Reading Bayou Water After a Summer Rain

A hard summer rain is not a reason to stay home. When the bayou rises and stains, the bass pull tight to cover — cypress knees, laydowns, and the first hard edge of grass. Slow down, pitch a dark, high-contrast bait (black-and-blue is hard to beat) right against the wood, and let it sit. The dirty water actually makes them less wary, so you can get close. Find the cleanest water you can in a stained system — the mouth of a feeder canal or a wind-protected pocket — and that is where the bait, and the bass, will stack up.