Keith Lusher Jr
Go into any bait shop on the North Shore and you'll hear talk of it. Turn on the television or radio and you'll hear the doom and gloom. Yes, the Bonnet Carre' Spillway has been opened, flushing Lake Pontchartrain of it's normally brackish water and turning it into a muddy mess of river water and driftwood. The thought of 4 times the water of Niagara Falls flowing into Lake Pontchartrain enough to fill up the Superdome in one second has sent the fishing community here on the North Shore into a state of depression. The last time the Spillway was opened was in May of 2011 wiping out any hope for a good spring trout run that Lake Pontchartrain is known for.
Take a look at what is unfolding now. What we are seeing is the earliest opening of the spillway ever seen. it's January, a month where most anglers are sitting by the fire and watching NFL Playoff games or sporting the the latest Mossy Oak camouflage outfit in the woods. January, a month where the water temperatures in Lake Pontchartrain dip down so low that the correct response to the question - "Wanna go fishing?" would be - "What...Ice fishing?" The fact of the matter is if the spillway has to be opened, this is the one of the best times to have it happen. Roy Pendergraft of Covington says he does 90% of his fishing in Lake Pontchartrain and there's no time like the present to open the spillway. "The earlier they open it, the better. I don't really venture far from the 'Lady P' for 90% of my fishing, so I just make the best of it. The end result will be some good fishing later in the summer and into the fall," he says.
Lake Pontchartrain is not a true lake, it's an estuary, meaning that it is in a constant state of change from brackish water to fresh. Roy reminds everyone that river water into the lake is something that has been happening for quite some time. "I kinda look at it this way - Prior to the levees, and the spillway, the river used to flood and make it’s way into the lake, but the lake has always rebounded," he says.
Take a look at what is unfolding now. What we are seeing is the earliest opening of the spillway ever seen. it's January, a month where most anglers are sitting by the fire and watching NFL Playoff games or sporting the the latest Mossy Oak camouflage outfit in the woods. January, a month where the water temperatures in Lake Pontchartrain dip down so low that the correct response to the question - "Wanna go fishing?" would be - "What...Ice fishing?" The fact of the matter is if the spillway has to be opened, this is the one of the best times to have it happen. Roy Pendergraft of Covington says he does 90% of his fishing in Lake Pontchartrain and there's no time like the present to open the spillway. "The earlier they open it, the better. I don't really venture far from the 'Lady P' for 90% of my fishing, so I just make the best of it. The end result will be some good fishing later in the summer and into the fall," he says.
Lake Pontchartrain is not a true lake, it's an estuary, meaning that it is in a constant state of change from brackish water to fresh. Roy reminds everyone that river water into the lake is something that has been happening for quite some time. "I kinda look at it this way - Prior to the levees, and the spillway, the river used to flood and make it’s way into the lake, but the lake has always rebounded," he says.
Crews pull the "pins" from each bay on the spillway
Andy Hammer, of Metairie says that he likes to use the freshwater to his advantage by targeting isolated areas of high salinity that occur in the southern-most parts of Lake Pontchartrain. "The trick will be finding where the pockets of salt water are. Once they are found, I think the fish will be there. The last time the spillway opened, we were able to catch them in the Rigolets. The tide should bring a wedge of saltwater in, regardless of how much freshwater is in the lake," Andy says. Another thing to remember while fishing the lake is that saltwater is denser that freshwater forcing the freshwater to the surface. Andy says he can recall the last time the spillway was opened. "The last time it was opened, the top of the lake looked awful, but we were pulling specks, drum, and reds off the bottom in the deeper areas of the Rigolets and where the Rigolets meets the Lake," he says.
The opening in January doesn't guarantee that the spillway won't have to be re-opened this spring. But remember one thing. The high water levels in the Mississippi are due to the rainfall up north. That rainfall is normally snowfall that packs in and combines with February and March's snowfall. What this all means is that we are getting half of the runoff that normally see from the melting snow, in late spring.
Jeff Kreller is one of the very few who fishes the lake year round and says. "I refuse to go into a deep depression over the doom-n-gloom every time the spillway opens. I love Lady P, and that's where I'll fish no matter what the conditions may be. So I guess I'm an optimist," Kreller says. For the pessimists, Jeff jokingly adds, "I declare that the lake will be dead until 2018 and no one should try for trout with my hidden motive being that there will be more trout for me alone to find."
Hydracoast Map
There has been considerable improvements in monitoring Lake Pontchartrain since the Bonnet Carre' Spillway opening in 2011. One improvement is the Lake Pontchartain Hydrdocoast Map that is featured on the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation's SaveOurLake.org website. The map monitors salinity in the Lake Pontchartrain and surrounding areas. The organization urges anglers to use the map to their advantage by monitoring the salinity levels in different area of the lake.
The opening in January doesn't guarantee that the spillway won't have to be re-opened this spring. But remember one thing. The high water levels in the Mississippi are due to the rainfall up north. That rainfall is normally snowfall that packs in and combines with February and March's snowfall. What this all means is that we are getting half of the runoff that normally see from the melting snow, in late spring.
Jeff Kreller is one of the very few who fishes the lake year round and says. "I refuse to go into a deep depression over the doom-n-gloom every time the spillway opens. I love Lady P, and that's where I'll fish no matter what the conditions may be. So I guess I'm an optimist," Kreller says. For the pessimists, Jeff jokingly adds, "I declare that the lake will be dead until 2018 and no one should try for trout with my hidden motive being that there will be more trout for me alone to find."
Hydracoast Map
There has been considerable improvements in monitoring Lake Pontchartrain since the Bonnet Carre' Spillway opening in 2011. One improvement is the Lake Pontchartain Hydrdocoast Map that is featured on the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation's SaveOurLake.org website. The map monitors salinity in the Lake Pontchartrain and surrounding areas. The organization urges anglers to use the map to their advantage by monitoring the salinity levels in different area of the lake.
Hydrocoast Map Salinity December 28, 2015 - January 03, 2016
