Saltwater Intrusion
It’s what most freshwater anglers on the Northshore look forward to: Low river levels which in turn provide clean water. But with the lack of rain this summer, fishermen have had to adjust their fishing locations a bit from the southern ends of the rivers and bayous that flow into Lake Pontchartrain to the northern sections above Interstate 12. The reason being? The lack of current flowing out of these tributaries is causing the brackish water from the lake to slowly intrude north into areas of the rivers that are traditionally fresh.
Jim Bates of Lacombe fishes Bayou Lacombe routinely and said he’s noticing an effect on the southern end of Bayou Lacombe. On his latest trip, Jim and his wife Dee Dee launched at the Main St. boat launch, and it didn’t take long before he noticed something out of the ordinary. “We saw shrimp jumping near the launch,” he said.
After launching his 17-foot RT Ranger, they started fishing for sac-a-lait near the launch but couldn’t get a bite. Bates decided to head south past the trace bridge and finally was able to spot something on his electronics. The team lowered down their crappie jigs and Jim felt a thump. He reeled up the fish and was surprised to see a speckled trout on the other end. “I couldn’t believe it! Speckled trout. All my favorite spots were full of 6-inch specks,” Jim and Dee Dee tried all over and the bayou resembled the lake in the fall. “The saltwater must have pushed up the bayou and the trout are following the shrimp. we saw shrimp skipping on the top of the bayou trying to escape being eaten.” Bates said.
A few days later Bates and his wife made a trip further east to the Tchefuncte River in hopes of quenching his appetite for sac-a-lait. The team lanced at the launch at 4th St. and headed south just past the Interstate 12 overpass. The team was finally able to pick up some sac-a-lait by jigging a 2-inch baby shad in the salt and pepper color. “There were no big groups of fish, and it was ‘one and done’ at each spot but at least we were able to put a few in the box,” he said.
Jim and Dee Dee only fished for a few hours but were able to catch 11 keepers that all measured over 9 inches. Dee Dee’s biggest fish was an 11.5-inch black sac-a-lait while Jim’s caught a white that was 12 inches.
Tournament Results
The Double Nickel Bass Club fished the East Pearl on Tuesday. twenty-seven boats showed up to do battle. The river was in good condition and the tide wasn’t too high. There was a light wind from the north and the overcast skies helped keep the heat down. In the end, it was Joe Picone who took first place with 7.220 pounds.
In second place was C.J. Pichon with 6.493 pounds. Pichon also won second place in the big bass division with 3.582 pounds.
Joe Frierson placed third with 6.448 pounds. Frierson also caught the big fish of the day with a 3.726-pound bass.
FPBA fished the Tickfaw River and it was the team of Jeffery Barcia and Tyler Clark who came out on top with a 5-fish tournament limit weighing 8.83 pounds. Barcia and Clack also caught the big fish of the day: a 3.40-pound bass. In second place was Jason and Floyd Pittman who weighed in 5 fish at 7.61 pounds. Wayne Richardson fished solo to grab third place with 2 fish weighing 2.92 pounds.
Upcoming Tournaments
Pearl River Team Trails is holding its next tournament at Crawford’s Landing on October 14. For more information, please contact Charles Dauzat at 985-960-3260.
The Bayou Lacombe Big Bass Tournament is holding their next tournament at Bayou Lacombe on September 23. Biggest bass wins the pot. For more information, please contact Robbie Racuggulia at 985-377-4975.
Liars and Lunker’s will be holding their next tournament at the East Pearl River on September 24. 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.)