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Good News for Bayou Cane Fishermen!
 Keith Lusher
The mile-long stretch of Bayou Cane that spans from Hwy 190 in Mandeville to to Lake should start looking a lot more appealing to anglers that fish the bayou. It’s no secret that the small narrow bayou is home to bass, perch, sac-a-lait, and catfish. It’s also no secret that its home to 30-boat kayaking groups that render the bayou un-fishable anywhere in the vicinity of the paddlers. Shannon Bordelon owns and operates Bayou Adventure in Lacombe and says the days of 20+ kayaking groups that take over the bayou are over. “We hear all of the complaints from fishermen who fish in the area and they’ve been saying that it’s overpopulated with kayaks. Let’s face it - it’s hard to fish when you have a pack of 60 screaming kids heading down the bayou,” Bordelon says. Until now every kayak and canoe company had free range to use the launch. Numerous outfitters were using the launch at the same time which lead to chaos on the water. But from here on out things should get a lot quieter on the bayou says Bordelon. “After years of working with the state we sent them a proposal and they accepted it so now we are the official outfit for Cane Bayou!”
Not only can fishermen expect far less boats on the water but improvements to the launch are in the works. The state has has already added gravel to the parking lot and a second launch is being added. “We have always limited the amount of boats that we put on the bayou at one time. So we’re excited to see that the fishing will be preserved at Bayou Cane,” Bordelon says. 
Jeff Bordelon of Bayou Adventure prepares kayaks for another day at Bayou Cane
Salinity Improving One of the biggest factors that dictates fishing in the area is the salinity. Since the closing of the spillway the salinity has been improving steadily and the catch reports mirror the positive gains in salinity. The USGS Salinity Gauge at the Rigolets is key to monitoring the salinity in Lake Borgne. Current conditions show a steady gain up to 8.0 PPT at the Rigolets. Another obvious sign of the salinity improving is the inundation of Cow Nose Stingrays moving east through Lake Borgne. Jeff Dupre of Slidell says he’s noticed them while fishing. “The other day while fishing near the Rigolet’s I noticed what looked like hundreds of them underneath my boat. They were so thick we just stopped fishing,” he says. Jeff adds that while they were forced to move to a different spot, he know’s the rays are a good sign that the area is recovering nicely. 
Trout Moving East The normal progression of speckled trout in September seems to be playing out this year despite the threat of dirty water remaining from the spillway opening. Forrest Green fishes Bayou Lacombe and says all you have to do is look west to find out what’s coming. “We’re starting to see speckled trout being caught at the Rigolet’s and that’s my sign that they will soon be at the Trestles and moving east,” Green says. The Lacombe native says the water is beautiful at the mouth of the bayou and along the northern shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain and he’s ready for what’s about to happen. “I’m telling everybody to get their honey-do’s done now because this is the best time of the year to fish Bayou Lacombe,” Green says. 
Forrest Green joins the show from Bayou Adventure in Lacombe
Heat and The Harvest Moon Ray Miller of Madisonville fishes the Tchefuncte River for sac-a-lait and usually does well. On his latest trip he says he and a friend, Mike Manzella, had a tough time battling the elements. “Wow - was it hot out there and the ski boats, jet ski’s, and bass fishermen were in full force,” he says. Add to the Harvest Moon that shown the night before and the crappie were hard to come by. Miller and Manzella did manage to find a few slabs very deep fishing in 20’ of water with jigs. “That heat and the big harvest moon really put a hurting on the river fishing this week but that’s ok, Fall is coming,” says Miller. Tournament Results The Florida Parish Bass Anglers held their September tournament on the Ticfaw River. 21 boats showed up to fish for cash and merchandise prizes. The heat and the bite was hot for numerous teams as everyone spread out across the vast area that was available due to the light winds throughout the day. At the 3:00 p.m. weigh-in 11 limits were brought in to the scales. Finishing in first place was Skip Rayburn and Lance Davis who brought in a bag weighing 11.89 lbs. Rayburn and Davis also won the big fish division with a bass weighing 3.93 lbs. Thomas McCrystal & Sammy Cobb finished in second place with a total of 11.28 lbs. In third was the team of Donnie Bardwell and Nathan Tompkins who’s 5-fish limit totaled 10.55 lbs. 
Skip Rayborn and Lance Davis
Upcoming Tournaments
Our Lady of Lourdes Men’s Club is holding a fishing rodeo on September 21. Weigh-in will be held at The Dock in Slidell. There will be a family category which includes redfish, speckled trout, black drum, sheepshead, and flounder. Tickets a $35 per family. Family ticket includes food, music and inflatables games and other activities for the kids. For more information please go to redfishforcash.com. The next Liar's and Lunker's tournament will be on September 29th at the East Pearl River. For more information please contact Chad Hartzog at 985-502-3217. |
 Keith Lusher
I created NFR.com in the spring of 2012. Since then it 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. Support for NFR is crucial to its growth and I'm always looking for sponsors whether it be for web, radio, or newspaper. If you have any questions please email me at: Keith@NorthshoreFishingReport.com
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Shannon Bordelon of talks about the recent news of Bayou Adventure becoming the official kayak outfitter for Bayou Cane.
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