Keith Lusher Jr Every year around this time it happens. The cool fronts start rolling in, the leaves start falling, and more importantly, the speckled trout invade the bayous here on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain. I had the opportunity to jump in the boat with Lacombe legend Forrest Green to try and get an early jump on the speckled trout bite here on the North Shore. I spoke to Mr. Green at a recent CCA Banquet and he told me that they were starting to show up in the bayou and I just couldn’t pass up the chance to fish with the Bayou Lacombe veteran. We launched at the end of Lake Rd. in Lacombe, and was greeted by 10 MPH winds early. Mr. Green turned to me and said “No problem, it’s a north wind. The good thing about fishing here, when those fronts start moving through is this whole area is protected.” He backed the boat down and we both jumped in. Instead of heading out into the lake, Mr. Green headed up-river, a path I’ve never taken to hunt for speckled trout. He opened up the engine for what was all of 2 minutes, then the bow dipped back down and before I could grab my pole, the savvy veteran had the trolling motor in the water and was casting his smoke colored fluke on a 1/8 oz head towards the grassy shoreline. “This whole stretch of shoreline is where we’ve been catching them this past week,” he exclaimed.
"It was nice to feel that head franticly shaking on my line" As the boats started pulling up along the shoreline, I could tell there had been some previous days that were productive in the area. Mr. Green kept staring at a cut that was on the eastern shoreline and said. “That’s where they are, right there.” However there was a boat fishing there. We patiently casted along the shoreline inching in close enough to grab the spot when the boat decided to leave. Sure enough, the anglers steered their boat down the shoreline and Mr. Green swooped in and positioned the boat 50’ from shore. We casted into the cut and with a heave, I felt the boat thrust and Mr. Green set the hook on the day’s first fish. He slung an 11” speckled trout into the boat and said, “This is a good sign. We’re just going to have to sift through the small ones today.” It was my turn.
Mr. Green slings a keeper into the boat I felt at the fish slam the Gunmetal Shu-Shu that was tied to the end of my line and I set the hook. It’s was nice to feel that head shaking franticly on the other end of my line. I got the fish into the boat and it was another 11” trout. “Trouble! That’s what I call them,” Mr. Green joked. We caught 11” trout for about a half hour and then the first keeper came into the boat. We both were relived and let out a simultaneous “There we go!” From that point until 9:00 am. Mr. Green and I put 38 speckled trout in the ice chest, all caught in one cut. “You have to be patient. If you’re catching small ones, then the bigger ones are bound to come through. These fish are moving up and down this shoreline and it’s just a matter of time before they pass through,” He said. For you speckled trout anglers that are looking to put some fish in the boat, now is the time! “October is speckled trout time here on Bayou Lacombe, get out here and start living,” Mr. Green added.
