Blog Posts

Turning the Corner

4/4/2016

Jeff Bruhl

The month of April is when the weather turns the corner. As the month comes in, the Pearl and Atchafalaya will be high. The Pearl will begin to fall to the right level but this depends on local rainfall. The Basin will stay high as it does every spring. However, other spots around the Northshore and south Louisiana will be good this month.
Basin Report
With the Basin at 6.5 FT, it makes bass fishing tough. Bayou Black, Dularge area, and spots along the perimeter of the river are better options. If the river does begin to fall, the magic level is four feet on the Morgan City Gauge. When the river makes it below that level, fishing should be great. It has been several months of little to no pressure on the fish. And the bass have to move out of the woods where anglers can find them. Spinnerbaits, plastics, and buzzbaits are good choices. Always bring a frog of some sort because it is prime frog time in April. Delta Lures Thunder jigs, a vibrating jig, is a hot bait for the area.

Northshore
Northshore fishing gives the anglers many tough choices this time of year. From white perch on the Tchefuncte to bass on the Tickfaw or Warmouth Perch (Goggle Eye) on most bayous and rivers along the lakes, anglers have a hard time deciding what to target. On the bass scene, the Tickfaw and Natalbany Rivers are producing some nice stringers and good numbers of bass. The Tangipahoa is another river making the climb up from the past storm years. A good 13-14 pound stringer is needed to take a purse on a Manchac tournament. The Pearl should fall below 10 feet about the second week of April if the rains taper. That would be another area to check. Buzzbaits, jigs, and topwaters are great April lure to try.
On the topic of panfish, the small fish congregate big time in April on the Northshore rivers. A bottle of Gulp Crickets and a cork is a fun way to spend and afternoon. From the Tickfaw to the Pearl, Goggle Eye spawn in April and May. Add in crappie, bream, redear (chinquapin, lake runners), and other species for some delicious and fun action. Often bass anglers have a hard time keeping the panfish off their jig or plastic this time of year. Usually, the same pockets that had bass will hold spawning perch.
Here are a few setups to catch the smaller variety of fish. First, a waggler (cork, float) style bobber is best for the shy biting Warmouth. Add a small sinker or two and a small hook. Gulp Crickets are easy to use and can be stored until needed. Another setup that is successful is a sliding cork with a bright tail tube jig. Add a crappie nibble to sweeten the deal. Finally, a tight lined road runner or hair jig works, too.

Delacroix/Desallemands/Marsh
April is often better for anglers on the bass front because fish move out of the small, hard to reach ponds and into bigger lakes. The spawn can continue heavily in April but has usually ran its course by then.
Desallemands has had some great reports in the past few months. Like other hurricane ravaged spots, the bass fishing has rebounded. Along with the panfish, bass fishing is good in the main canals and points around the lakes and bays. Bouef is producing sac-au-lait again, too. Thunder jigs, buzzbaits, and soft weightless presentations are a few options.
Delacroix is another option for April bass. From the MRGO to the Crow’s Foot, the reports have been as expected for the hotspot of old. The grass is coming back along with the bass. With some stable weather, the fishing should be great for the month. Frogs, spinnerbaits, and senkos are good options for the area.

March Best Bets

2/26/2016

Jeff Bruhl

March can be a good month for freshwater fishing. Unless of course you live along the gulf coast area of Louisiana. Heavy rains, winds before and after fronts, and roller coaster temperatures often throw a monkey wrench in any game plan. However, if the timing is right, a trip may be more Dr. Jekyll than Mr. Hyde. The bass and white perch (crappie, Sac-au-lait) spawn heavily during March. If an angler knows where the fish were last year, they should be there this year or very close to the same areas. All that is needed is a good warm day between fronts to catch a few fish.

Basin Report
The Atchafalaya River controls the water levels in the Basin. The predicted levels for early March is about four feet. If the water levels on the Morgan City Gauges fall below four feet, head to the Basin to find bass and panfish. If not, reports are good on the Verett side of the spillway. Tournaments are being won with 17-19 pound stringers. Jigs, rogues, and punching seem to be the best options from the reports coming in. Look for canals with stained water because much of the area is muddy. As the river falls, the Verett side should clear. Marsh areas below Bayou Black are producing numbers in both bass and sac-au-lait. Dularge to Penchant and up to Orange Groove canal are good for perch jerkin. Tube jigs under corks or tight lined next to bank vegetation is the way to find them.

Northshore
Another round of rain sets the river fishing back another week. The Pearl River is high and will remain so for a few weeks. Each passing fronts only reinforces the rain swollen river. If a trip to the Pearl is a must, try the marsh ponds around the lake. Some ponds remain stained during high water times.
The good news is many of the smaller rivers and bayous will become fishable after a passing front. Bass and crappie reports have been good this past month. A recent trip to the Tchefuncte put 20 nice white perch in the boat for me. March should be a good month for white perch along the northern part of Lake Pontchartrain. Anglers should try a fixed cork presentation for perch first then use a sliding cork around cover and other areas where perch are discovered. Road Runners are another option. A Road Runner bounced throw a spawning area often triggers a bite from the bigger females. With the water stained to muddy, start with black and chartreuse tubes.

Delacroix/Marsh
March is a challenging month with the weather dictating the action. However, several options are possible in the marsh. Bass, reds, and trout are scattered along the lakes and bayous of Delacroix. Anglers can catch bass but fall back on trout if needed. Bass are tough to reach as many head to ponds which may be tough to access when water levels are low. Fronts play heck on water levels this time of year. Water may be here today and gone tomorrow. Delta Lures Thunder Jigs are a great way to catch local bass. Plastics on light Texas rigs are a mainstay for local bass. Trout will take Matrix Shad (Creole) under a cork. Just look for the armada of boats.
If the saying March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb holds, the full moon later in March is the time to be on the water. Warmer water and calm weather signs fish to move into their spawning areas. Anglers should brush up on the biological cycles of their favorite species to help target places where spawns occur. Also, keep a journal this year because fish tend to repeat the same pattern next year.

Wintertime Tips

1/25/2016

Jeff Bruhl

Louisiana weather can go from hot to cold to hot in a short period of time. Passing fronts bring rain and high winds. River levels may go high one week and fall out the next. Winter bass fishing is tough to begin with but weather often makes it impossible to figure out a pattern. Along with a few local spots, here are a few tactics to help fill a limit.

Stanley Flippin' jig (Black and Blue)

By far the best wintertime bait is a jig and pig. Crawfish are a primary food source because the little crustaceans hatch in the late fall. The Pearl River and Tchefuncte River have plenty of bottom crawlers for bass to target. Colors on the local crawfish vary but a black or black and blue Stanley jig is an all-around workhorse. Beginners should start with a half-ounce head because there is a big learning curve with a jig. The right action pole, fishing on a slack line, working it through cover, and feeling the fish when it takes the lure are part of the equation when it comes to pitching a jig. The wooded area of the Pearl is the place to master all the nuances of jig fishing.

There are a few jig combos that work well on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain. First, if the water temps are in the low fifties and below, switch to a pork chunk. It has better action than plastic. Next, Blue colored trailers are the mainstay for the area. Black neon would be a close second in muddy water. Finally, any lure can be a jig trailer. Berkley Chigger Craw, Zoom Chunk, and finesse crawfish are a few of the possible attachments. After the half ounce head is comfortable, try heavier and light sizes until one is right for the area.

On bright sunny days, bass may patrol grass mats for food. The mats heat up like a roof on a house which is home to insects, frogs, and bait fish. Penetrating a big sinking with a gnarly hook through a mat is fun. However, with big rods and heavy weights, it will put a workout on the arms and back if fished all day. In Southeast Louisiana, sinkers that penetrate our mats run from ¾ - 1 ½ ounce. And the sinkers cost more than your favorite crankbait. The biggest tip on punching mats is the right rod will make a world of difference. A rod with tip that has some flex and butt with the right stiffness helps the fish load up on the bait and gives the angler time to react to the bite. In our area, extra fast and extra heavy rods are the least preferable. An extra fast or fast action rod with a medium heavy blank is a good starting point. Abu Garcia Veritas or Villain lines work well. Add 65 pound Spiderwire or 25 pound 100% Fluorocarbon (if water is clear), a peg, and a snelled Berkley Fusion heavy cover hook to the mix for a dynamite setup for winter bass.

If water temperatures are fifty and below, the above tactics are what an angler should stick to on the Northshore areas. Red crankbaits and spinnerbaits would be next on the list to try. Red crankbaits that reach the bottom mimic a fleeing crawfish. A big mistake anglers make this time of year is fishing to shallow. Three to five foot diving baits and a few five to seven foot divers keep the bait in the bottom cover and finds the strike zone on colder days. Anglers should slow the bait to a crawl. Long pauses and slow cranking is the best tactic during the early winter months. Spinnerbaits are good this time of year, too. However, anglers should make a blade change. The goal is to slow the bait down. Switch to a single Colorado blade or a tandem combo without a willow leaf blade. Heavier heads help by keeper the bait closer to the bottom and in contact with cover. A basic tip is the crank the bait just fast enough to feel it thumping.

A tournament winner might reply when ask where he caught the fish with the phrase “In the water!”. When north winds suck the water out of the marsh along the bayous and rivers of the Northshore, the fish are still in the water. Many anglers panic when faced with a dry marsh. However, a change in tactics should put fish in the boat. Less water means less places for a fish to call home. Anglers should hits drains and points but check deeper canals and dead ends for fish forced out of the woods. On a cold blue northern day, a trip with ten bites is a good trip.

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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.