All Eyes on the Spillway
Last week, the Army Corps of Engineers announced they’re beginning Phase One of their flood fight as the Mississippi River continues to rise. The Carrollton gauge measured the river at 8.5 feet on Wednesday. Corps spokesman Ricky Boyett stated they’re not forecasting operation of the spillway but are “making preparations” just in case.
We’ve all seen this before, and we know the drill. But before you start thinking “Here we go again,” there’s good reason to believe the Corps won’t be so quick to pull the trigger this time around.
Back in 2019, the Corps opened the spillway, releasing millions of gallons of freshwater into Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi Sound. The result? Toxic algal blooms, drastically reduced salinity, damaged habitats for countless aquatic species, and closed beaches across the Mississippi coast.
What happened next sent a clear message to the Corps. The Mississippi Sound Coalition, led by Harrison County and the city of Biloxi, sued the Corps – and won. A federal judge ruled that the Corps violated the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and harmed the Mississippi Sound upon opening the spillway.
The ruling ordered the Corps to consult National Marine Fisheries Service about ways to avoid future harm to fisheries habitat before any future spillway openings. This isn’t just a slap on the wrist – it’s a legal leash.
For those keeping score at home, this means the Corps now faces a much higher threshold for opening the spillway than just the traditional metrics of water levels (16 feet at Carrollton) or flow rates (1.25 million cubic feet per second).
The suits claimed the Corps failed to open the Morganza Spillway that empties west of the river into the Atchafalaya Basin, which would have reduced or possibly avoided the poisonous discharge into the Mississippi Sound. If they make the same mistake again, they’ll be right back in court.
Dirty Water at the Trestles
Anglers are experiencing dirty water from the high winds that churned up the lake two weeks ago. Robert Rainwater of Walker made a trip with his friend Blaine Aydell of Baton Rouge to the Trestles. “There’s just something about the April moon that makes me go beat up the pilings,” Rainwater said. The team was throwing Matrix Shad on the West side of the bridge and struggled. “The water looked pretty bad and we knew the conditions were going to be bad,” he said. While the team struggled to put fish in the boat they were able to catch a good number of 10”-12” flounder which bodes well for the fall flounder run. In the end, they managed a handful of trout with the biggest being 18 inches.
Tournament Results
The Double Nickel Bass Club held their tournament at the East Pearl River on a cool morning. There were 19 boats that showed up to compete for bragging rights and a cash pot. The tide was low, and the water was still muddy, with some clear water in places. There were lots of small fish caught all morning. In the end, it was Bill Dorris who came in first place with three fish that weighed 7.80 pounds. Dorris also won the big bass pot with a 3.62-pound fish. Rob Watson claimed second place with a 5.60-pound 3-fish bag. Mike Mardois took third place with 5.50 pounds.
Upcoming Tournaments
Pearl River Team Trails will hold its next tournament at Crawford Landing on May 10. For more information, please call Charles Dauzat at 985-960-3260.
FBPA is holding its next tournament at Lock #1 on May 10. For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/fpbassanglers.
The Double Nickel Bass Club will hold its next tournament at the East Pearl River on April 22. The club is for those who are above the age of 55. For more information, please call Dwain Crumby at 985-502-6006.
(Keith Lusher Jr. writes a weekly column. For more info, visit NorthshoreFishingReport.com. Contact Keith at keith@northshorefishingreport.com.)