Cold Water Cane
Keith Lusher Jr With the latest installment of winter here on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain, anglers may find themselves opting for the comfy confides of their living rooms instead of braving the elements that have made fishing almost unbearable this month. The ambience of a roaring fireplace with playoff football on the tube is a hard thing to resist even for the most dedicated fisherman. Throw in an extra three hours of sleep and for most, it’s not even a question. But for 16 year old Luke O’Neal of Mandeville, the question wasn’t whether or not to go fishing; the question was where to go. I recently made a fishing trip with Luke to a bayou that may not be too familiar with bass fisherman on the Northshore. Bayou Cane is a shallow waterway that stretches from Hwy 190 in Mandeville and spills out into Lake Pontchartrain near Green Point. With over 4,000 years of history, Bayou Cane boasts one thing that none of the other rivers on the Northshore can, an unchanged shoreline. With its border of Fontainebleau Park to the west and Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge to the east, man-made alterations have been all but non-existent allowing Bayou Cane to retain its natural state.
Luke shows off his first fish of the day As I pulled into the parking lot at the launch I was greeted by Luke unloading his 9 ft. Bass Buggy into the water. Luke shook my hand and asked “did you bring your ice chest for the fish?” It was at this point that I started thinking that we might actually catch fish here. After all, who am I to say you can’t catch fish in 40 degree, rainy weather? We pushed off and into the rain and fog we went. As I looked down at the muddy water I suggested to Luke that we should head down the bayou further to find cleaner water, but as soon as I finished my sentence, Luke hooked into the first fish of the day, a solid largemouth that weighed almost two pounds. I saw the excitement in Luke’s eyes and I have to say it was quite contagious. He held up the fish and showed me the lure he was using, a ½ oz. Rat-L-Trap in Baby Bass color. Luke said he likes to use lures with vibration or sound when fishing in muddy water. I was sold on the lure as I have had much success with that color in the past. Unfortunately I didn’t have another one in my tackle box so I tried on the next best thing, a silver trap with the black spot that resembled a pogie. We continued down the narrow, foggy waterway and it didn’t take long before our next victim put an end to my slow retrieve. THUMP! My line cut through the water sideways and within 10 minutes of starting out day we had two fish in the boat. They say in football, winning solves everything. Well I guess you can say the same thing with fishing. Luke and I caught one fish after the other for the next few hours and somehow the cold air wasn’t so cold anymore. The rain spots on the water that we were monitoring so heavily were of no consequence. The eerie silence that filled the air when we first started fishing was now full of laughter mixed in with the thumping of fish in the box. Luke and I ended the day with a box full of bass, but more importantly, I was reminded of these small waterways that I used to fish with much success when I was younger.
Fog rising off the water on bayou cane The Northshore is full of small canals and bayous such as Bayou Cane. Try fishing off the beaten path every once in a while and you might discover that some of these little fished waterways can out-produce the more popular bass fishing destinations. Bayou Cane offers access to the anglers who are bound to fishing from land also. From the launch, you will find a trail that snakes along the shoreline deep into the woods. If you want access to the marsh, take a ride through Fontainebleau Park and look for a set of trails when you near the lake. The “Alligator Trail” will take you all the way to the shoreline of Bayou Cane where it empties into Lake Pontchartrain.
Tournament Results
The St. Tammany Bass Club held its latest tournament and it was Tommy Quave coming out on top with a total of 7.17 lbs. In second was Kevin Williams with a total of 4.16 lbs. Robbie Warned finished third with a total weight of 2.53 lbs.
Upcoming Tournaments
The Tchefuncte River Winter Series will be holding its next tournament on the Sunday, January 12th at the 4th Street boat launch in Covington. For more info please call Scott at 504-450-9556.
The St. Tammany Bass Cub will be holding their next tournament on February 1st. For more information please call Walter at 264-6360
Tournament Results
The St. Tammany Bass Club held its latest tournament and it was Tommy Quave coming out on top with a total of 7.17 lbs. In second was Kevin Williams with a total of 4.16 lbs. Robbie Warned finished third with a total weight of 2.53 lbs.
Upcoming Tournaments
The Tchefuncte River Winter Series will be holding its next tournament on the Sunday, January 12th at the 4th Street boat launch in Covington. For more info please call Scott at 504-450-9556.
The St. Tammany Bass Cub will be holding their next tournament on February 1st. For more information please call Walter at 264-6360
