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Tchefuncte River Report
 Keith Lusher
Ray Miller had a hunch that the Tchefuncte River would be muddy but decided to make a trip with an old friend, Andy Falls. Ray and Andy used to play in a band in the 70’s and Ray wanted to show Andy and his grandson what the Tchefuncte River had to offer.
 Austin Falls with a pair of Tchefuncte River Sac-a-lait
After launching at the 4th St. Launch in Covington it didn’t take long to see that it would be a tough day of fishing. “The water was low and muddy and we caught a few sac-a-lait but it was quite hard to find them,” says Miller. After a few hours of struggling, Ray decided to switch gears and pull out his secret weapon - Green Worms! The worms are ordinary night crawlers mixed with a unique worm food called Worm-Glo. After a few days the worms turn fluorescent green and are irresistible to perch. “We found some nice bream tucked away in the shade next to some big cypress trees,” says Ray. The friends caught 40 bream but had to leave because the mid-day heat became unbearable.
Gator Population Rising Will Thomas of Mandeville made a fishing trip on Bayou Cane to try and catch a few bass. Will fishes out of a canoe and paddled all the way to the mouth of the bayou where it meets Lake Pontchartrain. He didn’t have much success catching any bass but did manage to spot an osprey in its nest in one of the dead trees along the bayou. An osprey isn’t all that Thomas saw. “On my way back paddling to the launch I spotted 20 gators,” Thomas says. Alligator sightings are up in St. Tammany Parish and residents are reporting the them in shallow neighborhood ditches that are connected to canals or bayous. The increase of alligators on the Northshore is reflective of the rest of the states burdensome gator population which has just surpassed the 2 million mark. The explosion in numbers is the result of an oversupply of crocodilian skins from foreign markets that have driven down prices for Louisiana alligator skin. Louisiana alligator hunters used to make between $20 - $40 per foot of unprocessed alligator. The increased competition overseas has caused prices to drop to $7 per foot. 
An alligator cruises next to Will's boat near the mouth of Bayou Cane
National Hunting & Fishing Day Cancelled The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has cancelled National Hunting and Fishing Day events across the state due to the uncertainty of Covid-19. The day was originally scheduled for September 26 and is a national event celebrated in all 50 states. It was created in 1972 when Congress passed two bills establishing a specific day to celebrate the conservation contributions of the nation’s hunters and anglers. “I look forward to attending these events and seeing the joy that they bring to so many families each year,” said Jack Montoucet, Secretary of LDWF. “Unfortunately, it is not worth the increased risk to the public’s health to hold the NHFD events during this pandemic.” |
 Keith Lusher
I created NFR.com in the spring of 2012. Since then it has helped link Northshore fishermen to valuable information and has filled the void of absent information on the web about fishing on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain. Northshore Fishing Report has morphed into a brand name and can be found not only on the web, but on radio and newspaper. As NFR grows I will continue to work hard at keeping NFR local focusing on local anglers, reports, seminars, and fishing tournaments in St. Tammany and Tangipahoa Parish. I hope you enjoy the website and If you have any questions please email me at: Keith@NorthshoreFishingReport.com
Look for the Northshore Fishing Report publication every Thursday in The Slidell Independent Weekly Newspaper!
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Joe Picone joins the NFR Studio by phone to discuss the new improvements to the East Pearl River Boat Launch.
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The Marsh Martian Cory Labostrie joins the NFR Studio by phone to talk "Pushin' for Crabs" in Lake Pontchartrain.
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Dustin Touchet of Magnolia Outdoors joins the NFR Studio by phone to discuss his latest trip to Bayou Cane.
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Keith Lusher and Chris Basey review the past reports on NFR. Also introduce a new drawing for fishing reporters on the site.
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