By Jonathan LePera
Special to BassFan

Editor’s note: This is the third in a three-part series about how pro anglers deal with high-water situations and how it impacts their tournament gameplans. In part one, Jason Elam detailed his approach to high-water scenarios and how he game plans for the constantly changing variables, especially on river systems. Dean Rojas offered a different perspective on flooded fisheries last week.

Flooded lakes, rivers and reservoirs are a common occurrence in the spring and fall across parts of the United States each year, but 2016 was a different animal.

When the Bassmaster Elite Series rolled into Lake Texoma last June, eventual winner Greg Hackney noted that water levels were 9 feet above normal. He couldn’t recall facing as many flooded scenarios in his career as he did last season.

“We’re dealing with a fish that really doesn’t know what that is,” he said. “It’s different if you get the same conditions year in and year out. The fish seem to get acclimated to it.”

In the spring, bass could be staging, locked on beds, or post-spawn when the influx of typically water rolls in. Hackney cautions anglers to evaluate whether the water just came up, is on the rise, or is falling.

If they‘re locked on beds and the water has just started rising – a foot high with a steady flow or current – they might remain on those nests. If more water has come into the system, Hackney suggests exploring as far back as you can into the newly flooded cover.

Over the past couple years, he noted the more significant floods have occurred post-spawn, which won’t trigger bass to push further into cover. Instead, they’ll migrate up and down cover like they did at Texoma.

His pattern mimicked how he used to fish the Mississippi River. The fish weren’t spawning so they weren’t going to move into newly-flooded cover.

“Everything I caught was on the old bank line where a ditch or a channel or something got in against some of that flooded cover,” he said. “The lake came up 9 feet and the fish came straight up.”

He went against the grain and fished a 1-ounce Strike King Hack Attack Jig with a Strike King Rage Tail Rodent as a trailer for a bulkier profile. It gave him the ability to quickly and efficiently cover as much water as possible.

Little Things Matter

Hackney added that being able to identify certain species of trees can help an angler identify bottom composition as well.

“If you look at a big span of standing timber and you see a cedar tree, a lot of times that means it’s the high spot,” he said. “If you see pine trees standing, it’s typically sandy soil. You can pattern a fish by the type of tree they’re on.”

While anglers don’t have to be able to identify trees by species, they should remember which ones hold fish and what they look like. When Hackney notices a tree leaning, he knows that the bank beneath it is washed out – and possibly deeper.

Bait availability drives fish movement.

At Texoma, his fish were suspending 3- to 5- feet deep despite being in 11-feet of water. They were targeting the shad that were swimming town the break line with the edge.

“If the bait is moving, the fish are going to go with them. They won’t swim a hundred yards out through that new flooded brush unless there’s a food source there,” he said.

Sometimes largemouth are all about the bait, other times is all about the cover.

Hackney recalled fishing the Red River once when the fish were spawning and it had flooded high. In practice, he’d found them in fire lanes around clear cut.

Once Hackney got through the woods, he stumbled onto another deal- big pine trees and oak trees with large canopies. The appeal was they shaded the ground- but they couldn’t be grouped too thick.

Details, Details, Details


Hackney prides himself in paying meticulous attention to detail. Every bite offers a clue that spells out the deal. Immediately, he’ll try to ascertain if they’re on bushes, inside a creek, or on the main lake. If he does catch one on a bush, he’ll examine the scenario.

“When you catch one out of a bush, examine everything about that bush and what would separate it from the others. How deep was the water? Was the fish suspended? Was the tree green or dead? Was it covered in vines?” he said.

Often when faced with the proposition of fishing newly flooded real estate, Hackney will look elsewhere. “I may start in an area that is smaller because it is easier to break down and then expand to those bigger areas. Then I know what to look for.”

Hackney believes that fish that relate to heavy cover are often more aggressive.

“I’m a guy that throws whatever does the best job. I like to flip- but not any more than I do fish a spinnerbait or a buzz bait and they eat it. I’m going to do is figure out the most efficient way to catch them,” he said.

If the water is cold and it’s sunny, he knows that flipping is the deal. If they’re spawning- they’ll be on bottom.

If the water is cold, pre-spawn he’s more apt to flip his signature series jig because it falls slower.

During the spawn, he likes a Strike King Rage Bug believing its’ aggressive action calls in largemouth. The Rodent is better suited when monster fish are in bushes. Post-spawn means he’ll pick up a jig knowing that largemouth will be aggressive as they feed up wanting a bulkier bait.