Keith Lusher Bass fishing on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain can be challenging for some anglers. For those who have have experience with the area, deciphering the rivers and how they react to the tides and rainfall is second nature. They know exactly what to expect from any given canal or ditch judging by what the water is doing. And then there are those who are new to the area. Those who are used to a more typical river system that doesn’t deal with nearly the runoff from rainfall or the fluctuating tidal movement that we see here.
Desmond Champion recently moved from El Dorado, Arkansas where he was pretty good at figuring out the bass pattern on the local rivers. Desmond started fishing the Ouachita River and Lake Felsenthal area of South Arkansas at a young age. “I used to bass fish with my uncle James since before I can remember,” the 26-year-old says. Later on, when Desmond reached high school, his uncle thought that he had shown enough progress to introduce him to the world of bass fishing tournaments. It didn’t take him long until he won his first tournament with his uncle. Desmond recalls the tournament, “It was a Thursday evening tournament. We were flipping some cypress trees using a sweet beaver and switched over to spinnerbaits that evening and ended up with 16 lbs. for the win,” Desmond says. Desmond started fishing more tournaments in South Arkansas and a year later won the Chamber’s tournament on the Ouachita River. The contest had over 100 entries and payed out $5,000. Desmond and his Uncle James won the tournament with a 23 lb. bag. This is the event when Desmond says he officially became a tournament angler. Days later he bough a bass boat and started fishing more tournaments. He learned the Felsenthal area with every trip he made. Desmond had found his comfort zone fishing South Arkansas and could figure out the fish with the best of them.
Desmond Champion recently moved from El Dorado, Arkansas where he was pretty good at figuring out the bass pattern on the local rivers. Desmond started fishing the Ouachita River and Lake Felsenthal area of South Arkansas at a young age. “I used to bass fish with my uncle James since before I can remember,” the 26-year-old says. Later on, when Desmond reached high school, his uncle thought that he had shown enough progress to introduce him to the world of bass fishing tournaments. It didn’t take him long until he won his first tournament with his uncle. Desmond recalls the tournament, “It was a Thursday evening tournament. We were flipping some cypress trees using a sweet beaver and switched over to spinnerbaits that evening and ended up with 16 lbs. for the win,” Desmond says. Desmond started fishing more tournaments in South Arkansas and a year later won the Chamber’s tournament on the Ouachita River. The contest had over 100 entries and payed out $5,000. Desmond and his Uncle James won the tournament with a 23 lb. bag. This is the event when Desmond says he officially became a tournament angler. Days later he bough a bass boat and started fishing more tournaments. He learned the Felsenthal area with every trip he made. Desmond had found his comfort zone fishing South Arkansas and could figure out the fish with the best of them.
Desmond shown here on Lake Felsenthal, Arkansas In April Desmond moved to Hammond, La and all his knowledge that he previously compiled about conditions in South Arkansas was left on the banks of the Ouachita River. Not only was the entire fishing scene new to Desmond, he was boat-less, having to leave his Ranger behind because of storage space. The hopeless feeling didn’t last for long however. Desmond did some research on the area and came across someone who appeared like he might some insight for him. The 2016 Northshore Bass Angler of the Year and owner of the Tangi Fishing Rod’s company Patrick Engerran. Desmond contacted Patrick and began conversing with him trying to pick up some tips for bass fishing the area. It didn’t take long before Engerran offered a spot in his boat to the North Shore rookie. “Man he was jonesing to get out there,” Patrick says. Bass Assassins was holding it’s tournament on the Tchefuncte River and Patrick gave Desmond directions to the launch on 4th Avenue just past St. Paul’s High School in Covington. Bass Assassins is a singles event so the two entered separately but were able to fish from the same boat.
Desmond after his Bass Assassins win on the Tchefuncte The team blasted off and headed south to the marshy section of the river. Patrick says the similarities as to what was happening at this moment brought forth a sense of deja vu for him. In 2013, Patrick, much like Desmond, fished his first tournament on the North Shore and found himself learning a whole new area than what he was used to fishing. Patrick grew up fishing the lakes in Mississippi such as Calling Panther and Natchez Lake so tidal movement, spillway openings, and brackish water, was an entirely new concept that he would have to learn if he was going to be able to compete in any bass tournaments on the North Shore. Engerran entered into a Bass Assassins Tournament on the Tchefuncte and made a run south to the marsh. “It was all coming back to me as we passed under the Interstate 12 overpass. The similarities from my situation a few years ago to this one gave me a sense of confidence all of a sudden,” Engerran says. The sense of confidence was not random however, you see, despite the tournament in 2013 being his first tournament fished on the North Shore, Patrick surprisingly won the event, so the confidence he was feeling was merited. “He turned to me and told me that I had a good chance at winning,” Desmond sarcastically added. The team started fishing the shorelines in the main river where the river approached Lake Pontchartrain and Patrick says Desmond exhibited all the signs of someone who is new to fishing this area. “At one point I pointed over to a gator and told him to cast by it and he asked me if that was really an alligator or was I joking,” Engerran says. Another unique feature that seasoned anglers are accustomed to in this area is the random sound of a school of mullet scattering. “Every time he heard a school of mullet on the surface he thought it was bass and he’d turn around and want to cast to it,” Patrick adds. “They were jumping out of the water and it sounded like bass trying to eat something on top of the water. We don’t have those in Arkansas,” Champion says. After Desmond settled in he started putting together a good bag of fish picking up a fish here and there. Desmond picked up 3 keepers by flipping a jig but after the bite died, his confidence wained after watching Patrick set the hook on a couple bass that bit his plastic worm. Desmond switched over to a tube but still continued to struggle. Meanwhile Patrick continued to get hits on his worm and popped his line after getting hung-up on some lily pads. Desmond decided to try something different so he tied on a Zoom Z Craw. “Something just struck me and I thought that something with a little more action would be good,” he says. Not only did the bait have more action, the live well did so as well. “I told him to cast over there to where I had just missed one and he stuck a 4.14 lb. fish,” Patrick says. After that one, Desmond caught 5 more. “It was a matter of minutes! While I was tying on my lure he must put 6 fish in the boat all off of the same 4 pads. He put on a smash-fest!” Patrick exclaims. As noon approached the team headed back up-river to the weigh-in. Patrick put his fish in the bag and weighed it. The scale read 9 lbs. 13 oz. He walked to the bank and dumped the fish back into the water and proceeded to give the bag to Desmond so he could unload his fish from the live-well. Meanwhile the other anglers where weighing in their fish. The heaviest bag was 12 lbs. 1 oz. with only Desmond left. The fish were added to the basket on the scale and the scale blinked “12 lbs. 3 oz.” Desmond won the tournament and the sense of deja vu passed over Patrick even stronger watching his reaction over the win. “I really appreciate him taking me out like that and sharing his knowledge about the area,” Champion says. As far as Desmond’s future as a bass angler on the North Shore Patrick says he’s going to fit in just fine. “He can definitely fish, there’s no doubt about it. When he get’s his boat here he’s only going to get better - he just needs to leave them mullet alone” Engerran jokes.
