Catching Big Bass in NELA
He might be young, but 18-year-old Colby Dark knows one thing better than almost anyone else; how to target big bass on Caney Lake. The West Monroe native gained popularity in late 2023 when he and fellow Ouachita parish native Gage Struben caught five bass that had a combined weight of 48.6 lbs. That averages out to be 9.72 lbs. per fish! I spoke with Colby right after that and in the conversation, he mentioned that he had a guide service that occupied his time when he wasn’t fishing on the MFL Tackle Warehouse pro circuit.
As 2024 began, I couldn’t get these monster bass off my mind, so I called Dark and we set a date to see how close to that massive weight we could get. I met Colby at Hooks Marina on Caney Creek Reservoir in Jackson Parish and knew that the bluebird day ahead of us was going to be special. Within the first 30 minutes on the water, we landed two fish; one that was roughly 2 lbs and another that was 6.7. I asked Dark what bait we were using, and his response was as quick as he is. “That’s a Jr. C.O.G. Worm from the Crock-O-Gator Company. The Honey Hole over in West Monroe has a bunch and right now, these fish love ‘em,” he said, never looking up from his sonar screen.
Later on that day found us fishing open water and I honestly had my concerns. When you fish open water, you’re basically fishing in water with no visible structure, but the Forward-Facing Sonar on Dark’s bow showed a world of structure under the water’s surface. “Look at this one! She’s huge!” Dark excitedly quipped. He then eased over and grabbed a bait that looked like something you’d fish with offshore. “This is how you get the big ones. They love big baits,” he laughed, obviously seeing the concern on my face. He launched the massive swim bait into the water and let it settle. One jerk. Two jerk. Three jerk. I was watching the sonar screen and saw a streak of light flash from the bottom of the lake and towards his lure. BAM! “Get the net! Get the net!”
As the fish neared the surface, I was in awe. Its mouth looked like a paint can. “She’s a toad,” he laughed. The scales showed me what I came to see; a bass over ten pounds. “10.2! That there is one of Chris’s baits and they have them at the Honey Hole too,” Dark laughed in excitement. The bait he referenced is the Ditch Donkey Custom Bait’s made by North Louisiana Native Chris Patton. These big baits mimic an injured fish and monster bass simply cannot stay away. We caught two more on the Ditch Donkey that day, both over 8 lbs.
We ended our trip catching ten bass and keeping the largest five. Their combined weight met my goal for the trip, as they tipped the scales with a total weight of just over 37 lbs. You can schedule your own adventure with Colby by contacting Hooked Up Guide Service at 318-816-2926. You can also follow his progress on the professional fishing circuits on Facebook at Colby Dark Fishing.
