Leaf River is a summertime gem

This month, I’ll be floating the Leaf River between Hebron and Moselle, which is a beautiful stretch of water that twists and winds through some of the prettiest country in Mississippi. Also, it has nice-looking banks, good cover, eddy breaks and other ideal habitat for spotted bass, and receives very little fishing pressure.

I don’t expect to catch big bass here, because the average fish will weigh from 1/2 to 2 pounds each. But I usually will catch 20 or 30 bass a day. On the Leaf River, I can get away from tournament fishing, fish light spinning tackle and remember why I’ve chosen to be a professional angler.

This float isn’t an afternoon fishing trip but rather an all-day trip with plenty of paddling and lots of fishing. On a float trip, you can clear your mind and enjoy a fun day.

I prefer to fish three rods out of my Old Town canoe with several of Mann’s lures. I’ll fish these lures around stumps, laydowns, eddy holes and to the sides of the current. I also will fish the sandbar areas and creek mouths that will be coming into the Leaf River.

The Leaf has been overlooked by most people because there was a big fish kill on the river several years ago. But many fishermen don’t realize that the Leaf has made a comeback.

In August, the river’s pretty low, but you won’t encounter any water that’s so shallow you’ll have to carry your canoe. You’ll find a number of holes in the bottom and eddy areas and bluff banks that will hold spotted bass.

I’ll be using a Pinnacle spinning reel with a 6-foot medium-action spinning rod and 10-pound-test fluorocarbon line. The No. 1 lure I’ll be fishing will be the 5-inch HardNose Finesse Worm on a 1/8-ounce football-head jig, fishing it like a shaky-head jig. I like the football-head better than the shaky-head design for this type of fishing because the football head comes through cover and rocks better than the shaky head. I also prefer to fish the football-head jig because it has a screw-in wire in the head of the jig. Then I can screw the head of my finesse worm into the wire and hook the worm Texas-style, making the worm weedless yet keeping it straight.

My favorite-colored worm is green pumpkin, and I’ll dye the tail of the worm chartreuse. I expect to get the most strikes where I find laydowns beside an eddy. I’ll pitch this shaky-head rig next to the log and the limbs of the laydown, and work it through the tree fairly slowly.

After I’ve worked the finesse worm through the tree, I’ll fish the 1/4-ounce Mann’s Classic spinnerbait, alternating between these two baits at every spot I fish. The small spinnerbaits get very little respect. Most anglers only think of fishing with a 3/4- or a 1/2-ounce spinnerbait. But for small river fishing, a chartreuse/white 1/4-ounce spinnerbait can be extremely effective for catching spotted bass. I’ll put a small twin-tail trailer, generally white, on the back of the spinnerbait and gold-colored Indiana blades. I’ll be fishing the lure on a spinning rod, mainly because I’ll be fishing in tight quarters at times on the Leaf River.

The spinnerbait also can be deadly effective in the creek mouths where you may locate schools of spotted bass, because those creek mouths bring in added nutrients and cooler water. I’ll cast the spinnerbait into the creek mouths and then pull it through them. I expect to catch five to 10 spotted bass from each of these creek mouths.

I also like the black/blue 1/4-ounce Stone Jig with a black/blue flake Mann’s HardNose Craw trailer. The 1/4-ounce jig is the heaviest of my three lures, and allows me to fish deeper in the tree tops and the creek mouths. Also, the Stone Jig will get deeper on the edges of those current breaks, where the spotted bass often hold. Even though the Stone Jig is the No. 3 lure I fish, it’s the No. 1 lure I use when the water has current, because it gets down to the bottom quicker and deeper.

I prefer to fish this jig in current runs with isolated trees. Oftentimes the bass will stack up on the edge of or just behind those trees. As you float the Leaf River, look for an isolated tree that doesn’t have any other trees around it for about a 50-yard stretch of river. You usually can catch several spotted bass from that one isolated tree.

A 2-pound spotted bass from the Leaf River is a good, solid bass, but in a day of fishing and floating, I expect to catch 25 to 30 bass.

I’ll carry a cooler with my lunch, plenty of water and cold drinks. Be sure to wear sunglasses and sunscreen. However, remember, when floating the Leaf River in August, you often can get caught up with the scenery and the beauty of the river and miss some fine fishing holes. You’ll see plenty of wildlife and beautiful sandbars and have a great day outdoors, with the bass fishing being a plus.

I’ll put in at the Highway 84 Bridge in Hebron and take out at Sanford Road, just past Moselle. If you take your time and fish slowly, this trip can last from daylight to dark. Because I’ll be fishing in this area during August, there won’t be much current in the river, so I’ll plan to do a good bit of paddling. This adventure for your family and friends can provide an escape from the world to have a fun day of fishing.