Help Locating Bass In Mississippi River Backwaters

[JDP1292]

Hey all, first post here.

I live in La Crosse, Wisconsin and fish the Mississippi backwater areas.  However, now that summer is moving in, I'm having a super tough time catching fish.  Unfortunately, I don't have a depth finder/fish locator (I'm a poor college student), and have been pounding the banks.  I've been trying everything-- jigs, plastics, buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits, shallow running crankbaits, frogs, everything.  

I usually only manage one or two good sized bass in 6 hours of fishing, and its annoying me.  Can you guys offer any tips for these types of scenarios?  To give you a better idea if you don't know, all the sloughs of the Mississippi don't have much current, and cover varies.. water is really high right now so there is tons of timber, which is what I've been trying to focus on, but I just cannot catch fish.  It's not even that I'm really missing them, just not even getting bites.

 

Here's a picture of the one bass I got today to give you an idea of some of the bass we do have up here.  (Was caught on a jig with a plastic crawdad trailer on a rock piling next to a bridge)

 

 

I'd also like to add that I've read all the fishing articles on the website, and watched almost all of Glenn May's videos.  

[Kevin22]

Try bouncing a single willow blade spinnerbait or square bill crankbait on the flooded timber. Look for shiners or shad jumping and target those areas. Any place with current and a break (a stump, rock point, sandbar, etc) will hold shiners which in turn will hold fish. Its all about finding the forage now, the spawn is over and all the fish care about is eating. Early in the morning a topwater can be deadly, again follow the baitfish. Shiners will run shallow early and the bass will target them before moving out to the structure. 

[quanjig]

I've had the opportunity to fish sme of the waters around LaCrosse. I've had some good luck on the Minnesota side just over the bridge in that little park (can't rember the name of it) I think it starts with a P?? Some deeper water in there. My go to was a smaller spinnerbait and swimming grubs around cover!

[JDP1292]

Alright thanks for the advice guys, I'll try that out tomorrow!