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Big Bass on Bayou Lacombe
 Keith Lusher
With the bass spawn in full affect here on the Northshore, the rivers and bayous from Manchac to the Pearl River are producing large bass that have made their way into the shallows to bed. Patrick Engerran of McComb, Mississippi fishes the Northshore every chance he gets and says one of his favorite bayous to target spawning bass is also one of the most underrated. “Pound for pound I think Bayou Lacombe holds the heaviest bass on the Northshore,” he says.
Patrick points out a grass line along Bayou Lacombe
Engerran has been fishing local bass tournaments for over a decade and says if you watch the results of these tournaments, that’s where you’ll find proof of his accusation. “Sure, the Pearl gives up some big fish, but you have to remember, there’s three times as many bass tournaments fished held there,” he says.
Engerran reels in a 3.24 lb. bass
Case in point, when taking a look at the some previous bass tournaments on Bayou Lacombe it shows that the average big fish caught during bass tournament that occurred during the spawn averages just over 5 lbs.
On Patrick’s latest trip to Bayou Lacombe he was pre-fishing a tournament and put in at the Main Street Launch. He headed south towards the marshy section of the bayou before it reaches the lake. He was able to back up his claim that Bayou Lacombe hold big bass by noon as he amassed a 5 fish stringer that weighed 17.79 lbs. The stringer was anchored by a 6.69-pound bass which he caught 10 feet off of the bank. Here’s how he did it: Hard Bottoms Patrick fished the southern end of the bayou where there’s more soft mud than hard bottoms Patrick says soft mushy bottoms aren’t conducive to spawning bass but there are some spots in the southern end of the bayou where you can find hard bottoms. “Keep an eye out for lily pads growing along the shoreline, that’s a dead giveaway that there’s a hard bottom underneath,” he says. 
Patrick celebrates one of many bass caught along the shoreline this day
Engerran reminds anglers who are fishing Bayou Lacombe during the spawn that the tides affect where these fish will bed. “In a normal river with no tide these fish can make their beds right up against the bank because the water doesn’t rise and fall,” he says. “But when you’re dealing with tides these fish will make their beds in deeper water to allow for the water to recede when the tide falls.”
Baits Another tweak to catching spawning bass on Bayou Lacombe is to incorporate the color red into your lures. “Like most bayous on the Northshore the bass in Bayou Lacombe are going to be feeding on crawfish so I like to work a little red into my lures as much as possible in March,” he says. On this day Engerran was using combination of spinnerbaits, chatter-baits and swimsuits all of which contained red. 
Patrick scoops up a bass over 6 lbs caught in a patch of lilies along the shoreline in Bayou Lacombe
Electronics When fishing the spawn Engerran recommends using good electronics. “Bayou Lacombe has got a ton of old sunken trees with a root system still intact,” he says. “These roots offer bass a sturdy spot to lay their eggs during the spawn. Knowing where this structure is can make all the difference in the world. 
Tournament Results Pearl River Team Trails held its tournament at the East Pearl River in which 18 teams showed up to compete. At the 6am blastoff, most anglers headed south for the warmer water while only a few headed north. At the 3pm weigh in, Charles Dauzat and Mark Mohr came in with the winning weight of 18.14 pounds. Second place went to Jared Norris with 16.14 lbs. Third place went to Brock Fallon and Corey Inscoe wiho brought in 5 fish weighing 13.14 lbs. Fallon and Inscoe also won the big fish division with a 5.12 lb. bass. Twenty one (21) anglers showed up to fish the Double Nickel tournament at the East Pearl River. It was a tough day to fish as the winds were high and the water was cloudy all over. In the end it was Bob Perry who managed the heaviest 3-fish stringer with a total of 10.07 lbs. Perry also caught the big fish of the day- a 4.79 pound largemouth bass. Terry Lott won second place with a 3-fish bag weighing 9.34 lbs. In third was Marks Wilkinson with 7.57 lbs. Lock #1 was the location for the second Bass Assassins tournament of 2021. The morning was cold but the day was forecasted to warm up quickly. Early on it looked like it was shaping up to be a slugfest but the scales told a different story. When the 24 anglers showed back up at the launch the word was “tough.” The weights confirmed it. Rodger Mitchell won first place with an 8 lbs. 2 oz. limit. Steve Hadley took home second place with five fish totaling 7 lbs. 15 oz. In third was Morgan Schutte with a 7 lbs. 12 oz. limit. |
 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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Captain Andy Jones of Wicked Charters joins the studio by phone to talk Causeway fishing and the improved saltwater bite in Lake Pontchartrain.
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