Jeff Bruhl

November Best Bets

11/16/2017

Jeff Bruhl

November has brought some great weather and some not so great. However, you have to play the cards dealt. High winds during the fall months are brutal. A passing front will drive the water up then suck it out after it passes. With a few key tips, playing the wind this time of year is what fall fishing is all about.

Northshore
The relentless summer rains have stopped. The Pearl River is now at a stable ix feet on the Pearl River, Louisiana gauge. Reports are great for the area, too. From the West to marsh and back up the East, bass fishing is as steady as the river. First let’s talk about the marsh. The lower marsh between East and West Pearl Rivers is loaded with marsh bass. It is fun to pick up a spinnerbait this time of year and hit points and drains. Fish are feeding on shad and shrimp that migrate through the ditches around Lake Pontchartrain. Next, the West Pearl is a bit stained but a great place to throw a jig. Anglers should target wood cover. Finally, the East Pearl is has a mix of drains and cover that a bass angler could order any better. The key is to fish drains on a falling tide and bends in the river when the tide is coming in.
Rivers across the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain can be very tough to fish this time of year. Hard winds before a front will push the water into woods and grass areas and the fish seem to disappear. Post front day find the high pressure gives the fish lockjaw. The size and quantity on the good days make it a fun place to fish. Reports are good from the Tickfaw to the Tchefuncte. Anglers have to pick the right days when tides and weather are perfect. A few days after a front when the tidal range is high is the time to go. Suspending jerkbaits around cover, plastics in the wood cover, and slow moving spinnerbaits are good choices for the area.

Delacroix/Chef Pass
Delacroix has some good reports but can be tougher to fish when cold fronts stir up the water. The Chef Pass area has some protected places that keep the fish happy and the water clear. Several trip to the Chef has produced quantity where Delacroix produces quality. When the wind howls and make running a trolling motor a nightmare, break out a spinnerbait. I have had some success of late with a Delta Lure Houdini colored spinnerbait. The vibrating jig in that color works great, too. Anglers should fish ponds, small bayous, and other places where the water is clean to clear.
Venice
I made a two day trip to Venice under brutal conditions. A front hit the area about the time we arrived. We had gloomy weather and winds on day one and bluebird conditions on day two. We managed to catch fish close to Venice both days. However, day one was better as the falling temps slowed the bite on day two. Plus we fished to noon the second day and the best action was later in the day as the tide fell out. When conditions are brutal hit, pick up the flipping sticks and pond the canes and Hyacinth. One tip is to use a lighter weight on one rod and a heavy weight on another rod. When you find a section that produces with the light weight, go back over it with the heavy weight. Believe me, the wind will shrink the fishable areas down to nothing in the delta.

Check out Marshman Masson on youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR_ZbgBY7eY

Basin
Anglers continue to bring in 16-18 pound stringers in most events. It looks the area survived another hurricane season and things are look great for the fall and winter months. Vegetation choking off some areas is still a concern. The basic tips this time of year is to fish slower and more methodical no matter what tactic you try. Slow roll spinnerbaits off the drop offs, soak plastics around cover, or go weightless with flukes and worms over grass beds. Like the Pearl River system, marsh areas produce quantity and wooded areas produce quality.

October Best Bets

10/2/2017

Jeff Bruhl

The rain has stopped but the heat continues. Reports have improved but fall did not get the memo about starting in September. River stages are down across the board. If the weather can bring down the temperature the fishing will be great in October.

Northshore
The Pearl River has finally fallen below ten feet on the gauge. Tournament stringers are coming in between 15-16 pounds again. With the water temps running around 80 degrees, summer patterns are still in play. Frogs around pads and points on the main river are starting points for any trip.
Bayou Liberty is a mess. The project to rebuild the marsh continues so much of the area is muddy. The speckle trout run may or may not happen in the area this fall. Bass action remains steady once you find some clean water.
Further west around the Tchefuncte and Tickfaw Rivers the fishing has been good. Bass are schooling on shad around the mouths of the rivers and along the shoreline. The activity is tide dependent so if the water is not moving, try something else. For the lower end of the rivers, frogs, rogues, and weightless plastics around drains or wood cover is always an option.

Basin
Reports are mixed but 15 pounds is what it takes to cash a check. Several anglers reported there is muddy water in parts of the Basin. A stick and move tactic is good when searching for fish in changing water condition. Verret has some fish showing up along the shoreline and around Belle River. Spooks and frogs are great to start the day then switch to plastics later in the day. For fun anglers can head south as the marshes are loaded with bass. Ponds, drains, and canals below Hwy 90 hold bass ready to take small worms, small spinnerbaits, and topwaters. Downsizing is a good option when fishing tidal water.

Delacroix/Chef Pass
If a mix of reds and bass is what fills the bill, the marsh from Chef Pass to Delacroix is the ticket. A Johnson Gold Weed less Spoon (1/2 ounce is best) will take bass and reds in the grass around bays and ponds around the marsh. Tide is always the first factor to put into the equation. Anglers should plan trips on high tide range days for the best results. Single Colorado (gold) spinnerbaits are another choice for the marsh. A 1/8-1/4 ounce beetle spin is a great way to save money. A redfish will completely destroy a regular spinnerbait. Delta Lure’s Thunder Jig is another fish catching bait for the marsh. For deep holes or for times when the water is high over the submerged grass, it works great on the green and red fish.

Venice
Venice is a heaven on earth type of fishery. However, it can been hell to find the right spot and locate the fish. A recent trip proved this to be true. We struggles the first day to scratch out a limit. By the end of the day we located a stretch with fish. The next day was some of the best cane flipping I have seen in years. Tons of two pounders and lots of threes to fours to throw in the mix. Here is the scoop on Venice. First, the river is around three feet on the NOLA gauge. However, strong east winds have kept the water high around Venice. Second, the dredging going on around Dennis pass has that area quite muddy. Next, the river is turning green and stating to clean up. We found the water is still too high for many areas because the fish are six feet inside the cane. The key is to find a canal or area where the water is clean and the bank is high enough to force the fish into the outside canes. We found a spot way down river around Southeast Pass. Delta Duck (Delta National Wildlife Refuge) has fish as does many areas around Main Pass, Octave, and Raphael. Since it was duck season we avoided these spots because it is against regulations to fish there during hunting season. There are plenty other place to fish, I promise.
Reports were canals and ponds off Cadro Pass held fish. The Venice area has lots of bass but the big girls are easier to catch down river. One good front should solve the water level issues. Water temps were high, 81-84, even down river. The river is falling and one good push of a front should set the whole area up for some great fishing this month.
For open water like points around ponds or drains in some of the oil field canals, Ribbits and spinnerbaits are good choices. For flipping the cane, anglers need two rigs, one lighter than the other. A punching rig with a one ounce or more pegged sinker is great for search around hyacinth patches. A 3/8 ounce (1/4-1/2 oz. depending on the strength of the tide) is great for flipping in and around the base of the canes. Work the bait slowly. The fish are aggressive but seemed to want it just sitting there. Green colored (watermelon, green pumpkin) worked well in clean water and dark colors (Junebug, black and blue) did better if the water color was a little off.
Bring a box of crappie jigs because the bream are stacked amongst the canes with the bass. If bream repeated hammer the punching rig, the bass are nearby. One reason a worm is a good choice is the bream will not pull all the legs off your lizard or creature bait.

September Best Bets

9/5/2017

Jeff Bruhl

Weather is a major influence on fishing. It is also an influence on our daily lives. Our hearts and prays go out to the folks in Texas and West Louisiana after the devastating impact of Harvey. This year has been nothing but rain and swollen rivers. The end of August was no exception.

Northshore
Harvey’s path impacted fishing on the Northshore. Rains kept many rivers high. Strong tropical winds pushed tidal water into the Pearl River area which muddied the region quite nicely. However, a few gaps in the weather showed the fishing was still good. Several 15 pounds stingers come from the North Pass area. Tangipahoa River, Tickfaw River, and spots around Manchac are seeing the stringers creep up in weight. Spinnerbaits, flipping plastics, and whopper ploppers are part of the mix to finding fish. Depending on the tropics, it looks like we are getting a week or two of dry weather. Rivers like the Pearl should fall below levels we have not seen for many months. The bass are there but high water has made finding them tough.

Basin
It is the same story over in the Morgan City area. When the conditions get right, some nice fish are coming to the scales. The stage at Morgan City is predicted to go back up to about four feet. Verret and other spots should be better option for the first few weeks of September. For numbers, the marsh below Bayou Black and towards Houma is the hot spot. Anglers should fish weightless plastics, spinnerbaits, and frogs around grass for a fun day of fishing. If the weather turns dry and cool this month, look for the Basin to be red hot. Many of the tournaments this summer were filled with five fish stringers. The numbers are there but try punching, frogs on shady banks, and big spinnerbaits for a big bite.

Delacroix/Chef Pass
Tidal surges can wreak havoc on marsh ponds and bayous. High winds from Harvey pushes grass against your favorite shoreline or makes a hot spot a mud hole. The prescription to fix this is a few days of light winds, a cycle or two of a good tide, and no rain. A recent trip to the Chef area produced only a small percentage of fish compared to other trips. Like Delacroix and other marsh holes, it will take a few days of calm weather to bring the fish back into focus. Thunder Jigs in white colors in clean water, trick worms, and gold spoons are good for marsh bass.

Venice
The roller coaster will go up the early part of the month then hit about five feet (NOLA Gauge) by the end of the month. Reports dropped off for this spot because the high winds make it such a dangerous place to be. Like many tidal spots in Louisiana, Venice can be great one trip and very tough the next. It takes years to learn a vast region like Venice. Areas like Delta Duck can go south quickly of the river drops to fast. Rising water from the river might prevent the water from pulling out of your favorite section of canes. However, the fish are there so save a vacation day for the end of the month or on a good falling tide in October. In the fall, add some orange to a spinnerbait and have some fun in Venice. A blade or a few strands of orange in the skirt is a great tip for anglers looking to whack on a few bass down river.

August Best Bets

8/8/2017

Jeff Bruhl

As summer continues, so do the rain storms. Rivers are going up and down more than your favorite roller coaster. Fishing reports are doing the same. One week the reports are great. The next week tides, rains, and winds keep the anglers home. Anglers should pick their days but take Mr. Weatherman’s forecast with a grain a salt.

Northshore
A recent round of rain has sent the rivers up along Lake Pontchartrain. Anglers continue to bring in good sacks but fishing has been tough due to high water. Schools of shad are beginning to migrate out of the rivers so shad patterns are great choices. Crankbaits and white colored spinnerbaits are good choices to start a trip. Topwaters like white frogs or poppers fill in the gaps. For muddy water, slow moving dark colored jigs are best.
If, and it is a big if, the weather turns to sunny days and the rivers fall, try suspending jerkbaits around point and main river cover like laydowns and docks. During the summer heat, fish will suspend in deeper water and under anything that provides shade.

Basin
The Basin did fall below four feet at Morgan City but there is a small rise coming the next week or so of August. Many of the events out of the lower Basin has just about every angler/anglers weighing in a limit. I suspect the anglers that zero just throw back five fish and do not bother with the points or aggravation of weighing in a small sack. The best report for action is the lower marshes. From Bayou Black to the west, anglers report a ton of marsh bass are being caught. Frogs over grass, worms around points, or spinnerbaits around wood are popular themes in the reports.
Panfish action is also picking up steam. A cork and a tube jig (or Gulp crickets) thrown around the bigger Cypress trees is a fun way to spend the afternoon. In the midsection of the Basin, the reports are just about every tree has got fish. But anglers are known the stretch the truth a little.

Delacroix/Chef Pass
Since it has been several years since a hurricane has passed through the marshes of Louisiana, the bass fishing continues to improve. The Chef Pass area through Violet and all the way down to Delacroix, bass fishing has rebounded in a big way. Although many fish are small, 10-12 inch range, the numbers can make up for the lack of size. There are some nice fish mixed in with the small one, too. For area in the marsh, try silver bladed spinnerbaits to imitate shade. Delta Lure’s Thunder Jig in Houdini does a good job cover the shrimp colors. It also does double duty as a redfish bait, too. A Vudu shrimp is hard to beat, too. Anglers should fish the bigger lakes and ponds but check drains and runouts for the best action.

Venice
Just like the roller coaster, the reports go up and down for the area. If the tide is not right, anglers can struggle catching fish in Venice. However, the river should be below five feet on the New Orleans gauge by the end of August. This gives the bass a few less spots to hide. Delta Duck is the community hole. Other areas should be options as the river falls. Last year, Loomis and Southeast Pass were fertile grounds for bass fishermen.
On the how to’s to fish Venice it should be simple. If the tide is falling hard, flip the canes. If the tide is rising, try the points in canals or entrances to ponds. The water usually moves in one direction when entering a pond. Anglers should fish the side where the water is moving out of the pond. For canals and ponds, a good option is weightless plastics fished slowly around isolated grass patches. Spinnerbaits and frogs are good depending on wind and cloudy cover.

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Jeff Bruhl

I was born with a fishing pole in my hand. Growing up south of Folsom, Louisiana, I spent many days fishing the ponds and rivers in the area. Louisiana is truly a sportsman paradise. A trip for bass in the morning followed by an afternoon venture for a few redfish or speckle trout is what Louisiana is all about. Pharmacy school took me to north Louisiana where I learned about fishing crappie and bass along the bayous. My love of the outdoors has translated into a hobby as well as a job in the outdoor writing field. Articles from my pen have hit many major Louisiana publications. Also, a weekly live radio spot on WWL 870 AM - Outdoors with Don Dubuc is another love I have. Each Saturday morning I am up reporting on some of the state's best bass fishing spots and bass fishing news.