Speckled Trout Limits
The seemingly never-ending effort to reduce the bag limit and up the size limit to what is arguable Louisiana’s most prized fish, the speckled trout, has taken another step towards becoming law. On October 1 at the LWFC meeting the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries adopted a Notice of Intent to increase the minimum size limit of speckled trout to 13.5 inches from the current 12 inches and to decrease the current 25 fish daily bag limit to a 15 fish daily bag limit.
The next step is for the NOI to be adopted and published in the State Registrar which will then be opened to public comment which takes between three months to one year. LDWF is accepting comments on the proposed changes and are encouraged to submit comments to: Jason Adriance, Fisheries Division, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, P.O. Box 98000, Baton Rouge, LA 70898-9000 or via email to jadriance@wlf.la.gov before December 30, 2022.
Trestle Trout Tips
October marks the beginning of the fall trout run into Lake Pontchartrain and their first stop is the 5-mile train bridge known as the Trestles. The hot spot for fall specks won’t disappoint this month as water clarity and salinity is improving. In October the trout will be schooling up because of the concentration of baitfish at the bridge. Firebreak 173 is often where the most boats gather to catch trout but don’t let it dictate where you fish. Start by trolling one side of the bridge fishing fast. Jig the pylons and when you pick up a few trout, make a note of where you are in contrast to the bridge. Loop back around and hit the same spot again. Another bonus to fishing the Trestles in October is the fact that you can catch fish on plastic. Matrix Shad in the Magneto color on a 3/8-ounce jig head is the perfect recipe for fall trout at the train bridge.
Tournament Results
This is the time of year when folks start to put their rods up in exchange for their bows and rifles. This typically leads to smaller crowds at the local bass tournaments. So, it was no surprise when a small crowd of 10 anglers showed up to the Main Street Launch on Bayou Lacombe for the Bass Assassins tournament. The bayou looked great, but this fall’s transition has been a tough one. The fish have been very finicky. Out of 10 anglers only 12 bass were weighed in. Eric Ciko brought in 4 bass totaling 6 lbs. 5 oz. which was enough to claim first place. Ciko also brought in the big fish of the day which was a 4 lb. 1 oz. bass.
There was a tie for second place with both Steve Hadley and Shane Dunnegan bringing in 5 lbs. 2 oz. In the event of a tie Bass Assassins rules state that the tiebreaker is the biggest fish out of the two stringers. Hadley’s 3 lbs. 12 oz. bass was bigger than Dunnegan’s 3 lb. 6 oz. big fish. This broke the tie putting Hadley in second place and Dunnegan in third.
The Double Nickel Bass Club fished the East Pearl River that saw sunny and windy conditions. As the 25 anglers who fished the event motored out to their spots they were greeted with good looking water and an incoming tide. In the end it was Ralph Dunn who came out on top by weighing in a 3-fish tournament limit of 7.65 pounds. Guy Stegall won second place with 3 fish that weighed 6.81 pounds. In third place was Jerry Bullock who brought in a limit that weighed 6.33 pounds. Bullock also brought in the big fish of the day; a 4.04-pound bass.
Upcoming
Tournaments
The next Bass Assassins will be held at the East Pearl River on Oct. 16. If you have any questions you can email bassassassinsla@gmail.com or call Chris Basey at 985-707-7857.
The Double Nickel Bass Club is holding their next tournament at the East Pearl River on Tuesday, Oct. 18. For more information, please contact Joe Picone at 985-630-4170.
Pearl River Team Trails is holding their next tournament at Crawford’s Landing on Nov. 12. For more information, please contact Charles Dauzat at 985-960-3260.
The next Liars and Lunker’s tournament will be on Oct. 30 at Crawford’s Landing in Slidell. 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.)