Spring Fishing Seminar
NorthshoreFIshingReport.com held their Spring Fishing Seminar at Bayou Stuf in Lacombe. Guests included Andy Jones of Wicked Charters, Mike Gallo of Angling Adventures of Louisiana, Cajun Ray Miller, Forrest Green, The Marsh Martian Corey LaBostrie, and Chris Basey of CB Bassin’. As the guests fielded questions from the audience there was a wide variety of topics covered.
Headlining the conversation was the size of the speckled trout being caught in the area. Andy Jones said that one of his clients boated a 5.5-pound trout this spring. “This is a nice run we’re having right now and they are big – these are really nice fish – really good size.” Jones said. While the Trestles has been the focus of most anglers, Jones recommends spreading out in Lake Pontchartrain. “People get so fixed on the bridges, but the shorelines have been holding fish and the different cuts have them too. These fish are everywhere,” Jones said.
The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission adopted a Notice of Intent to set an annual closed season for the recreational and commercial harvest of Southern Flounder from October 15 through November 30 of each year. Mike Gallo said he is for the closure if it can get things back to where it was a decade ago. “I would have to say that I’m for it if it’s going to help our fisheries,” Gallo said. “As a comparison, when we have a freeze, and a lot of trout die – those trout come back strong two years later. So, if we only have to do this for two years and the flounder bounce back it’s a small price to pay.”
Local bass angler Chris Basey talked about what he’s seeing on the freshwater side. “The shad spawn came on quick this year. It came quick and now it’s pretty much ended,” Basey said. “The fish are moving into the mouth of the bayous and into the main rivers right now.” The effects of Hurricane Ida are still being seen by bass fishermen on the Northshore. Basey said things aren’t what they were last year. “There’s just no grass anymore. It’s hard to find grass to catch these fish,” he said. “This year – Bayou Bonfouca – there’s no grass anywhere.”
Ray Miller fishes the Tchefuncte River for sac-a-lait and said the spawn is over and the fish are now moving back into the deep water. Miller said the fish aren’t as big as last year but he’s still holding out for a big one. “I usually catch a 16-inch sac-a-lait every year but this year I haven’t caught one yet,” he said. As the crappie spawn is dying off, the bream spawn is just beginning. This year Miller has seen his largest bream caught in the river. “I caught a 12-inch chinquapin this month,” he said. “It almost made the top ten largest in the state.”
The Marsh Martian Corey LaBostrie has been fishing Bayou Lacombe and said he’s seeing baitfish everywhere. “There’s trillions of mullet out there ranging from a half-inch to eight inches,” he said. On his latest trip LaBostrie was fishing in a duck pond just off of Bayou Lacombe and said he couldn’t get any trout to bite. “I guess they were having a feeding fest on all those mullet. They didn’t want plastic,” he said. LaBostire used a dropshot rig with a small hook to catch small croaker for bait. LaBostrie was able to catch a few specked trout and flounder in the main bayou.
Forrest Green talked about the speckled trout run that happens in Bayou Lacombe. “We’ve got about a six-week run in the spring so there’s not much time to catch them,” he said. “This year I caught 12 in April but after that, the winds started and really limited anglers from fishing for trout.” Green believes this fall will be an amazing time to catch trout in the bayou because the spillway has been closed for two years.
Tournament Results
The Florida Parishes Bass Anglers held their tournament at the East Pearl River in which 13 teams showed up to compete. The anglers faced tough conditions with the water being high and muddy but, in the end, it was the team of Wendell Myers and Melvin Myers who came out on top with a 5-fish tournament limit weighing 10.69 pounds. Wendell and Melvin also brought in the big fish of the day: a 3.06-pound bass. In second place was Ron Garic and Josh Garic with a 5-fish bag that weighed 7.94 pounds. Kevin Fitzpatrick and Chris Goodson finished in third place with a limit weighing. 8.11 pounds.
The Bass Assassins fished Lock One on a day in which the forecast called for stormy weather to come through at noon. Anglers were caught off guard as the weather came through early. Around 7:30 a.m. the weather started to loom on the northern parts of the Lock. The rumble of thunder got closer as the rain started to fall. While the weather made fishing tough, there were some heavy bags brought in. After an hour the rain slowed down, but the wind picked up. In the end it was Eric Ciko who took home the win with a 10 lbs. 5 oz. limit. Following close in second was Will Lee with a 5-fish tournament limit weighing 10 lbs. 4 oz. Jared Norris brought in a 9 lbs. 12 oz. limit to claim third.
Upcoming Tournaments
Liars and Lunkers is holding a Thursday evening tournament at Lock One on May 12.
For more information, please contact Chad Hartzog at 985-502-3217.
The Bayou Lacombe Big Bass Tournament is holding their next event on Friday, May 13. Biggest bass wins. $10 per person entry fee. Blast-off is at 5 p.m. at the Main St. Launch in Lacombe.
Florida Parishes Bass Anglers are holding their next tournament at the East Pearl River on May 7. For more information call 225-278-5849.
The Double Nickel Bass Club is holding their next tournament at the East Pearl River on Tuesday, May 17. 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 June 11. For more information, please contact Charles Dauzat at 985-960-3260.
The next Liars and Lunker’s tournament will be May 29 at the East Pearl River. For more information, please contact Chad Hartzog at 985-502-3217.
(Keith Lusher Jr. writes a weekly column. For more info, visit NorthshoreFishingReport.com.Contact Keith at keith@northshorefishingreport.com.)