Fall drawdown makes patterning bass easier at Chicot Lake

VILLE PLATTE – Just because it’s time to pull out the hunting gear doesn’t mean angler David Vidrine of Ville Platte is stowing his fishing gear ‘til spring.
“October through December is my favorite time to fish,” Vidrine said as he moved his boat into a stand of cypress trees mere yards north of the North Landing at Chicot State Park on a hot July afternoon. “In late October, when I’m thinking about duck hunting and squirrel hunting, too, I’m still fishing.”
“October through December, it’s the same kind of fishing as it is at spawn. Fish move back to shallow water. It’s more of a weather thing, why I like fishing, especially in October and November.”
In addition to basking in the early fall weather on the water, the annual drawdown at the lake allows Vidrine to easily plot just how a day of fishing will play out.
“When it’s hot, it’s hard to fish here,” Vidrine said. “Chicot can kill you. Chicot works if you can pattern the fish, and you can pattern when the water is low.”
Each year, usually after Labor day, the lake’s spillway on the eastern side is opened to lower the lake level which in turn helps knock down submerged aquatic vegetation. The water level is usually dropped about two to three feet lower than pool level of 46.2 feet above mean sea level.
“We plan to do the draw down annually, and it helps dry up vegetation and improves the spawning habitat,” said Jody David, inland fisheries biologist manager of District VI of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. “Anglers are happy with the draw down, fishing wise. It brings fish out and closer in. Anglers have easier access to enjoy the fishery. It’s an amazing opportunity to fish, and the fishing is really on.”
“It just needs to cool off,” he added.
According to David, normally and historically, Chicot has problems with submerged vegetation, mostly at the northern end of the lake where the water is shallower. The department stocked the lake with 600 grass carp in 2014, and the vegetation is also treated with spraying. The draw down will begin after Labor Day, if water temperatures are cool enough, and end in December or early January.
“Then we’ll let Mother Nature fill the lake back up,” David said.
Vidrine has fished Chicot all his life and recently purchased a camp at Toledo Bend, where he caught two 11-pound bass back to back Easter weekend. When not on the water, Vidrine works as a physical therapist at Healthworks Rehab in Ville Platte. The angler estimated that he fishes Chicot at least 100 times a year.
With summertime temperatures that often reach the upper 90s, Vidrine waited until 4:30 p.m to steer his boat into a stand of cypress trees a few yards from the boat launch. Bait fish were popping in the water, and the angler’s line was rigged with a soft plastic worm in black and red.
“The water here is always darker water, and the black and red, you can’t hardly go wrong with that,” he continued. “I also use black and blue and watermelon red, but the black and red at Chicot is hard to beat. I rarely change my bait.”
Five minutes in, Vidrine has his first bite of the afternoon, but doesn’t get the hook set fast enough.
“Man that was a good bite,” Vidrine said. “I’ve caught some really good ones here at the landing. I have no idea why, what pulls them here.”
“I fished here one time during a year-end dog fight tournament,” he continued as he tossed his line in the water near the trees.
“We hammered them right here while everyone looked for fish everywhere else.”
Vidrine compared the water in the lake to that of Bayou Cocodrie, which cuts across the northern part of Evangeline Parish.
“The water here is tannic water, like fishing Bayou Cocodrie,” he continued.
“The depth you fish at varies in the fall. You’ve got to find the fish. It’s not like in the spring. Bass are shallow water fish to begin with. You can always catch bass in shallow water, but your chances of catching a big one are better in the spring.”
The angler’s prediction of landing a larger one in the spring were spot-on, as he landed two fish, between 1 and 2 pounds, in the stand of trees.
After about 45 minutes working the cypress trees near the boat launch, Vidrine fired up the boat and moved to the lake’s spillway area. Several other anglers were also trying their luck at the spot, including two anglers Vidrine knew. Vidrine let them know about the bites and baitfish near the launch.
Vidrine flipped his line along the edge of a patch of lily pads across from the spillway. He had a bite in no time, and when he set the hook, the line broke.
“That was a good one, but I got manly with it,” Vidrine said, laughing. “There’s no need to get manly with it with today’s hooks — they are so sharp.”
Vidrine recalled his biggest catch at the lake, a 10.5-pound monster caught about 15 years ago, and the fish still hangs in his office today.
“I caught it at the southern point of the Walker Branch (located near the spillway),” Vidrine said as he tossed his line back out. “I’ve caught several good ones over the years. Last year, at one of the dog fights, I caught one that was 8.2 pounds. I’ve also caught one that was 8.8 pounds, and I’ve caught quite a few sevens.”
In addition to tossing soft plastic worms, Vidrine said he also throws suspending jerk baits when the water gets colder.
“A little later in October, the fish are really chasing the shad and start to move back into pockets,” Vidrine said. When the shad start dying in the cold weather, a feeding frenzy starts. You can catch 6- to 7-pound fish when they are feeding. The bass are on a mission to feed.”
Moments later, a fish obviously on a sortie for a snack latched on to Vidrine’s bait and seconds later the angler was unhooking and tossing the roughly 1- pound fish back into the water.
After landing a few more one to two pound fish near the spillway, Vidrine cranked the boat and headed to shady area at Turtle Island on the west side of the lake around 6:30 p.m.
“It’s a good point here,” Vidrine said as he watched bait fish moving in the area. “I like here and the Pine Island area. I like the spoil bank from the channel, too. It’s probably my favorite place to fish here because small fish will move in there to feed. I don’t fish the south end much in the fall. That’s more of the spot in June, July and August.”
“Everybody who fishes here has their own idea of what works,” Vidrine continued as he unhooked a small bass and tossed it back. “The morning bite has been good lately, and the afternoon bite is getting better. Warmer weather equals more active fish. Once it starts getting cold, you definitely want to wait until the afternoon to fish for the fish to get active.”
Water temperatures in the Turtle Island area had bass on the move, and by the time Vidrine stowed his rods a little after 8 p.m., he had tossed back several more fish, including two 2-pounders.
“Maybe I should have joined the afternoon dog fight,” Vidrine said, laughing. “Eight fish — not bad. I’ve had worse here.”