December Fishing Forecast for the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain

Jeff Bordelorn

December's a very polarizing month when it comes to fishing Bayou Cane. If you pick your day to fish wisely you can easily limit out on bass within an hour. On the other hand, if you pick the wrong day it could result in a skunk. In December it's important to concentrate on fishing on days that fall just before the next cool front. Barometric pressure affects fish in shallow water more than it affect fish in deeper water. Bayou Cane is the shallowest tributary that reaches the lake so cold fronts play a significant role in catching fish on Cane. When deciding on what areas to fish, I'd start with the drains coming out of the marsh. This is where the cleaner water will be whci bass use to ambush baitfish. Throw Speedcraws, Baby BrushHogs, and worms in Sapphire or Ice. If muddy water is prevalent throw Rat-L-Traps in Baby Bass color. The noise will help bass locate the lure. As always Bayou Cane is your best bet for catching goggle-eye. The wooded stretch near the launch is you best bet. Small jigs under a cork work best. Cast as close to the shoreline as possible. Snags are part of the game so bring along your patenince when you fish for goggle-eye here.

The cold weather is here and fishing Bayou Castine can be somewhat of a challenge. When day-time air temperatures drop into the 50's or below try to target wooden features like docks and pylons along the shoreline. The wood soaks up the heat from the sun which transpires into the water. Baitfish and bass will be seeking out warmer water in December and wood may the difference in a good and a bad day on the water.
Another key to finding bass in December on Bayou Castine is finding deep holes. There are three intersections on Bayou Castine where two major channels connect. These intersections will be the top spots for finding schooling bass on the bottom. Throw jigs on the bottom or deep-running crank baits
What was one of the most productive fall's for speckled trout fishing has come to an end with the flushing out of the bayou and the colder

Lake Pontchartrain is as healthy as it's been in 8 years. Anglers have seen a decent speckled trout bite at the Causeway and Lemo's Reef this past November. Look for the bite to continue as long as water temps remain in the 60's. Matrix Shad in Lemonhead on a 3/8 oz. jig head is the ticket to snagging specks along the concrete pilins in December. Cover a lot of water and fish both sides of the pilins. Pay attention to where you catch fish and how you are jigging as the pattern is vital to putting fish in the boat at the 24-mile reef this month.

Daniel Sissac Roger Sissac

December will see the transition from fall to winter in the last half of the month, and the weather pattern for winter seems to have begun. As I write this on my iPhone, my weather app shows five of the next ten days having lows in the 30s; the lows are usually in the last hour before sunrise. The importance of this is that the lows will be around the time some of you will be arriving at the boat launch. Five consecutive nights with lows in the 30s means water temps are going to drop as well. For those who like to be on the water at sunrise, this could be a challenge. The key to overcoming this challenge is knowing where the fish will be in the early morn hours. As the sun rises, different types of structures will get warmer before others. Rip-rap and any type of concrete structure protruding above the waterline, or just under it, will transfer some of its heat to the water surrounding it; this means that water with the concrete or rip-rap will warm before other, barren shoreline. These shorelines with concrete structures should be your first stop of the day once the sun rises. After the sun has been up a couple hours, the next place to look will be shallow water flats or canals. I know it seems contradictory since deeper water is warmer water, but shallower water will heat faster than deeper water, especially if the shallow water has a darker bottom; the rip-rap bite with diminish once the sun has been up for a couple hours. I think I wrote this in a previous forecast, but the signal I use is it’s time to move when I have to take off my coat (usually somewhere around 10:00 or so). I tend to fish a plastic worm all year long, but winter morns on Bonfouca almost require it; I always have an electric blue or tequila sunrise, Luck-E-Strike worm tied on my line. The presentation has to be slow on these cold morns, so use a weight heavy enough to keep the worm on the bottom (I usually jump up to a 1/4 ounce weight during the cold months). Give the worm a small twitch, then let it sit for twenty seconds or so; you may have to experiment with the time to see how long the bass want the worm to sit before they’ll commit. For those bass fishermen hitting the water later in the day, a plastic worm is good, as well as a jerkbait. Water clarity should dictate color selection for the jerkbait; cleaner water means the fish can see the lure better, so natural colors should work well, with the reciprocal for stained/dirty water. The bream bite is good, but the fish will be scattered a bit more than previous months. The panfish will be looking for warmth, just as bass will be, so similar structures should be fished, as well as Cypress knees. Sexee Shad in black/chartreuse (but I encourage you to try different colors) and crickets will always put panfish in the boat; live worms will work too, but they are messier than the above mentioned options. Catfish will eat all your those baits, so have your drag set and have some fun.

Ronald Pierre

December on the Tangipahoa River
December on the Tangipahoa River is looking better and better with each passing cold front. Anglers should look for schools of shad making their way into small pockets far up river. The river should usually has a good algae bloom in November that makes the water on the Tangipahoa have a clear greenish tint to it. This algae bloom will draw in shad for miles so they can feed up before winter sets in hard. The algae will be dominant along the current swept outside river bends where algae will start to grow along any hard cover that is in the area. Anglers should key in on fishing hard cover in the outside bends of the river system. Lures like the RP3 Delta Buzzbaits, the Bon Temps Rouler Spinnerbait in the white shad color, flipping jigs, and square billed crankbaits will be go-to lures on this river system in December
Manchac will be another great area to look for a good mixed bag of fish in December. Anglers should look for schools of shad and surface activity along both North and South passes. Bass will be bunching up to feed on schools of shad before winter sets in. Good lures to use are lipless crankbaits, square billed crankbaits, topwater poppers, and walkers. Anglers should key in on surface activity early and late in the day. Also the catfish run should start to heat up again before winter. Look for areas around the bridge at South Pass to be good starting points for big catfish. Cut bait and live shad Carolina rigged on heavy gear are good tools to do battle with big catfish. Redfish and trout are also going to get active on the Lake Pontchartrain side of the pass. Use electronics to key in on deep trout and redfish schools around the mouth of the pass. Lures to use are drop shot rigs, and small swimbaits on 1/4 to 1/2 oz. heads.

We've finally had a decent speckled trout bite at Lemo's Reef in November and December looks should produce specks until the harsh cold air blankets the area. Plastics should do the trick at the artificial reef this month. Anglers have had success with jigging Speck Drum Paddletail Shad on the bottom. The hot colors are Coconut Chrome and Blue Angel. It's important to remember when fishing the reef to have patience as you'll be snagging those giant concrete wiffle balls that serve as the reef.

Looks like the specks are all over in the Biloxi marsh. With the warm water the lagoons should be alive with bait and whatever eats them. Fact is the lagoons have been a tough fish , for me, so far, the deep canals and bayous falling into shallow bays and lakes have had the best bite. Poppin cork or tightlineing plastics has worked well. The water temp has held in the 60’s and 70's and the fish bunch up at these locations for a early morning feast on the shrimp that are still present. With the cooler weather from the latest fronts, the trout should bunch up at intersections and drains into main bayous, then move to the lagoons when sun shines on them, look for tide lines at drains and canals with water moving into shallow water. Reds are still plentiful in the broken marsh off the main passes.

Lawerence Lemoine

With the colder weather here expect low water conditions on the creek this month. A slower fishing technique will prove more successful. Don't be afraid to use top-water lures here. Bedico Creek is known for having bass blowing up on top-water shad during the winter months. Target open water intersections where cuts spill out into the main creek. Fish the S-curve in the creek all the way to the last small canal before the camps. Watermelon Yum-Dingers and shallow running shad colored crankbaits are hot right now

Ronald Pierre

December on the Amite River is a great time of year to be on the river, if anglers prepare according to the weather. The air is colder, and the fish are bunching up in schools. They are feeding heavily before winter sets in hard. For this month I will be concentrating on weather patterns to fish this river system. Unlike spring time cold fronts where it shuts down spawning bass. Winter cold fronts ignite a feeding frenzy on this river. I will constantly observe the weather looking for the notorious dip in the jet stream to plan out my fishing trips. What I like doing is getting on the river before and after a cold front. These times play a key role in catching good numbers of fish on the Amite River.
   Pre-frontal bass are going to be the most active and easiest to catch. Before the front pushes through it will usually have a low pressure system affiliated with the front. This low pressure system will ignite those bass into a feeding frenzy. They will feed up before the front pushes through and the barometric pressure rises. They will move shallow along rip rap banks and begin to ambush prey. Concentrate on rocks, sand bars, and wood to locate bass. Lures to use are shallow running crankbaits, spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits, and topwater walking baits. Look for shad movement and surface activity early and late in the day. During this time bass will spread out so covering water is another key to catching fish.
   Post frontal bass during the winter is another great time to get out on the water, but getting out too early after a front can be a big mistake on this river system. The best time to be on the Amite River post frontal is a couple days after a front has swept through the area. This will allow the water to clear up some after all of the rain run-off and will allow the barometric pressure to get stable. Once the pressure and weather stabilizes bass will start to get active again. They will position themselves on the first drop along the main river ledges, and along drop offs on river points. They will be a little sluggish at first so I like to rely on reaction lures to get the bite going. Lures like strike kings Red Eye Shad lipless crankbaits, 3xd, 5xd, and sometimes 6xd deep running cranks work great to ignite those lethargic bass. Once the bass school is fired up you can keep them fired up for short periods of time with rapid fire casts to the same area. This will allow you to keep the school into a feeding frenzy and catch fish on back to back casts. After the school gets conditioned to what I am throwing I will switch it up to a deflection rig and ribbon tail worm. I will make long casts to the same area and slowly drag this lure along the bottom to reignite the school or pick up any strays in the area. Bottom contact with this lure is a big key to successfully working the lure properly. So low and slow is how I like to work the deflection rig.
   Bass fishing in December can be a great time to be on the Amite. The main ingredient to catching bass during this month is the weather. Pay close attention to the weather patterns along with the current river stage and plan trips accordingly.

Mike O'Brien

Bayou Lacombe is in great shape this month with clean water and an abundance of baitfish in the bayou. With the cleaner water you'll need to fish with lighter line and make long cast to keep you from spooking your targets. If you fish with braid you may want to tie on a few feet of Flourocarbon leader. Recent water temps were around 60 degrees near the surface and more northerly winds are pushing the water out a bit.

Lower temps and lower water levels have the fish moving from the banks to the breaks and sometimes a little deeper. Bass should respond to shorter, chunkier plastics fished lower and slower. I like Big Bite’s Craw Tube in darker colors this time of year. The snags and grass in Bayou Lacombe make these difficult to fish if rigged like a traditional tube with an exposed hook. Try rigging them Texas style on a 3/0 EWG with a small bullet in front to get it on the bottom. Keep a swimbait, spinner, or lipless crank bait on deck to work the schools of baitfish that have finally showed up. The oil slicks on the surface will point the way.
Anglers are still struggling near the mouth trying to find the specks but the redfish are still available along the shoreline in Lake P. Live/Fresh shrimp are always good choices as well as minnow style plastics like the Shu Shu Marsh Minnow or Flukes rigged weightless and worked along and through the grass.
Weather forecast is already showing the cold fronts that push across the area this time of year. If the fish aren’t deep, where the water temps are a little more stable, they are probably holding nearby. The main bayou has a lot of deep water and the canals openings provide the points and drops you are looking for.
Sac-au-lait reports have fish at 10-15 ft depths and taking shiners and jigs in blue /silver and black/chartreuse combinations. Bayou Lacombe used to be a sac-au-lait destination for fishermen but after Katrina, the bayou has struggled. Sac-au-lait reports have been slowly getting better and this December we are seeing an increase in good reports from Lacombe. Keep an eye on the sac-au-lait scene here as this Spring might be the season that fantastic sac-a-lait fishing returns to Bayou Lacombe!

The Rigolets is producing fish at certain times. All the hot spots for the lucky folks that can pick and choose the perfect weather and tide patterns, nice fish are being harvested. (L&N train bridge, HWY90 car bridge, hospital wall, point at treasure isle, 4X bayou and drop-offs at sawmill pass) Lots of catching stories in Lake Catherine from folks I grew up with(easier to seperate fact from fiction when you know the fishermen) try the main passes(St Catherine pass, Millers and unknown ), at the mouth and at the trestles that cross each , easy fishing and hold fish tight on the bottom, along with many snags. There is a drop off from 3—12ft at the mouth of St Catherine’s pass in Lake Catherine, both sides, that is fun to fish. Use the depth finder to stay in the shallow water and throw to the deep water and let the tide move the lure.
Live bait is always better, but not as much fun as tight lining plastic

Patrick Engerran

December is rolling in and the cool fronts with it. Hunting season is taking a little pressure off the fish even tho the boat traffic is about the same with the hunters. For the diehard fishermen this next couple months will be some of the best times to be on the water.
Cooler temps will move some of the fish away from the main rivers into areas with less current and slightly warmer temps. Never think they all leave the main rivers, every area has its “resident population” that live in the back waters or main channel year round. Tournament weights for bass improved in November and should continue to move up as the fish all put on the feed to fatten up for winter and the upcoming spawn. Actually most of the tournament weights are now pre spawn type with bags of 15 to 17 lbs coming across the scales. It is hard not to excited about the upcoming year with the bags being dropped now.
For just fun fishing break out your fav lures and get on the water and enjoy. For me that will be the Toups’ Tackle Proto Type Craw on multiple Tangi Fishing Rods combos as well as the C4 Jigs flipping and swim jig. The swim jig around any grass is a killer. Fall and winter can produce some outstanding size fish as well as some of the best fishing days of the year. Watch the weather and try to fish the front edge of the cool fronts or the first couple hours after it passes and increase your chances to be on the water at the right time. Of course the best time to go fishing is when you have time to go so never talk yourself out of a trip, just go and make the best of it.

Todd Oalman

Weekly cold fronts that are dropping water temperatures will begin to slow the catches. Anglers will need to try to fish a couple days before or after the fronts when conditions stabilize. The metabolism of the fish slows during colder weather. They feed less often and move slower. Smart anglers will adjust accordingly. Try using lighter line and smaller baits that sink slower and work your baits very slowly. Fish the deeper areas for fresh and saltwater fish. Jigs and Matrix fished on the bottom will work best for bass. Shiners and tube jigs will put a few sac-au- lait, bass and freshwater catfish in the boat. On the saltwater side dead shrimp, cut mullet and cracked crab on the bottom will produce decent catches of drum, redfish, sheepshead and flounder along with the occasional trout. Fish will be near structure that will hold heat, look for concrete rip rap, wooden pilings and docks to produce the best. For those who use the backdown launch at the base of the Salt Bayou Bridge, you need to look for a new launch as it looks as if the launch is going to be roped off for a while.

George Seibert

December fishing in Lake Borne gets a little tough after the cold fronts start coming one after another. The temps have been holding pretty good but the next few fronts in the beginning of December will tell. The lake it self will not produce much at all at any of the rigs if the water gets too cold. The water temperature is just to cold and not deep enough to hold fish. You need too fish the deeper holes when water is cold and as it heats up fish the shore back to the ledges to find them. There are a few spots that if you venture out should produce some fish, like puppy drum, red fish and trout. Remember you have too fish the deep holes. Little Dee Dee, turn in Unknown Pass, the hole at Unknown Pass in Lake Borne, and Blind Bayou at Shell Point. L&N train bridge at Lake Borne and Bayou Biloxi turns. Live shrimp will work but remember the fish are lethargic. Plastic jigged on the bottom works best this time of year. If you use a popping cork as the water heats up pop it more slowly than summer. Feliz Navida and good luck till next year!

Fall fishing in Eden Isles has been fantastic and should continue through December. The colder is here pushing the fish into the canals lookng for deeper holes to keep warm. They will be ganging up and putting together a nice box of fish should be a little easier. As the water temps drop the fish will move a little slower. Soft plastics worked on the bottom slowly will be your best chance to snag a few fish. The strike will be different. You will feel pressure on your line rather than a sudden jerk. Matrix shad in the Limbo Slice and Pink Champagne colors are good choices.

Taylor Valois

Keep an eye on temperatures in December as below normal temperatures could spell the end of the fall bite at the bridge.
When fishing the bridge it's all about being patient and finding the pattern. Sometimes the fish hold tight to the bridge, other days they may hold 20-50 yards off of the pilling's. Once you catch the first fish, that will tend to be the pattern for the day. Fishing hard tide days usually hold the best box filling trips. A couple key baits that have been producing great numbers are Matrix Shad in pink champagne, ultra violet, and lemon head, and Vudu Shrimp. When jigging these soft plastics I combine them with a 3/8 or 1/2 jig head depending on the tide. The large numbers may leave later in the month but the bigger trout will stay due to less boat and school trout pressure. Trestles and hwy 11 bridge are prime spots for trophy trout and this year may be someone's lucky year. Also the sheephead bite picked up at the end of November and looks to continue. Don't be surprised to put a few blue cats in the boat while jigging the bridge as well.

Chris Basey

Bayou Liberty has not produced the numbers, but a better quality of fish Bayou Liberty does not not have the number of bayous leading off of it that Bonfouca has. I usually run up the bayou in the winter to find the deeper banks, but you still can find some fish towards the lower end fishing the same pattern as in Bonfouca. Right now I would throw deep cranks, jerk baits, rattle traps, swim jigs, or spinner baits. The speck bite that stout in the fall has all but dried up so targeting redfish may be a better option. If you can target Hope you all can get out to fish during this hectic time of year.

Ray Miller

December can be challenging with cold fronts, North winds, and cold water. The big thing to remember no matter what you are fishing is to slow down. When You are cold, you slow down, you look for a warm place, well so do the fish. Winter Bass, spinner baits with big Colorado blades, wide body square bill crank baits, big lizard baits. Something that makes more noise to attract them. Crappie fisherman go deeper and slow with either jigs or shiners. As the water gets colder it’s almost a do nothingpresentation, put your bait in the strike zone and wait. Bream fishing with worms is the winter ticket. Fish deeper under a cork or tight line, you might be surprised!

Fishing on Pontchatoula Creek in December can be a blast! The bass have come out of the deeper water and are chasing shad on the surface making it easier for anglers to lacate them. The creek is loaded with bass and goggle-eye right now. Anglers are finding success with shallow running crank-baits. The creek offers an abundance of structure. Bass and perch use this structure as cover to ambush bait-fish and also to keep cool during the hotter parts of the day. Be sure to monitor rainfall because the creek will muddy in a hurry.