Lake Pontchartrain Favorability Gauge for September
Lake Pontchartrain is home to a variety of fish. Since it is an estuary, the lake is constantly changing. There are many factors that change the conditions of the lake including hurricanes, rain, and spillway openings. This makes the Lake one of the most challenging destinations to fish in South Louisiana.
Since it's inception in 2012, NorthshoreFishingReport.com has collected thousands of fishing reports from Lake Pontchartrain. Below is a list of all of the fish that anglers pursue in Lake Pontchartrain. All the reports have been researched on NFR and assigned a monthly favorability score.
Since it's inception in 2012, NorthshoreFishingReport.com has collected thousands of fishing reports from Lake Pontchartrain. Below is a list of all of the fish that anglers pursue in Lake Pontchartrain. All the reports have been researched on NFR and assigned a monthly favorability score.
We've gone through the reports dating back from 2012 from the following fishing reports boards on NorthshoreFishingReport.com: Causeway, Slidell Bridges, Lemo's Reef, Pass Manchac, Sunset Point Fishing Pier, Slidell Fishing Pier, and Lake Pontchartrain (other). These reports determine 80% of the weight used in monthly projections. The other 20% of the weight is taken from the Monthly Fishing Forecasts that are written by NFR Members. Each species of fish is given a favorability rating. These ratings are not scientific and should be used as a best estimate of what to expect on any given month.
Speckled Trout September: Average
Speckled trout is king in South Louisiana. For anglers on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain specks are also at the top of the list of targeted fish. In September it's all about the cool fronts. If none come and the temperatures resemble the temperatures we see in August then trout fishing can be rough. However, the shoreline bite along the Northern shoreline between Bayou Bonfouca and Bayou Lacombe can explode if the temperatures drop. September is a wildcard that is based on the arrival of the first cool front. Some reports are stellar and some are bottom of the barrel but when the bite is on the reports show the best spots are the mouth of Bayou Lacombe and the mouth of Bayou Bonfouca. Matrix Shad in the Shrimp Creole or Magneto Color on a 3/8 oz. jighead. Also Zoom Flukes in Arkansas Shiner color works as well. While fishing the shoreline the eel grass can be problematic. Switch over from a 3/8 oz. jighead to a 1/4 oz. jighead to not get caught up in the grass.
Redfish September: Great
Redfish is the ironman of fish in Southeast Louisiana and In Lake Pontchartrain it's no different. The good thing about redfish is they are more tolerant of low salinity and warm water. While most species of fish suffer from the changing conditions, redfish are not nearly as affected by the changing conditions. In September we've collected tons of reports that show anglers limiting out quick at numerous spots in the lake. The shoreline between Bayou Bonfouca all the way up to Bayou Cane is a hotspot for redfish in August. Anglers also have good reports around the power line, West of Port Louis in August. But the best bet for catching redfish in September is the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. Jigging the bottom with plastic or even market shrimp will work but live shrimp is always best.
Black Drum September: Excellent
While anglers don't generally target drum, they won't hesitate to add them to the ice box when they come across them. Often if you find one, there's a school of them at the same spot. Black Drum are plentiful in lake Pontchartrain and one of the best months to fish for them is September. Most of the reports on NFR have two things in common. They were fishing on the bottom and with market shrimp. Hotspots include the Trestles, the first cut along the eastern shoreline of Bayou Lacombe near the lake, and the shellpad 2 miles off of Green Point. Carolina rig is your best bet when fishing for Drum. Just a reminder when catching black drum for table fare - typically drum that measure over 25" contain worms in them. These worms aren't harmful but most fisherman stay away from keeping the larger fish due to there presence.
Sheepshead September: Average
Most anglers associate catching sheepshead with structure like bridge pylons and shell bottoms. Fortunately Lake Pontchartrain has plenty to offer in terms of those specific structures. Sheepshead are structure feeders. Some anglers actually can watch them circling a pylon on the Lake Pontchartrain bridges. They primarily on crabs, shrimp, barnacles and small fish. Their teeth look human, these are used for scraping structure for food. Some of the best places to target Sheepshead in Lake Pontchartrain in September is the Trestles and Causeway. Another spot that produces great reports is the Twin Spans bridge. NFR don't get too many fishing reports from the Twin Spans but when we do it's usually sheepshead that are being reported. Best bait is live shrimp (the smaller the better). Also cracked crab and surprisingly - live crawfish! Using a Carolina Rig works well but keep in mind that the entire pylon from the waters surface to the bottom offers a good chance to catch a sheeshead so a lighter weight is in order to slow down the descending bait.
Flounder September: Great
Flounder frequent the lake during the summer months but soon will be heading out to the Gulf to spawn so take advantage of the bite. One thing to remember with flounder is that they are patient predators that are willing to camp out and wait for their prey to come to them. A sharp grassy point with current coming around it is a likely spot to catch flounder. Also sharp drop-offs are a popular spot to catch flounder. Todd's Bayou near Goose Point is a fantastic place to target flounder in Lake Pontchartrain the summer. Also the broken shell dam in Flatpoint Canal is a good spot. Flounder are very aggressive and will eat just about any bait. Soft plastics on a jig head work fine for flounder but if you want to add something extra slice a sliver of mullet or bely skin from another flounder. When fishing for flounder it's important to remember to slow things down. Sometimes dragging the lure along the bottom works best. Cast up to the bank and work the lure slowly back letting it drop off of the ledges.
Garfish September: Excellent
Alligator Gar are prevalent all over the south and Lake Pontchartrain is home to some of the largest gar in the United States. It's not uncommon to catch Alligator Gar in the Lake that measure over 10 ft. Lake Pontchartrain is home to the Mandeville Garfish Rodeo in which anglers can utilize numerous methods of catching garfish. One way is to run "jug lines" or "noodles". This is a method of tying the lines to individual floats and letting setting it out in the water. When the jug float starts to move you know you hav something on the other end. Another method is rod and reel. Anglers use heavy braid line with a steel leader before the hook. Gar have sharp teeth so the steel leader is necessary to avoid breaking the line. Garfish aren't picky eaters. Popular baits are cut mullet, chicken fat, livers, or market bait. Most reports on NFR for Garfish come from the area along the Northern shoreline from Bayou Cane to Bayou Lacombe but Manchac is another great place to catch garfish.
Croaker September: Excellent
September is arguably the second best month to catch croaker in Lake Pontchartrain. During the month we see strong southeast winds blowing clean salty water into the Lake which is key for a strong croaker population. Croaker are part of the drum family. their mouths are turned down and are used to suction food from the bottom of the lake or bayou. By far the best way to target these fish is a drop shot rig with dead shrimp. Some anglers like to cut up slivers of croaker meat and use that on the hook. Croaker are notorious for "pecking" bait off of the hook so using cut fish works better as far as your bait staying on the hook. It's better to fish for these fish with a lightweight rod and monofilament line under 10 lbs. Feeling the bite is very important so a tight line is in order. The best spots to target croaker from the reports on NorthshoreFishingReport.com are the Causeway, The mouth of Bayou Liberty where it feeds into Bayou Bonfouca, and the mouth of Bayou Lacombe.
White Trout September: Great
The white trout bite typically coincides with the croaker bite in Lake Pontchartrain. September is one of the best months to target white trout in the lake. White trout are closely related to the speckled trout but don't grow as big as speckled trout. A good sized white trout in Lake Pontchartrain measures anywhere from 10" - 12". The meat tastes just as good as speckled trout but will turn out mushy of not put directly on ice when caught. White trout prefer deep channels with current with salinity above 3 ppt. Some of the best reports for white trout are from the mouth of Bayou Lacombe and the mouth of Bayou Bonfouca. Also the entrance canal to Lakeshore Estates in Slidell. Anglers who target white trout have the best results when they fish on the bottom using dead shrimp.