From shallow sloughs and oxbows winding off the Upper Mississippi River and Wisconsin River systems, to the slop-choked bays and flood plains of lowland flowages, and the ditches and small creeks inletting into drainage lakes, backwaters offer unreachable populations of big fish that are least pursued. Often a hassle to reach them, with much energy and careful navigation involved, the juice is worth the squeeze at these obscure, second-fiddle fisheries. Getting into them is no problem. I’m equipped with 4 boats in various sizes, plus a utility kayak. I’ll do whatever it takes to get back into some of them I’ve discovered. For fear of getting stuck, dirty, or pure laziness, most other anglers wouldn’t dare access them. Whether guiding or leisure fishing, we’re always looking for the best habitat that differs from the rest of the fishery. Across many of the flowages and drainage lake systems of Wisconsin, one of the best explorations and fishing efforts is finding a backwater area that nobody else is fishing.     Backwater Benefits Spring through summer, backwaters attract and concentrate big bass. Their habitats can be thick and ric