New to Sac-a-lait when to fish shallow?

Hi all,
I am fairly new to freshwater fishing I've always been a saltwater fisherman. But with the amite and tickfaw rivers right down the road I can't help but be tempted. I've read enough on here to be in awe of the amount of fish y'all pull from the same areas I drive right past. I don't have a depth finder/sonar on my boat yet so I am blind to underwater habitat because of this I'm limited to fishing what I can see. What time of year can you fish shallow under a cork or with a spinner bait for sac-a-lait?

Thanks in advance.

Year round. HTH

First of all welcome to the forum Geauxfish11. JR is correct we fish and catch fish all year long. In late winter/early spring, when the fish are in spawning mode you can really rack up some number fishing shiners under a float fishing shallow banks or structure. But at the same time you can also catch them with plastic jigs or hair jigs. Many times jigs will out fish live shiners just depending on the situation and the location. After the spawn and the fish recover you can still catch them many times in shallow water near structure or in deeper water near structure. In summer time docks, boathouses, and other man made structures can be a jackpot for fishermen, also downed tree hanging in the water. Large and small patches of lilies and grass beds also are good. Keep looking until you find some fish and then look for the same type of cover.

We are just getting into a time of year where the fish feed heavily to prepare for the spawn. So don't wait for easy pickings of spawning fish, start looking for them now. If you've been following the forum for some time you have seen many of the catches the JR has put up by fishing some of the same areas you're talking about. If you haven't seen his post then click on his name and when the popup appears look down the list and click on recent post and all his post will show up in a list. By selecting each post you can view his catches. The fishing has really come back since the last hurricane so get with it and have some fun.
"gene"

Welcome to The Louisiana Forum;;; J R is Jig Rig... Most of south Louisiana is so Shallow no sonar is needed. Structure is what makes the difference. any old blow down log can hold a school of Crappie and the edges of grass lines around the Cypress !!!! shad and Shiners rule as the Primary food. calm water makes it easier to see the Shad be seen trying to escape.. Current is also another factor as anything that blocks the current makes it easier to swim and brings food to them. bright sunlight will have the Fish looking for Shade and can make for cooler water in the summer. Look for other Boats with Crappie dot Com stickers on them and they will give you help on your Local Waters....

Thanks for all the great info! I'm looking forward to trying freshwater more often and I'll be sure to let y'all know if I ever get on them.
I went to Coyell Bay Friday evening and caught some brim but no luck on the elusive crappie. Saturday morning I headed over to the Tickfaw river and again struck out on crappie but did catch a few small bass.

:welcome from Natchitoches parish, you've come to the right places to learn how to catch crappie! Good luck and we look forward to seeing posts from your future catches and experiences

Welcome! As a rule, I usually fish shallow in the summer time and deep in the winter time.