like a jig or shaky-head when there's no water movement. I’ll then focus on the ditch and deeper water out in front and below the storm drain.
How to Fish It
Kenney keeps his plan simple: Always a fast bait and a slow one. In stained water, he likes a Nichols spinnerbait and then a 3/8-ounce Nichols jig with a Gambler Mega Daddy trailer; but when the flowing water is relatively clear, he goes with a 6th Sense Movement 80X crankbait and a wacky-rigged Gambler Ace stick worm.
“I’ll start with the fast bait to catch the aggressive ones and then slow down to catch the rest,” Kenney said. “There can literally be schools of fish on those drains.”
Notably, Kenney points out that he’s seen instances where he’s the first on a pipe and the fish nearly yank the rod out of his hand each time a crankbait of spinnerbait hits the water. Other times, the only way he could get bit was to keep his distance.
“I think fishing pressure has a lot to do with it,” he said. “If the spot has been fished a lot recently, those fish will be a lot less aggressive.”
A good thing, Kenney notes, is that storm drains typically reload throughout the day.
“That’s why you can usually catch them off a drain pipe throughout the day,” he said. “They may go through some lulls, but eventually more fish will move up and the bite will pick up again.”
Proximity is Key
Kenney recalls a past FLW Tour event on Lake Eufaula when he found a steady flow from a modest-sized drain pipe actually hitting a riprap edge right at the waterline. This drew the fish so close that they were nearly bumping their noses on the rocks.
Crankbaits can be highly effective tools for probing storm-water outflows.
“Those fish literally were staring at that drain,” Kenney said. “They had to be a foot in the water. You had to land your bait right where the water was coming in.
“I mean, your casts had to be so close that I don’t know how many crankbaits I lost that day. Seriously, the camera guy that was in the boat with me said ‘I’m coming back here tomorrow and picking up all your crankbaits.’”
That being said, it’s often possible to catch good fish farther out into the plume. On Dardanelle, the upwelling storm water pushed a distinct plume a good 50 yards from the source and at times, multiple boats were staggered along this turbulent flow.
Kenney summarizes the point by explaining his general approach plan: Start at the source, but then expand the focus.
“If I was running down the lake and just saw a pipe with water running, I’d go right to the juice,” he said. “But once I know fish are there, I’d start at the outer end and work my way closer. That way, I don’t spook any fish that are father away from (the source of the water) by sitting on top of them in my boat.”
Close or not so close, storm water drains offer tons of opportunity. Sometimes it’s instant jackpot; other times, the fish force you to be patient. In any case, this is a scenario well worth some exploratory effort.
