November Saltwater Wrap-up
What an amazing month we’ve seen so far this November! Mild temperatures combined with long stretches of days with stable barometric pressure have resulted in one of the best seasons that anglers have experienced in a while. In addition to the healthy hauls of speckled trout and redfish, there have been reports of anglers catching Whiting, which is often caught in water with depths over 100 feet. The fish have made their way into Lake Borgne and are popping up in catch reports throughout the area because of the improving salinity. These fish are great table fare and are a bonus for anglers who are stocking their freezers with the typical meat-producing fish that local saltwater fishermen catch.
Lake Catherine
Stephen Bujard of Hammond made a trip to Unknown Pass for some redfish action. While the wind made it difficult to fish, he was able to manage two redfish and a sheepshead. Bujard was about to call it a day when on the way back he spotted some arial action while crossing Lake Catherine. “It was around 2 p.m. when I was heading back in. I ran into a massive flock of birds. They were all around me,” he said. Bujard started throwing a Matrix Shad under a popping cork and limited out within an hour. Not only did Bujard limit out quickly, he said the size was something that he hadn’t experienced in a while. “All were keepers ranging from 12 inches to 15 inches,” he said. Bujard’s biggest trout measured 18 inches.
Lake Pontchartrain
George Wilhoit made a trip to Eastern Lake Pontchartrain. Wilhoit, who fished from a kayak, said the visibility was awful on this day. “The visibility was down to 1/4 mile,” he said. Because of the conditions, the kayak fisherman had the opportunity to paddle up to a flock of seagulls diving without worrying about anyone else spotting the action. “I guess the fog was a blessing this morning because I was the only one on those birds,” Wilhoit said. He started casting and catching gaftop catfish under the birds when all of a sudden, the gaftops moved away which then left Wilhoit free to go one-on-one with a large school of speckled trout. The kayak angler was able to catch 25 specks quickly and went home with plenty of meat for the freezer. “In addition to the trout I kept eight gaftops that totaled 31 pounds,” he said.
Chef Pass
Joseph Lusk made a trip to Chef Pass with his son Jonas. The team used a variety of baits including dead shrimp, live shrimp, and Matrix Shad on the bottom and under a cork. They managed three speckled trout, two sailcats, one drum, one croaker, and a white trout. But the high point of the trip came when Jonas hooked into a 35-pound black drum. “Watching my boy hook and fight that big nasty drum for about 20 minutes or so was the highlight of my day,” Lusk said.
Tournament Results
The third of five 2023 Fall/Winter Series tournaments for the Liars and Lunkers is in the books! Anglers gathered early in the morning to fish the East Pearl River. The event drew 12 teams. The anglers were met with a tide that was falling fast and warm weather. The fishing seemed to be feast or famine as only five teams weighed in 5-fish limits. In the end, it was Eric Ciko and Ryan Howard who came out on top with five fish weighing 11.26 pounds. Second place went to Timmy Dickens and Chris Stuart with 10.19 pounds. Third place was decided by the smallest of margins as Charles Dauzat and Mark Mohr won with 10.18 pounds. The day’s biggest bass, a 3.97-pounder, was brought in by Troy Ladner and Cameron Wagner.
The Double Nickel fished their fall classic Tuesday morning. The weather was overcast with light, misty rain. The wind was blowing pretty briskly out of the north making everyone put more clothes and jackets on. Twenty-three boats showed up to claim the classic champion. In the end, it was Dwain Crumby who came out on top with a 3-fish limit weighing 7.198 lbs. Crumby also won the big bass pot with a 4.233-lb. bass. Rob Watson came in second place with 6.481 lbs. Bob Perry took third with 6.007 lbs. Keith Wagner took second place in Big Bass with a fish that weighed 3.660 lbs. Awards were handed out for Angler of the Year (AOY), Largest Stringer, and Biggest Bass. Jerry Bullock took home the AOY Title and Mike Marodis won the largest stringer and big bass award.
Upcoming Tournaments
Pearl River Team Trails is holding its next tournament at Crawford’s Landing on Nov 11. For more information, please contact Charles Dauzat at 985-960-3260.
FPBA is holding its next tournament at the Tchefuncte River on Nov. 13. For more information about becoming a member please visit https://www.facebook.com/fpbassanglers.
The next Liars and Lunker tournament will be held on Sunday, November 26th at the East Pearl River. If you have any questions or need 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.)