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Trestletastic
 Keith Lusher
October is arguably one of the best months to fish the train bridge known as the Trestles in Slidell. However, this year anglers are questioning the timing of the annual speckled trout run at the 5-mile bridge because of the spillway recovery and a high pressure system that has kept the deep south deep fried.
 James Hall with his surprise catch at the Trestles
James Hall and girlfriend Lauren Baker, made a trip to the Trestles but says his lack of confidence in the trip was reflected in his lackadaisical attitude on this day. “I slept in and we left our dock at 1:00 p.m. We stopped by the Blind Tiger for lunch and some LSU football and casually hit the bridges at 2:30 not expecting much,” he says. James’ outlook on the afternoon quickly changed after feeling a thump on his Matrix Shad rigged on a 3/8 Goldeneye Jig head. “We fished until 5:30 and caught 18 speckled trout - Every one was an easy keeper,” Hall says.
The typical tactic for catching speckled trout at the train bridge is to cover a lot of water, then loop back around when you catch fish and concentrate on that area. James says it was no different on this trip. “They only held in certain spots - but when I found them they were stacked up,” James says. 
Lauren Baker pitched in by catching 3 fish on this trip
Shrimp Moving West
The ultimate sign for fishermen to know that the fishing is getting back to normal is the sign of baitfish and shrimp in the water. Bill Baute made a fishing trip to Lake Pontchartrain and started at the Trestles but didn’t manage any speckled trout “Just a bunch of hardheads,” Baute says. After making a move to the entrance of Oak Harbor he started catching speckled trout on live shrimp under a cork. Bill says there was bait everywhere. “There’s lots of bait out there! Mullet, ladyfish, and shrimp!” he says. At one point Bill was throwing a silver spoon for redfish and says he caught something he’s never caught before - a shrimp! “I must have snagged him with the spoon - I certainly never caught a shrimp on a lure before!” says Bill. 
Bill Baute snagged this shrimp in the water near Oak Harbor
Conservation on Tap While it’s not as pressing of an issue here on the Northshore than areas south of us, coastal erosion is something that local anglers have noticed in certain spots like Bayou Bonfouca and the Salt Bayou area. Vanishing Paradise and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation will be available to discuss the condition of Lake Pontchartrain and other restoration projects on the Northshore. Amanda Moore of the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Program says “The idea is to connect sportsmen and women with restoration and make sure they understand what projects are happening. Conservation on Tap gives them a chance to talk about what’s happening as far as restoration and also hear some presentations from the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation,” Moore says. The free event will be held at the Brass Monkey Draught Emporium in Slidell on October 17th from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. and is open to the public. Tournament Results Liar’s and Lunker’s held its tournament at the East Pearl River. Nineteen (19) teams showed up to compete and the talk around the boat ramp was the West Pearl River, which was just under six feet and fishable for a tournament. Many of the anglers couldn't wait to battle some of those river fish that were sure to be hungry. When the weigh-in wrapped up that afternoon, it was clear that the West Pearl River was where the fish were. Taking the top spot was Trenton Pittman and Chase Damare with 12.05 lbs. The team also had the days big bass which was an impressive 5.19 lbs. Second place went to Timmy Dickens and Jay Breland with 11.20 lbs. Third place was Mark Mohr with 10.46 lbs. |
Northshore Fishing Report in Print!
Look for the Northshore Fishing Report publication every Thursday in The Slidell Independent Weekly Newspaper!
 Keith Lusher
I created NFR.com in the spring of 2012. Since then it 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. Support for NFR is crucial to its growth and I'm always looking for sponsors whether it be for web, radio, or newspaper. If you have any questions please email me at: Keith@NorthshoreFishingReport.com
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Lake Pontchartrain has come a long way since summer. The water has improved, the batfish and shrimp have moved west as well as the speckled trout! Check out the latest video "October Speckled Trout Run in Lake Pontchartrain". Forrest Green and Keith Lusher head out of Bayou Lacombe into the Lake in search of specks and reds!
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