HB1082 passed the senate and is awaiting the Governor’s signature. The bill put forth by Rep. Stuart Bishop of Lafayette calls for an increase in the saltwater license fees for residents from $5.50 to $13.00. The monies will be used to create a Saltwater Fish Research and Conservation Fund that could be used by the state for the LA Creel program. The bill passed by an overwhelming vote of 36-1. HB1082 has been received negatively by the sportsman’s community with claims with government mistrust being the glaring concern. The Legislature in recent years has raided cash from the Artificial Reef Program fund to fill budget shortfalls, but Rep. Bishop has added a sunset clause that will help ensure that the money goes to the proper place.  Bishop said he added the provision as a safeguard to make sure the funding would be used as intended, and to give legislators four years from now the opportunity to review the program’s progress. 

With all the pressure at the Trestles these days anglers are finding the Rigolets more appealing. Charlie Wagner spent the day on the water with his son Chaz. The duo started the day at the Rigolets but after a slow start his son talked him into making the run across Lake Borgne where the fishing was about the same. “We fished the Rigolets Bridge early in the morning and caught some specs and a red but my son wasn't satisfied with the slow action at the bridge so we headed for the Biloxi Marsh,” he said.  Charlie says the action wasn’t much better there so they decided to head back to the Rigolets where they started the day. “It seemed as though the fishing action was consistently slow no matter where we went so as the winds began to pick back up in the afternoon, we returned to the Rigolets and finished filling our cooler with a smorgasbord of fish,” Charlie said. The father and son duo was able to put together a full box of fish even though it wasn’t all speckled trout. Wagner says he can always count on that area for some kind of excitement. “That’s one of the things I really enjoy about the Rigolets, it always seems to produce some sort of fishing action. If the specks aren’t running, the redfish, drum or flounder will be there. Something is going to be there to make the trip exciting,” Charlie says.

The water seems to be clearing up quite nicely after last week’s deluge and things are getting back to normal at the Causeway. Anglers are still reporting unseemly amounts of undersize trout being caught which should bode well this fall. Baton Rouge resident Russell Lane recently fished the bridge and says there are a lot of small trout in the Lake right now. “We only caught 8 keeper specks and two flounder but caught several undersized specks, some of the smallest I have ever caught at the Causeway,” He said. Lane says if you are looking for cleaner water, head to the drawbridge. “We found the water got very nice when we got out by the drawbridge. We pounded the pilings with gulps of a couple different colors and sizes but caught the nicest fish on Matrix Shad in the Shrimp Creole color with a chartreuse tail,” he said.

With crawfish prices through the roof this spring many people have turned to the swamps in search of a price cutting option. Mandeville resident Tony Cyprus Jr has been running deep water nets in the Honey Swamp just off of Interstate 10 and has been averaging numerous sacks every trip. 

Tony makes his own nets with netting and retention wire and has over 60 nets that he runs from his pirogue in the Pearl River Wildlife Management Area. He primarily uses beef melt but says fish carcasses work just as good. “After I clean my fish I’ll take the scraps and instead of throwing them away, I’ll freeze them for crawfish bait,” He says. Tony recommends using flags to keep your bearings out in the swamp as it can be a daunting task to keep track of all of the nets. “I like to tie a marker to a tree branch where I start putting my nets down to let me know where my first net is. I’ll set the nets in a circle and work my way around so that all the nets have a decent amount of time to accumulate crawfish,” Cyprus says. The crawfish Tony has been catching have been large ones signaling the end of the crawfish season but he says the shells haven’t gotten hard yet so there is still time to take advantage of catching some nice sized crawfish in the swamp.

Anglers are taking advantage of calmer winds and clearing water at the Causeway. Zack Liberto has been hitting the 24-mile reef almost every day and has been catching a mixed bag. “We have been out on the Causeway for the last 4 days in a row now and have been pulling in almost identical results each day. Each day we have caught about 30 keeper trout, 2 limits of redfish, and an occasional drum or flounder.” Zack says.  Liberto adds that one section of the bridge seems to be out producing all the rest. “Most of the fish we caught were taken between the 8 mile marker and the 12 mile marker,” Zack says. Like most anglers Zack says it has been a battle finding keeper specks amongst the school trout. “We have been weeding through a good number of small trout but we also have caught a hammer (big trout) each trip with the biggest weighing 4 pounds,” Zack says.

Bass fishing on Bayou Liberty has been outstanding and no one can attest to that more that Denham Springs resident, Ronald Pierre. Ronald and a friend recently made a trip to the secluded bayou where they ran north of the launch and say’s he just had a feeling that it was going to be a good day. “As we got to our first spot we noticed that it was slick calm - we had cloud cover and an approaching cool front that was sweeping through the area. It was the type of day that you just knew they were going to bite,” Pierre said. As they started fishing one shoreline they heard some commotion that got their attention fast. “I heard a bass block after some shad on the opposite bank we were fishing. The bass was tucked deep under some low lying cypress limbs that sat about 15 ft. off the bank. I eased over and picked up my top water rod and skipped the popper under the brush only to hear KAWOOSH! As the bait settled under the cover, I reeled up the slack and pulled in solid 2 lb. class fish,” He said. They ended the day with over 30 bass and recommends concentrating on matted milfoil and shoreline transitions such as grass to rocks or rocks to wharfs.

The recent slump that Lake Pontchartrain anglers have endured this spring is officially over and the assault on speckled trout has begun. Our main problem this May has been the ever shifting winds that have prevented the lakes waters to settle. Archived wind reports at the National Weather Service show winds changing from the north to south on eight different occasions from May 1st to May 19th. The high pressure system that has settled upon us has resulted in steady southerly winds for the past week and the lake has cleared up quite considerably. Another plus is the sign of shrimp in the water and in the bait shops. Anglers are catching trout at the bridges, artificial reefs, and any shell pads peppered along the lake. Captain George Seibert says the catching is fantastic right now but they are a little on the small side. “The big problem is we are still about three weeks behind for the spring run do to the harsh fronts that kept coming through.  Also the lake is very fresh still from the Pearl being so high for so long.  It has finally gone down so maybe with the East and South East winds it will get better,” Seibert says.

The 24-mile reef known as the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is one of the top places to fish in the lake right now. Jeff Bruhl has been fishing the bridge and says it’s important not to get stuck in one particular pattern when fishing the bridge. “I’ll start fishing the side I approach the bridge on and I’ll stop and fish the outside of the bridge. I’ll fish five or six pylons then I’ll fish the middle and then move to the other side and fish the outside there. Then I’ll decide where my bites are coming from and where the fish are positioned,” Bruhl says. Tide can be a tricky read when fishing the causeway but Jeff says that it’s important to figure out which way the water is moving. “Say you throw real close to the pylon and you hop it once or twice. If you feel that lure bump up against the pylon like it’s dragging across the pylon – that’s the current on the bottom throwing it in that direction. When you feel that, you should fish the opposite side because the fish isn’t going to be on the side where the current is. He is going to be somewhere along the backside in the eddy waiting for something to flow by in that direction,” he says. Jeff says anglers sometimes forget that there or two sides to the bridge and that the south side of the bridge sometimes out produces the north. “I’ve had several trips where the winds blowing hard enough out of the south where it’s rough on the north shore so I loaded up the boat and went to Bonnabel – go out about seven or eight miles and come home with a limit. I think the south shore has bigger fish with that turnaround – it has more structure around it.  Also the tide coming out of south pass from Maurepas always creates a little bit of current right there when the tide is moving.” Jeff says.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries had opened application for their 2014 Alligator Lottery. The Lottery Alligator Harvest Program is intended to give sportsmen who don’t have the opportunity to normally harvest alligator, a fair chance at doing so for one year. Applicants must be Louisiana residents and at least 16 years of age. A random drawing will be completed by August 2014. Successful applicants will be notified by mail. 

The main supplier of ethanol free gasoline in the Southeast, Chalmette Refining, will reportedly no longer produce ethanol-free fuel on June 4. This news ignited a firestorm within the sportsman community. It’s no secret that fuel that contains ethanol wreaks havoc on smaller engines such as boat engines. The ethanol expands and contracts with the temperature fluctuation. When the fuel contracts it draws in outside humidity into the tank which allows water into the gas. Engines that sit up for more than a few weeks run the risk of damage from corroded plastics and rubbers that break off and travel into the fuel system of the engine.

John lee owns J&S Gas and Go in Lacombe and only sells ethanol-free gasoline. He says he’s known of the changes coming for some time. “I have been aware of the news for months and I have been working with my gas jobber to find a way to keep getting conventional gasoline,” Lee says. John says he will have to start getting his gas from a Baton Rouge. “I have to pull my fuel out of Port Allen now, which means it’s further to travel. The freight charges from having to haul from Port Allen are higher than what we are currently used to, which turns out to be around eight cents higher,” he says.  The demand for ethanol-free gas is growing and John says he will continue to do everything in his power to continue to supply his customers with corn free gasoline. “Conventional gasoline is better all-around for our vehicles, boats, lawn equipment, and recreational vehicles. Over the past few years we have prided ourselves in delivering good, quality, non-ethanol fuel to our customers. I promise that as long as I can get conventional gasoline, I will!” John says.

 Pete Landry, who owns PeteLandysRealGas.com, is the state’s biggest proponent of pure gasoline and has been leading the charge against adding ethanol to fuel. He says it’s a no win situation for taxpayers. “From 2007 until Jan 1, 2012 refineries were given a “golden goose” of $0.45/gallon tax credit from you and me- the taxpayers- to blend ethanol gas.  During this 5 year period, refineries enjoyed a $12+ Billion/year tax credit. We, the tax payers and consumers are getting shafted both ways!” He says. Landry urges people who oppose the changes to voice their concerns “This is not over yet! I urge people to continue to flood the Chalmette Refinery’s Community Service Hotline and express your serious displeasure with their decision,” Landry says. The hotline to the Chalmette Refinery’s Community service is 504-281-1101.

The ever shifting winds that have stirred up Lake Pontchartrain in this spring look to be over and done with. The water clarity is improving and the speckled trout anglers are starting to see decent numbers of fish hitting the box. A fantastic sign that things are about to heat up on the Lake are the reports of shrimp popping across the surface near in Lake Borgne and near the Trestles. The best bet for anglers looking for big speckled trout is jigging the Trestles. Anglers are having the best success targeting the bridge on an incoming tide in the afternoon. Brightly colored plastics are the ticket until live shrimp show up in the bait shops.

The Pearl River can be feast or famine and anglers who have fished on this turbulent river say that it’s one of the hardest rivers to fish at times. “If you can conquer the Pearl River, you can fish anywhere in the world,” says Charles Dauzat of Slidell. Charles has been fishing the river all his life and says there are many factors that affect the river. “The river is affected by salinity because it’s so close to Lake Borgne. It’s also affected by the tide and the normal river fluctuation,” Dauzat says. The Pearl has always been a tough river to fish but ever since Katrina, the river has been a jigsaw puzzle to piece together. One of the main reasons for this has been the closing of the MRGO. “It used to be a lot easier figuring this river out but the river has changed ever since they blocked off the MRGO. The tide doesn’t do what you think it’s going to do. It may be falling in one area of the river and then you’ll see it coming in at another area,” Charles says.  One of the biggest complaints about the Pearl is the muddy water but Charles says you need to take that and use it to your advantage especially when targeting big bass. “In clean water the big fish are going to move to the deeper holes where they are harder to catch, but when the water is dirty those big bass will move into the shallows. You can cover a couple miles of shoreline in a short period of time and better your chances of catching a larger fish,” he says. 

If anyone knows anything about catching lunker bass on the Pearl it’s Dauzat.  The last three tournaments Charles has fished resulted in three 1st place finishes!  He finished first in the Liar’s and Lunkers tournament and then in the Marsh & Bayou Outfitters Tournament where he finished with a 5-fish limit that tipped the scales at 14.05 lbs. His most recent tournament he was paired with Mark Mohr for the Pearl River Team Trails tournament and their combined weight was 10.14 lbs.

Speckled trout fishing has been improving at the Trestles in Slidell. Slidell angler Alan Guenard recently launched out of Bayou Liberty and made the trip to the Trestles where he found a light incoming tide and a light SSW Breeze. He fished the west side of the bridge for an hour with no fish to show for it. However, his luck changed when he moved further north. “We started catching a few and then all of a sudden it was like someone turned the switch on and we were getting bites almost every  cast but the bites were extremely light. Most fish were 15 to 17 inches with only 2 throwbacks. We would have put a lot more in the boat if we were not releasing them at the side of the boat! After losing 5 in a row we broke out the landing net,” Says Guenard. Alan was using a red Hybrid Flurry on the bottom. After the tide picked up Alan said the bite stopped because of the water getting muddier. Alan ended the day with 9 solid fish but says that there was nothing in their stomachs when he cleaned the fish. This backs up the claims of anglers reporting no bait in the water recently.