# Perdido River - Help!



## SurfRidr (Apr 24, 2012)

As noted in previous posts, I recently finally made the move and I live here now. Glorious!

Trying to figure out how to get on some of favorite species, good ole' greensides. Bass fishing is different here than where I'm from so I'm trying to learn. Apparently I have a ways to go!

Hit the Perdido day before yesterday, water was flowing but not as muddy as I expected. Launched at Ruby's and went upstream a little ways, fished a while. Threw about everything I know to fish but wasn't finding any bites. Went downstream a bit, maybe a few hundred yards below hwy 90, didn't see any action. Talked to a nice couple who were bream fishing, shot the breeze for a bit. Upon their advice, and others I had heard, I motored upstream. Decided to go all the way up to I-10 and fish back. Pretty water, enjoyable trip, but only a bass fingerling barely bigger than the beetlespin he hit.

Caught one nice bream on a beetlespin, that was it.

No clue what I should have been doing different. I fished current, backwaters, ox-bows, sloughs, fast water, slow water; threw T-rigged creature baits, worms, speed craws; shakey head trick worms, squarebills, spinnerbaits, beetlespins, zara puppy, frog. Fished trees, root balls, logs, grass edges, grass mats, river bends, laydowns.

Every dog has his day, but this was not this dog's day at all!


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## basnbud (Jul 20, 2011)

IMO, I think Perdido is a "usually clear" river, so with any mud or stain, the fish seem to shut down. I know they still gotta eat, and there may be a couple hours out of the day they do, but my experience is it's better when it's clear water. just my 2 cents.


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## daylate (Feb 22, 2012)

Don't get too discouraged. Perdido is TOUGH at this time of year. If you must fish it now, maybe try down around the mouth on a stormy day. Crankbaits and topwaters can produce some quality fish down there on such days. If it is raining lightly, throw a squealing buzzbait. Fishing will pick up dramatically on Perdido about September. Meanwhile, some of the other local rivers (Yellow) can produce this time of year if you fish cool moving water early and late in the day.


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## Buckchaser (Jan 28, 2014)

Like has been said perdido is tough, I catch most my fish there on spinnerbaits, jigs, and frogs. Yellow and escambia produce good in the summer. Get upriver in the current and flip, buzz, crank, spinnerbait and frog.


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## SurfRidr (Apr 24, 2012)

Thank you guys for all the input. I do feel a bit better, if it's typically a tough river this time of year and if there is stain on the water. That was the case when I was there, visibility was probably 18 to maybe 24 inches I'm guessing. On two of the lakes I used to fish in NC, 24 inches of visibility is actually a little better than average so I was comfortable with the water clarity... but maybe the fish are not!

Appreciate the feedback. I am actually looking forward to fishing the Escambia and the Yellow next chance I get. I was focusing on the Perdido because it's close to home but I do want to try the others. That will be my next trip, then... one of those two.

Thanks again for the input.


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## Buckchaser (Jan 28, 2014)

Another tip is keep an eye on the river gauges, all the rivers are susceptible to level fluctuation. Escambia is best when the hwy 4 gauge is below 5 ft and steady. Yellow is best when it's under 2 ft and steady. If either are on a sharp rise I suggest fishing the lower ends of the rivers on a falling tide. With that said when they are stable I always want to run up until at least there's good current flow.


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## SurfRidr (Apr 24, 2012)

I have been looking at the guages on the USGS site, thanks for the numbers, that helps to give me a starting point. When I was on the Perdido, there was a little slow current at Ruby's / Mobile Hwy, and it just increased as I went upstream.

I went downstream as far as Hurst Hammock Rd. area as it starts to open up a little. I was really unsure what I was supposed to be targeting for catching bass down there... the shorelines I looked at were so shallow I had a hard time running the trolling motor and otherwise it was just open water. Tried throwing some plastics to some logs I saw out in the water, but no takers. 

Guess it will take time. Thanks all for the input!


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## Buckchaser (Jan 28, 2014)

SurfRidr said:


> I have been looking at the guages on the USGS site, thanks for the numbers, that helps to give me a starting point. When I was on the Perdido, there was a little slow current at Ruby's / Mobile Hwy, and it just increased as I went upstream.
> 
> I went downstream as far as Hurst Hammock Rd. area as it starts to open up a little. I was really unsure what I was supposed to be targeting for catching bass down there... the shorelines I looked at were so shallow I had a hard time running the trolling motor and otherwise it was just open water. Tried throwing some plastics to some logs I saw out in the water, but no takers.
> 
> Guess it will take time. Thanks all for the input!


This time of year I like to stay on the main river channel on perdido. A lot of those islands have a shelf that comes out a few feet then it will hit a drop, you can see it turn from sand to dark water. If you got a little wind then letting a spinnerbait flutter on drop will produce, I also look for steeper dropping banks and drag a worm and finesse jig out off it works good too.


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## SurfRidr (Apr 24, 2012)

Buckchaser said:


> This time of year I like to stay on the main river channel on perdido. A lot of those islands have a shelf that comes out a few feet then it will hit a drop, you can see it turn from sand to dark water. If you got a little wind then letting a spinnerbait flutter on drop will produce, I also look for steeper dropping banks and drag a worm and finesse jig out off it works good too.


Again, thanks for the input, that makes sense. I guess it's like a shallower version of ledge fishing that I've read about on some of the river-based lakes in Tennessee and Alabama.

Do you look for any specific features to narrow down your search on the river channel? The reservoirs I am used to fishing, we would focus on bends in the channel, or where it came close to shore, or where more than one channel combined, but mainly we were targeting structures like stumps and rocks. I don't guess there are likely to be any rocks in the Perdido but are there stumps on the channel? Doesn't seem like there would be, since it's not something like a reservoir where they cut down a bunch of trees and then flooded it.

Anyway, thanks for the input, everything helps as I try to fill in my knowledge base. Appreciate it!


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## Buckchaser (Jan 28, 2014)

There is not much stumps in the middle of the river channel but your channel swing banks wil sometimes have old lay downs and debris on the bottom.


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