By Russ Bassdozer
Special to BassFan

People say that Homer Humphreys has caught every bass in Louisiana at least once. The 62-year-old resident of Minden, La. has been fishing B.A.S.S. events for more than 30 years, during which time he's also worked as a fishing guide in the northern part of the state.

He won the 2002 Bassmaster Central Open on the Red River (site of this year's Bassmaster Classic) and placed 2nd in the '08 event. All told, he's on the river approximately 200 days a year.



The Red has changed considerably during the long time span that he's fished it, but he said there are some constants that can be counted on year after year. First, the fish will typically be in 1 to 4 feet of water in late February. Second, the better fishing will be in the protected backwaters because the main river is muddy right now, and that's not likely to change before the Classic.

Third, lots of 4- to 8-pound fish are usually caught during late February, and there should be several 20- to 25-pound limits crossing the Classic stage each day.

"The Red River's the kind of place where you can go by a stump or laydown, pitch in there five times and catch 24 pounds – it happens here," said Humphreys, a two-time Classic qualifier himself.

As to whether any true giants (10 pounds and up) are likely to come to the scale, he said an average of eight to 10 such fish are caught out of Pool 5 (the launch pool) every spring, so it's certainly possible for a whopper to show up during the Classic.

Best Bets for Baits

Humphreys said the baits that are most likely to propel an angler to victory at the upcoming Classic are soft plastics and/or squarebill crankbaits (without rattles). Spinnerbaits could play a key role, depending on the weather – at this point there's no telling whether a severe cold front might come in and shut the fish down. "Slow" is the key word for fishing the Red during a front.

He dismisses the wind as being a big factor for running the river in late February, but it could affect the bite. Wind blowing over the tops of the many sandbars can muddy up the water, and that's a condition that makes bites much more difficult to get.

The key spots are likely to be the backwater areas in Pools 4 and 5. The very backs of those areas excel when the north wind blows at this time of year – they're sheltered and contain extremely clear water.

On the other hand, south winds will tear up those spots, and that could scramble many anglers' gameplans.

Lock or Not?

Humphreys said the field will be divided into two primary contingents – those who lock through to Pool 4 and the ones who remain in Pool 5. The Classic could certainly be won from the productive Pool-4 backwaters (Sullivan's, Big Jungle, etc.), but he thinks the victor will emerge from the launch pool.

His theory behind that is simply that many tournaments are held on the Red throughout the year, and every angler who goes down to Pool 4 brings his or her fish back to Pool 5 to be weighed – and then released. Therefore, many big fish from Pool 4 are eventually turned loose in Pool 5.

Lock to lock, the anglers will have 35 miles of river to run in Pool 5. One of the key areas is a place the locals call the Goose Pond (also known as Bobo's Hole), which is actually the back part of Caspiana Lake.

Another key place in Pool 5 is likely to be the White House area, and Humphreys points to McDade Lake as a potential sleeper spot for this year's Classic.

From where the field takes off, it's approximately a 12- to 15-minute run to get to the turnoffs for McDade and the White House (on the east side), with the Goose Pond on the other side. The main-river run is the quick and easy part – the slow, difficult part is after the turnoffs. Anglers will be looking at another 15 to 25 minutes of idle time in order to reach the backs of those areas, where the water stays pretty clean.

Due to stumps and other hazards, there's no way to run in and out of any of the backwaters in Pool 5 or Pool 4 – except for McDade.

"The key thing about McDade is the Red River Waterway Commission went in and dredged it out, so it it's 3 to 6 feet deep and you can run all the way in there now," he said. "It not only serves as an effective boat lane that's fisherman-friendly, but the fish in that area of the river have never had a place they can just run up a deep road all the way into that clear water to spawn, and that may draw more fish into that area.

"It's well-protected and it's got some of the warmest water around that time of year. It's got grass, coontail, hydrilla and things like that."

Who gets back there first and who lays claim to the choicest, fish-laden spots on day 1 could have a heavy bearing on who's in – and who's shut out of – contention for the Classic crown.

Notable

> For information about Humphreys' guide service, visit www.HomerHumphreys.com or call (318) 371-2020.