Keith Lusher There have been numerous reports of Salvinia grass thriving along the ICW and the ponds that line the waterway. “The grass is really blooming in the ponds east of the Chef and some that are close to the wall, says Jerry Fazzio of Slidell. Jerry has been sight fishing redfish and says the action has been amazing. “I have been sight fishing reds every week for the last four or five weeks and catching my limit every time,” he says. Artificial crawfish lures have traditionally been used for bass fishing, but Jerry says it’s the crawfish lures that he’s having the most success with. “The lure of preference has been the Baby Paca Craw and Watermelon Shu-Shu Marsh Craw rigged with a straight shank #5 flipping hook and 3/16 oz. pegged worm weight.
Bayou Bonfouca Perch Jerkin’
You’ve heard the old saying - when life hands you lemons, make lemonade! Daniel Sissac and his father Roger, had planned on doing some bass fishing in the neighborhood canals that pepper the bayou south of the Bayou Bonfouca Bridge, but after launching their Boston Whaler at the launch at Heritage Park, the team realized that their original plan wasn’t going to come to fruition. “I backed the Whaler down into the water with my dad at the helm.
Bayou Bonfouca Perch Jerkin’
You’ve heard the old saying - when life hands you lemons, make lemonade! Daniel Sissac and his father Roger, had planned on doing some bass fishing in the neighborhood canals that pepper the bayou south of the Bayou Bonfouca Bridge, but after launching their Boston Whaler at the launch at Heritage Park, the team realized that their original plan wasn’t going to come to fruition. “I backed the Whaler down into the water with my dad at the helm.
Roger Sissac holds up one of many perch caught on Bayou Bonfouca He started the motor and backed off the trailer. Something didn't seem right so I waited at the launch with the trailer submerged in case we had to trailer it. He ran the boat a little but wasn't able to get it up to speed - it just bogged down,” Daniel says. Undeterred, the dad and son decided to try and catch a few perch near the launch but Daniel says the fish were small. “I trolled to my first spot while my dad fished along the way. Once again, he was catching fish immediately, however, they were two and three inches long. After I gave him a tissue because of all the crying he was doing about the fish size, I put put the trolling motor on high and got us to our spot,” Daniel joking adds. After reaching their destination, Daniel says the size of the fish were drastically larger. “It was like night and day. The first fish and the ones to follow were all keepers. My dad was quickly emptying the cricket container as I was going through Sexee Shad bodies,” Sissac says. Roger and Daniel ended the day at 11:30 AM and made their way back to the camp to ice down 123 hand sized perch to clean that afternoon.
Tchefuncte River Bass
Mandeville angler Luke O’Neal has been doing most of his summer fishing in Delacroix and Hopedale. He and a friend wanted to stay close to home so they decided to try the Tchefuncte River. “We started fishing some shorelines ending the main river. The bass were very aggressive. We caught several on a spinnerbait and floating worm working them high above the grass line,” O’Neal says. The team ended the day with 14 keepers but Luke Jokes “My buddy was rusty and probably let off 8-10 off on the side the boat so we should have had 2 limits.”
Salinity Levels
Salinity levels for Lake Pontchartain and Lake Borgne are on the rise this month. George Seibert, of Fish Meister Charters ,has been monitoring the salinity with the Lake Ponchartrain Basin Foundation’s Hydrocoast Map and says the salinity is looking good even without favorable winds. “We really haven't had huge east winds or southeast winds to push that kind of salt water in. The hydrocoast map shows the twin span at the hump for mid July at 6 PPT. If that salinity stays high, the trout will be at the trestles to spawn,” Seibert says.
Tchefuncte River Bass
Mandeville angler Luke O’Neal has been doing most of his summer fishing in Delacroix and Hopedale. He and a friend wanted to stay close to home so they decided to try the Tchefuncte River. “We started fishing some shorelines ending the main river. The bass were very aggressive. We caught several on a spinnerbait and floating worm working them high above the grass line,” O’Neal says. The team ended the day with 14 keepers but Luke Jokes “My buddy was rusty and probably let off 8-10 off on the side the boat so we should have had 2 limits.”
Salinity Levels
Salinity levels for Lake Pontchartain and Lake Borgne are on the rise this month. George Seibert, of Fish Meister Charters ,has been monitoring the salinity with the Lake Ponchartrain Basin Foundation’s Hydrocoast Map and says the salinity is looking good even without favorable winds. “We really haven't had huge east winds or southeast winds to push that kind of salt water in. The hydrocoast map shows the twin span at the hump for mid July at 6 PPT. If that salinity stays high, the trout will be at the trestles to spawn,” Seibert says.
