“The lakes on the Bouie are the only ones that I’ve consistently caught fish off of the mats,” he said. “I’ll take a ¾- to 1½-ounce bullet sinker pegged with a bobber stopper and add a large punching hook and Paca Craw, or some other creature bait, and punch through the matted grass when the bass are holding underneath.
“If you put that lure in front of their face, they’ll hit it under the mats. And I’ll typically catch my bigger fish punching, because big fish like the thicker cover to hide under.”
Netterville prefers hitting all of the holes in the grass mats first and then he’ll punch through the thicker portions and knock on their door.
“Seventy percent of my strikes will occur on the initial fall, and the rest will hit when I pump it up and let if fall back down,” he said. “I’ll work it around the grass mats and pick up a fish or two around each mat.
“If you catch a couple in one mat, then you’re doing pretty well.”
Netterville prefers fishing mats near deeper water, and advises that they’ll have more fish on them.
“There are some mats that are near points, and we’ve done better on those,” he said.
Netterville advises anglers to hit everything along the banks and try to find anything that is different and work it also. Once you get to the mats, then punch it and work it thoroughly.
“I suggest coming out here and flipping anything you can see on the banks first, and then move out deeper if you don’t get bit,” he said.
Anglers who want to catch spotted bass exclusively may want to try upriver in the river section of the Bouie, or on the Leaf River that can be accessed from the Highway 42 landing by taking the right fork to the north or turn right and go downriver from the landing.
Editor’s note: This article is part of the A day on the lake: Bouie River feature in the July issue of Mississippi Sportsman. Digital editions can be downloaded right to your computer or smartphone.
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