Sac-a-lait Crop Boasting Healthy Numbers
With the crappie spawn in full swing, anglers are catching good numbers of sac-a-lait so far this year. Tim Bye of Folsom has been fishing numerous rivers and bayous across the Northshore and says he’s catching big slabs but in addition to the large crappie, he’s also seeing something that tells him that the area saw a great spawn last year. “I’m seeing a ton of small 6-inch crappie everywhere,” he said. The sac-a-lait veteran said he’s never seen this many small fish which tells him that the fish had a healthy spawn last spring. “If you remember, last spring we had a ton of rain dumped on us,” he said. “When the water comes up in the river it exceeds the banks allowing the fry to find more shelter back in the woods and brush along the shoreline.” Bye uses Garmin Livescope and can see a lot of things that are underwater that others can’t. This spring he is noticing large schools of small crappie with many of them carrying eggs already. “These fish are sexually mature at six inches so last years crop should translate into a great spawn this year as well,” he said.
Bayou Cane Bream
Ray Miller of Madisonville made a trip to Bayou Cane in Mandeville. The narrow bayou that stretches from Hwy 190 and empties into Lake Pontchartrain is a favorite among anglers who target bream because of the structure it offers. Miller launched his flatboat and started working his way towards the lake throwing a Bobby Garland Itty Bit Crystal Shad on a 1/64 jig head rigged two feet under a small cork. “I didn’t get a single bite for the first two hours,” he said. “It was pretty cold and I was hoping the sun would start to shine a bit.”
Around noon the sun started to break through the clouds and that’s when the fishing picked up. “The same lay-downs that I fished when I first arrived, now was producing fish,” Miller said. He ended the day with over 20 bream. Miller warns those who are planning to fish Bayou Cane. “The bayou was like grand central station with all the boats, kayaks, and canoes,” he said.
Tournament Results
Pearl River Team Trails held their tournament at the East Pearl River. Anglers were greeted with windy weather with gusts exceeding 30 mph. Despite the tough conditions, there were some heavy bags brought in at the weigh-in. The team of Jay Breland and Timmy Dickens took first place with a total of five fish weighing 16.2 pounds. The team also caught the big bass of the day: a 5.13-pound bass. Second place went to Tony Cooper and Corey Wheat who brought in a total of five fish that weighed 15.53 pounds. Third place went to Chad Hartzog and James Harris who’s total weight was 13.15 pounds.
The Bayou Lacombe Big Bass Tournament held their Friday evening tournament at the Main St. Launch in Lacombe. Anglers blasted off at 5 p.m. and weighed in at dark. In the end it was Mackie Bellott who caught the biggest fish: a 2.15-pound bass. Mackie took home the cash and a custom crawfish paddle donated by Chris Tiblier with Marsh and Bayou in Mandeville.
Upcoming Tournaments
The Double Nickel Bass Club is holding their next tournament at the East Pearl River on Tuesday, March 29. For more information, please contact Joe Picone at 985-630-4170.
Pearl River Team Trails is holding their next tournament at the East Pearl River on April 9. For more information, please contact Charles Dauzat at 985-960-3260.
Liars and Lunkers is holding their next tournament at the East Pearl River on March 27. For more information, please contact Chad Hartzog at 985-502-3217.
The Bayou Lacombe Big Bass Tournament is holding their next event on Friday, March 25. Biggest bass wins. $10 per person entry fee. Blast-off is at 5 p.m. at the Main St. Launch in Lacombe.
(Keith Lusher Jr. writes a weekly column. For more info, visit NorthshoreFishingReport.com.Contact Keith at keith@northshorefishingreport.com.)