Keith Lusher We’ve all heard the reports of the speckled trout being caught at the Trestles this spring. Typically March and April are prime months to catch larger-than-average speckled trout. Plastic lures such as Matrix Shad, Vudu Shrimp, and Shu-Shu’s litter the reports of anglers who manage to catch limits at the train bridge.
Captain Calvine Duvall discuses his plans for the day at Island Marina Yes, life was good for those two months, but it’s now May, and those same fishermen who targeted the bridge with plastics now have a decision to make - Stick with plastic lures or join the masses that are using live shrimp. That’s right! The live shrimp bite is slowly taking over at the Trestles, and catching trout on plastics is becoming a task even for the most experienced Lake Pontchartrain angers. I made a fishing trip with Calvin Duvall of Duvall’s Cajun Charters where I witnessed first hand just how fast these fish have gone from feeding on plastic, to wanting nothing but live shrimp. We launched out of Island Marina of Lake Catherine and made our way north to the train bridge in Slidell. It was a Tuesday so we didn’t expect much competition for a spot at the bridge. Boy were we wrong! As we passed under the drawbridge, we counted over 30 boats fishing the west side of the bridge south of the draw. Then to the north there were over 40. We squeezed into a gap in the line of boats fishing the bridge at the 174 mark. I knew the live shrimp would be getting plucked from the live well within seconds so I grabbed my rod and tied on the closest thing to a live shrimp that I could find.
The first speck of the day came on a Shu-Shu Marsh Craw It was a Shu-Shu Marsh Craw in the Gunmetal color. I whipped it out and on the third cast felt that fantastic thump that’s so unique to the bridge. I slung the fish into the boat and was one-up on the live bait fisherman. Then as I casted back toward the bridge, the rest of the party joined in. All rigged with live shrimp on a drop-shot rig. I stayed steadfast in my attempt to catch more on plastic, but one after another the others started setting the their hooks on fish and swinging them into the boat.
Captain Calvin Duvall holds up Wanda Stewart's speckled torut caught on live shrimp I stubbornly continued to fish with plastic but it was to no avail. After witnessing over ten speckled trout being caught within an hour, I defeatedly reached into the live well, grabbed a shrimp, and joined the fish catching party. Our charter captain for the day, Calvin Duvall, says summer is coming, which means fishing with plastic will be getting tougher. “I love to fish artificial. It’s my favorite way to fish. But live shrimp is king when it comes to speckled trout. Once that live shrimp hits the bottom, those trout will pass up that artificial to get that shrimp,” Duvall says. We ended the day with a healthy box of speckled trout mixed in with a few sheepshead. Most of the fish were caught on the east side of the Trestles. For those wanting to fish the Trestles, Calvin says the days are limited due to the fact that they all be moving to saltier water to spawn soon.
Adelyn LaMarca got caught wearing her life jacket L&N Bridge
In the past few year we’ve noticed the emergence of bass into what is typically known as saltwater fishing spots. Anthony LaMarca and his family made a trip to the L&N Train Bridge and says the intention was to catch redfish. “I heard some reds were biting at the L&N bridge and my three-year-old had been begging me to take her fishing. We tried a few spots around Lake Catherine first with no luck and then made it to the bridge and my wife immediately hooked into something big that broke her line. My guess, it was a big drum,” Anthony says. The family moved around the bridge and finally settled on a spot where they caught something unexpected. We moved around a bit and then started catching some really nice freshwater catfish that was enough for a little fish fry,” he says. But the highlight of the trip didn’t come from any fish caught. “A couple of Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries boats passed us while we were fishing. One of them looped back around and tossed my little girl a t-shirt for having her life jacket on. It really made her day,” LaMarca says.
In the past few year we’ve noticed the emergence of bass into what is typically known as saltwater fishing spots. Anthony LaMarca and his family made a trip to the L&N Train Bridge and says the intention was to catch redfish. “I heard some reds were biting at the L&N bridge and my three-year-old had been begging me to take her fishing. We tried a few spots around Lake Catherine first with no luck and then made it to the bridge and my wife immediately hooked into something big that broke her line. My guess, it was a big drum,” Anthony says. The family moved around the bridge and finally settled on a spot where they caught something unexpected. We moved around a bit and then started catching some really nice freshwater catfish that was enough for a little fish fry,” he says. But the highlight of the trip didn’t come from any fish caught. “A couple of Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries boats passed us while we were fishing. One of them looped back around and tossed my little girl a t-shirt for having her life jacket on. It really made her day,” LaMarca says.
