# Shoal River?



## tips n tails (Mar 2, 2011)

Ok Ive been swimming down at the Shoal a few times but no fishing. Im always seeing boats but no reports. Does anyone on the forum here fish Shoal any? If so is it bream bass and catfish?


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## screwballl (Feb 1, 2011)

I take my jon boat up there on a rare occasion but not this year yet, been doing more shoreline saltwater fishing


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## tips n tails (Mar 2, 2011)

What do you normally catch? River looks really close together to effectively bass fishing


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## screwballl (Feb 1, 2011)

usually do pretty decent with largemouth bass, occasionally a striper makes it up this far, and then if I am targeting and find them, bream usually hang out in schools. finh in and around the little arms and bulges/wider/shallower areas. I have to stay out of the main current while fishing since my jon boat only has a trolling motor, but I can still usually reach anywhere I need to within a mile or two of the launch by 85.

Plus its nice having the small shallow boat anyways to get into some of the more swampy areas and find these small side ponds regular boats can't get to without scratching them up.


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## tips n tails (Mar 2, 2011)

How shallow does your Jon boat draft? River looks bottomed out on some spots during the summer, it's interesting you mentioned stripers, I take they come up from Yellow River ?


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## jcoss15 (Oct 11, 2010)

Shoal is a solid river...its small and rough as crap most of the time but there is good fishing. I would suggest putting in at Hwy 85 and go down river, there are better holes down as well as a couple sloughs. There's pretty good bass and bream fishing as well as stripers. I know a guy that caught a 15lber couple of years ago. Not many flats but a decent channel cat population. For bass I've done good on flukes, spinnerbaits, and black worms, and baby brush hog. IMO its not as good as yellow for variety and quanity but its a fun river to fish every now and then.


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## screwballl (Feb 1, 2011)

Wirelessly posted



tips n tails said:


> How shallow does your Jon boat draft? River looks bottomed out on some spots during the summer, it's interesting you mentioned stripers, I take they come up from Yellow River ?


I've gone through water less than 6” before without a problem... but didn't have much equipment with me.


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## tips n tails (Mar 2, 2011)

Thanks Screwball and Jcoss I ll have to try it out one day. A good channel population perks my interests I wouldn't mind catching some more of them them. Nice white fillets and very clean tasting


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## SLICK75 (Sep 4, 2010)

I used to do real good on Shoal, heck I was raised fishing it from Pod Creek to Hwy 85. Unfortunately, for a while so did everybody else. It got to the point that I couldnt find a bream that would make it through the frying pan and the cats just got smaller and smaller. I finally quit fishing it a few years ago when the water level dropped so bad it just wasnt worth the trouble anymore, but Ive been really considering giving it another shot lately. Havent seen a ramp full of trailers in a while so maybe the fish have had an opportunity to rebound a little and fighting shallow water may actually be worth it again.

Get up with me TnT (or anybody else), well see what they got.


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## jcoss15 (Oct 11, 2010)

SLICK75 said:


> I used to do real good on Shoal, heck I was raised fishing it from Pod Creek to Hwy 85. Unfortunately, for a while so did everybody else. It got to the point that I couldnt find a bream that would make it through the frying pan and the cats just got smaller and smaller. I finally quit fishing it a few years ago when the water level dropped so bad it just wasnt worth the trouble anymore, but Ive been really considering giving it another shot lately. Havent seen a ramp full of trailers in a while so maybe the fish have had an opportunity to rebound a little and fighting shallow water may actually be worth it again.
> 
> Get up with me TnT (or anybody else), well see what they got.


There used to be some decent bream in pond creek...haven't fished it in years.


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## tips n tails (Mar 2, 2011)

Slick I'm up for trying it out, I'm sure the further you get away from the launch the better the fishing would be. I ll send you a pm tomorrow once I'm on a computer.


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## SLICK75 (Sep 4, 2010)

Sorry, the internet at work was porked the last 2 days and couldnt wait the 45 minutes it was taking the pages to load. Finally got home yesterday evening.

Im up for it when you are TnT. I have a week at home before having to go back to south Louisiana again for a week. Hit me up when youre ready and we will give it a shot. If you cant swing it in the next week, I will be back for a week after the week in LA. I just have to get one more battery for my boat since I finally got tired of pull-starting it and replaced the starter, but I plan on doing that today.

My oldest boy wades a mile or two of Pond Creek all the time between Hwy 393 and the wooden bridge on Dorcas Rd, depending on where he starts. He hasnt done too well but he spends most of his time casting for bass. Heck, the last time I was home he called me wanting to know how to get a water moccasin of his favorite rubber frog. LOL I told him to cut the line and he hung up on me. On the bright side, he did come home a couple of hours later, with his frog. Still havent gotten out of him how he managed to unhook a live snake but he did say they went their separate ways. I probably dont want to know.


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