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Geoghegan Canal Trout
 Keith Lusher
As the calendar turns to February, anglers are still dealing with winter like conditions on the Northshore. Overcast skies, and daytime high’s in the 50’s may not sound like optimal conditions to target trout, but there are options for fisherman in search of specks.
Max Patrucco of Slidell has been fishing the Geoghegan Canal since 2012 and said the good thing about fishing the deep canal in February is you don’t have to cover a lot of water. “The great thing about fishing this area when the water temps are below 60 is the lack of guesswork,” he said. "In February, I’m not fishing the shoreline, or the duckponds, or even the drains — It’s all about the ledges and drop-offs.” One of Patrucco’s favorite spots to fish is in Double Bayou Lagoon. The lagoon connects the Geoghegan Canal to West Double Bayou and East Double Bayou. 
He discovered the spot a few years ago when he was fishing in his kayak. Patrucco was 20 yards from the shoreline throwing a gold spoon for redfish. “There was a boat that stopped in the middle of the lagoon and was throwing towards me while working their lures on the bottom” Patrucco said. “They started catching trout on almost every cast, so I just got out of their way and learned from them.” The ledge is located approximately 30 yards from the shoreline and drops from 10 feet to 35 feet. He positioned his kayak 20 yards off the northeastern shoreline and casts past the ledge. Then he drops the lure down the ledge while working it back to his kayak. “I’ll give it a good pop and it’s usually when the bait is falling that I get hit,” he said.
Patrucco caught this trout in over 30 feet of water
Patrucoo uses 10-pound braided line when fishing the ledge. He ties on a 10-pound fluorocarbon leader using an “FG” knot AKA Fine Grip knot. “I find that the knot is the strong and slim at the same time,” he said. For a rod and reel, Patrucco uses a medium action rod paired with a spinning reel. For bait, Patrucco prefers live shrimp on a drop-shot rig, but sometimes that’s not an option in February. When the marinas are out of shrimp he uses the 3.5-inch SlamShady Paddletail made by Salt Strong. “The Slam Shady is scented which can help since it’s a slower jigging process in the cold,” he said. Patrucco rigs it on a 3/8 oz. jighead. The water in Geoghegan’s Canal this month is relatively clear so he opts for more natural colors over bold colors.
 Austin Dabdoub is all smiles with his personal best sac-a-lait
Personal Best Sac-a-lait
Jim Bates of Lacombe made a trip to Bayou Lacombe with his Grandson, Austin. The team launched at Main St. and headed south to try and catch a few sac-a-lait. “The water temperature was 56 degrees, and the water was very high and falling very hard,” Bates said. The cold and rainy conditions made fishing tough but the team soon forgot about the weather after Bates stopped at a brush pile and they started catching fish. “We had trouble finding them but when we did find them, they were very playful,” Bates said. The team was using black and chartreuse Bobby Garland Baby Shad. At the end of the day they ended up with 9 sac-a-lait with the highlight of the day coming when Austin snagged an 11-inch sac-a-lait. Even though the rain made things uncomfortable Bates was glad they made the trip. “Time is ticking and you only have so much of it — don't waste it waiting for perfect conditions,” he said. 
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 Keith Lusher
I created NFR.com in the spring of 2012. Since then it has helped link Northshore fishermen to valuable information and has filled the void of absent information on the web about fishing on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain. Northshore Fishing Report has morphed into a brand name and can be found not only on the web, but on radio and newspaper. As NFR grows I will continue to work hard at keeping NFR local focusing on local anglers, reports, seminars, and fishing tournaments in St. Tammany and Tangipahoa Parish. I hope you enjoy the website and If you have any questions please email me at: Keith@NorthshoreFishingReport.com
Look for the Northshore Fishing Report publication every Thursday in The Slidell Independent Weekly Newspaper!
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The Marsh Martian Corey LaBostrie joins the studio by phone to talk about his latest speckled trout tip to Bayou Lacombe
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