Fishing the Grand River at Eastmanville Bayou usually yields a variety of species caught, including some decent-sized channel catfish (especially into late summer/early fall). While the weather was gorgeous this evening, the fishing was slow. Fishing Eastmanville Bayou’s Grand River kayak access does tend to be decent.
We managed one drum (sheepshead), one small channel catfish, and one larger channel catfish all caught on nightcrawlers. Could not catch any small panfish to use as bait. Smaller fish didn’t seem to be utilizing the usual holes this evening. Cutbait typically works well here, especially towards the end of summer as fish are in a final feed frenzy. Catching some small panfish to use is always a priority and we typically have a rod dedicated to finding them. But it appears that they haven’t moved into shallow river areas as of yet. The spring cool down we experienced in May seems to have slowed things down a bit.
Fishing Eastmanville Bayou May 29 2025
Recommended Catfishing Gear
We used a basic slip rig, an improved slip rig, and a Santee rig. We also caught a fish on each one, with the largest fish coming on the Santee rig.
The Weather
The weather was tolerable. By the time we were catching fish it had cooled off to 55 degrees, but clear and very little wind, measuring from the west at 6 miles per hour. Humidity was 84% and the dewpoint of 50 degrees. Pressure was 29.95 and falling. Overall, was a great night to be out on the water.
While the river had gone down quite a bit from the previous week (we get out to this location often), there were still a large amount of grass, mud, and leaves that were flowing down the river and getting caught in the fishing lines and weights.
Basic Catfish Rigs
Fishing Eastmanville Bayou
Fishing the Grand River at Eastmanville Bayou usually leads to a mixed catch. Fish you can plan on catching include channel catfish, freshwater drum, bluegill, and the occasional bass. During the spring, it is possible to catch suckers as they move up river.