Keith Lusher Jr They say folks around here will find a way to throw a party for any reason. The same could be said about holding a competition. The 2nd Annual Madisonville Frog Rodeo kicked of this weekend in Madisonville on the Tchefuncte River. Keith Jenkins of Frog Bones Cajun Sauces invited me to join his team for an overnight trip in the Rice Fields just off of the river. As the team gathered at the launch at the end of Lake Rd. in Madisonville, something told me that this would be a party and a competition all rolled into one.
Keith Jenkins slaps the bottom of the bridge upon entering the Rice Field Canal Soon the radio in the boat drowned out the motor and we were off to the Rice Field Canal. As we passed T-Rivers Bar at the entrance of the canal, I noticed a mad scramble to the bow of the boat. As we passed under the “high bridge” bridge, the team slapped the bottom of the bridge and cries of “ayyyeeee” echoed between the bottom of the bridge and the water’s surface. Keith says it’s a ritual for them. “Just like football players slap the entrance of the stadium as they run on to the field, we slap the bridge as a sign of love and respect for the bayou. So when we enter this bayou we slap the bridge and when we leave we will do the same out of respect,” Jenkins says. Our first stop was a small cut on the left. A simple tranasse inundated with hydrilla and duckweed.
Samantha Stein scans the waters surface for frogs The lights shined bright from the bow into the overgrowth as a spunky blonde with pig tails and a camouflage hat, climbed onto the edge of the bow and maneuvered into position. “Go Lighting Bolt” the team cried. “Watch this! This girl is quick,” Keith said. It didn’t take long before Samantha Stein, AKA Lighting Bolt, reached down and snatched the first frog of the night. “This one is just too small. What we’re looking for is one that is five inches or bigger. About the size of a beer can,” she said.
Kelsea Sharp, Mark Stein, Samantha Stein, Keith Jenkins having fun at T-Rivers After a few more small frogs, Samantha’s brother, Mark Stein, made the decision to hit the duck pond and venture into a canal with a more solid bank. “When the water is high like tonight, it’s hard to find them because they’ll hide back in the weeds. With a hard bank, they’re forced to gather along the shoreline where we can see them,” Mark said. The decision payed off and within five minutes Keith shined a big bullfrog sitting on the muddy bank of the canal. Mark positioned the boat straight at the frog and before crashing into the bank, Samantha slapped at the water and came up with the first keeper of the night. We continued down the canal and filled the bucket with frogs ranging from 6-8 inches. Keith says those are the best size to keep because they fry the best. “That’s the size you want right there. Not too thick, not too thin. Just right for frying,” he says.
Misty Cox checks the weight on the winning frog As weigh-in approached on Sunday morning, the crowds gathered along the Madisonville riverfront. Rodeo organizer, Misty Cox, weighed in frog after frog and tallied the results. In the end, it was Trey Harriss who won the rodeo with a 20-frog limit that weighed 33.9 lbs. with the biggest frog of the contest weighing a whopping 2.29 lbs. Keith says the interest in this rodeo is growing. “This is only the second year so it’s definitely growing fast. Maybe in four more years we can turn this thing into the “frog Festival,” Jenkins says.
Salt Bayou
When it comes to fishing, nothing is a sure thing. But fishing Salt Bayou may be as close as you can get to a sure thing when the temperatures start to rise. Todd Oalman made a trip to the bayou and used Watermelon Wreck Shu-Shu’s rigged weedless to catch a limit of bass. Todd concentrated on the drains coming out of the marsh and says the water is still not as clean as he would like to see it. “The water was falling and muddy. It should be on in a week or two,” Oalman says.
Salt Bayou
When it comes to fishing, nothing is a sure thing. But fishing Salt Bayou may be as close as you can get to a sure thing when the temperatures start to rise. Todd Oalman made a trip to the bayou and used Watermelon Wreck Shu-Shu’s rigged weedless to catch a limit of bass. Todd concentrated on the drains coming out of the marsh and says the water is still not as clean as he would like to see it. “The water was falling and muddy. It should be on in a week or two,” Oalman says.
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