Fishing with Kenny | The Current Relationship with Bass

article by  KENNY COVINGTON

One of the positives I took away from the weather incident I spoke about in a previous article (Bayou Life- June 2025) was unplanned yet was a welcome reminder.  I have fished all types of bodies of water in several different states but one of the things I had forgotten, no matter where I fish, was the important role water current plays in a bass feeding moods and behaviors.  In this month’s “Fishing with Kenny” article I want to share with you some information I believe will help you when you are faced with a “current” situation on your favorite fishery.

The weather incident I referred to in the opening paragraph found me coming back to the scene of the accident when my boat sunk to try and retrieve any lost rod/reels that I could salvage.  When I got into the water, between waist and chest deep, using my feet to feel for anything that felt fishing equipment related, the first thing that struck me was how strong the current in the water was due to the high winds.

I was able to locate four of the eight rods I had lost but the currents made my movements to be more precise and planned than I would have ever imagined on a lake without a generated current flow.  Naturally, the shallower I would get the less the current had an impact on my movements, but I started thinking about how much this current plays a role in the positioning and feeding habits of the bass.

Most everyone who has fished any length of time can relate to a time or two on the water where they would locate a “current hole” and catch numbers of bass.  Every community hole on a local lake is usually named as such due to the numbers of fish that have been caught out of it, mostly due to a current flow created by heavy rains, water fluctuations or wind.  Make no mistake, these currents are fish magnets and if found at the right time, can be a bass bonanza.

Recently, I won a local event, fishing current in the upper reaches of Darbonne Bayou.  The bayou was steadily falling and the overflow from Lake Darbonne was causing even more water to flow down the creek. 

Rule #1 about fishing current: Current puts fish in predictable areas.  I was able to locate a stretch of bank that offered numerous targets for potential fish catches, but I found that when I fished my jig just off the bank, where the current was at its slowest, I would catch bigger fish.  My window for each pitch with my jig was less than six inches of margin error, but when the right cast was made, each bass I caught was better than average in size.

Rule #2: No matter how cold or hot the water, fish that relate to current will bite.  I can remember being a kid and listening to my father and his fishing friends talking about this current hole or that current hole when discussing Lake Darbonne.  I still know where all those areas are, and while they don’t hold fish like they used to, every now and then, the magic of the past returns.

Moving water makes fish active, cold, or hot, summer or winter, fish that relate to current are active bass.  Water current moves baitfish to areas where the water is calmer but this movement to these protected areas leaves bass with the perfect feeding opportunity.  They know when the perfect feeding opportunity presents itself and current based baitfish movements do just that.

Rule #3: There is such a thing as the perfect throw.  As I learned in the tournament I won, there was a specific pitch or flip I had to make to catch the fish that allowed me to win the tournament.  This is quite often the case.  It may take a few minutes but once you get the correct line up and direction to pull your lure, you start to believe you can catch every fish in the lake.  You may be just a foot or two off on your presentation, but current movements make bass become more specific on their feeding habits and reactions to lures.

Rule #4: There is no such thing as too much current.  Years ago, a friend of mine took an FLW pro for a practice day on the Ouachita River and when the pro found out the abundance of Kentucky bass in the fishery, he started targeting the straightest banks he could find, that had an abundance of laydowns.

Using the big motor to idle from one laydown to the next, the pro kept his trolling motor on high just so he could keep the boat in position to make his casts and presentations.  When my friend asked him about the amount of current, the pro turned to him and said, “there is no such thing as too much current, these fish live here and are used to it.  I assure you; it bothers you a lot more than it bothers the fish.”  I have never forgotten those words!

Some other quick current fishing tips: Always fish the slack water side of a current seam.  When casting around trees or bushes, always try to bring your lure with the current, not against it.  The more natural the flow and movements of your lure, the more bites you tend to get.  When fishing deeper in current areas, a jig and a Carolina rig are great lure choices.  When fishing shallow a jig, a crankbait, rat-l-trap, or a spinnerbait are good choices to start with.

Oh wow!  It looks like we have run out of space again this month.  I hope we were able to share with you some information that will help your next current fishing experience become more productive when the opportunity presents itself.  Take care, be careful on the water, and make sure you catch one for me!

See you next month!!!