BOB MARSHAL fishing report

It was no surprise that a line of charter boats was heading toward Lake Washington, south of Port Sulphur. After all, anglers have been catching trout, reds and flounder in this spot for a couple of generations.

But the home port of these boats was a surprise: Lafitte.

It’s not a short run from Lafitte to Lake Washington, and with fuel prices over $4 a gallon, the 225-horsepower outboards pushing those heavily laden 25-foot bay boats were going to take a chunk out of the day’s profits. So that begged the obvious question: Why?

“It’s the closest place we’ve been able to find decent size trout lately,” said Theophile Bourgeois of Lafitte-based Bourgeois Charters. “Barataria Bay has been muddy, and the trout along the beach have been small. So if the customer wants good trout, Lake Washington is a good spot for us right now.”

That might be news in Lafitte, but Lake Washington is a very old story around the Port Sulphur area.

“It’s a pretty dependable spot in the summer, I guess because it’s close to the Gulf, and there’s so much bait moving in and out of there with the strong tides,” said Barry Colligan, of the Buras-based Shallow Water Charters. “Guys here have been fishing there since the days when it was still a small lake.

“If there’s anything different for us about that spot these days, it’s just how large it’s become because of erosion and just how open everything is now.”

In fact, the horrendous pace of marsh erosion in Barataria Bay might be the reason why Lake Washington has become — and will remain — a regular destination for Lafitte-based anglers. The large marsh islands and structures that once stood between Lake Washington and the eastern edges of Barataria Bay are almost completely gone.

Today an easterly breeze leaving the shoreline of Lake Washington blows basically unfettered as it moves over the Mining Area, Lake Robinson, Billet Bay, Lake Grand Ecaille, Cat Bay and the main body of Barataria. The first large expanse of marsh that catches the breeze will be in the Hackberry Bay area on the western side of Barataria Bay. That’s a fetch of almost 20 miles. And that’s why Barataria Bay remains so muddy when a wind picks up from any direction, but especially from the east or west.

“You see the names of bays on the map, but it’s really all one big body of water now from Lake Washington to the other side of Barataria Bay,” Colligan said. “Of course, when it’s blowing from the east, Lake Washington has much better water.”

And that’s why Lake Washington is being discovered, once again.

— Getting There —

The shortest route to Lake Washington is from Happy Jack Marina. Travel east on Grand Bayou to the Freeport Canal, then turn right, or south. The first opening onto the northern end of the lake is about 2 miles away on the left.

— Gearing up —

You’ll be running into trout up to 3 pounds, and reds up to 30 inches. Medium-action tackle, 10-15-pound test line, and rod with fast tips to work popping corks and live bait on the bottom.

Live shrimp, croakers and cockahoes are producing the biggest trout. Bring sliding sinkers and swivels for Carolina rigs. Lures working include topwater baits (Zarra Spook, Top Dogs), Gulp! Shrimp (glo), The Speculizer.

— Fishing It —

Best fishing will be before 10 a.m., unless we’re in a full-moon phase. Then you need to be on the water by sunrise, and expect action to tail off around 8:30 a.m. Also pick a day when the tide range is above 7/10.

You’ll find better water on the northern end of the lake. Upon entering, begin looking for birds working, or bait moving on the surface, and fish those spots.

If the tide is up, put the trolling motor down and work close to the bank with topwater baits and live baits under a cork for the first hour. As the sun hits the bank, begin backing off, working baits about 3 to 4 feet off. Concentrate on any points or marsh islands with current lines, especially on the falling tide. If the bank isn’t producing, begin drift fishing, casting plastics under a rattling cork. Have a Cajun anchor ready to drop when you begin hitting fish.

New Orleans Fishing Update

FISHING REPORT

Inshore saltwater

General outlook — Steady summer action from Breton Sound through Lake Borgne, with bigger trout in the outer bays and the marshes filled with reds. West side of the river has been spotty for trout because of high winds and muddy water, but reds are hungry and everywhere.

(Good) Delacroix Isle

Specks outside, reds inside. Best spots: Dope Boat, Black Tank, The Wreck, Battledore Reef, Breton Sound; redfish, Little Lake, Grand Lake, inside Four Horse Lake, Oak River, Little Crevasse, Oak River Bay, Lake Campo. Best baits: live shrimp, live croakers, live cockahoes, market bait, plastic cockahoes, gold spoons.

(Good) Hopedale

Specks and reds. Best spots: Wellheads and cement rigs in Bay Eloi, long and short rocks, Central Rig wellheads, The Compressor, Little Central, Five Wells, Dope Boat; MR-GO from Hopedale to short and long rocks; Lake of the Trees, Halfmoon Bay, Point Lydia, Comfort Island. Best baits: Hybrids (avocado, seafood), Berkley Gulp! (pearl, new penny) rig free lined or with one split shot; live shrimp or croakers.

Reggio

Some reds, specks scarce. Best spots: Reggio Canal, Tanasia’s, Lake Amadee, Lake Ameda, Bayou Batolo, Bayou Robin, Petain. Best baits: live cockahoes, fresh shrimp, sparkle beetles (purple/white, clear,) plastic cockahoes, gold spoons.

(Good) Shell Beach

Specks, reds. Best spots: Lake Borgne shoreline from Old Navy Base pilings, the short rocks, Bay Eloi, Breton Sound spots, the east shoreline of Lake Borgne from Proctor’s Point to Bayou Biloxi. Best baits: live croakers, live shrimp on a Carolina rig, sparkle beetles (clear, chartreuse), Gulp! Shrimp (glo), Deadly Dudley, plastic cockahoes.

(Good) Bayou Bienvenue

Specks and reds. Best spots: Seabrook, the locks, Lake Borgne from Bayou Bienvenue to The Castle, The Locks, Violet locks, Boh Brothers, Bulk Plant. Best baits: live shrimps, live croakers two feet under a sliding cork.

(Good) The Chef

Trout, reds. Best spots: Alligator Point, Star Bayou, Shell Point, Third Island, the new rocks in Lake Pontchartrain, gas wells in Lake Borgne. Best baits: live shrimp, fresh shrimp, gold spoons, sparkle beetles, Gulp! (glo), Deadly Dudley Terror Tail (Blue Moon).

(Fair) The Rigolets

Trout and reds. Best spots: on a falling tide railroad and car bridges, Sawmill Pass, back of Geohagen’s Canal, Miller’s Ditch, Lake Borgne rigs, shoreline from Unknown Pass to Alligator Point, Rigolets shorelines. Best baits: Live shrimp, live croakers, Deadly Dudley Bay Chovie (Opening Night), Terror Tail (Blue Moon), DOA, Gulp!

(Fair) North shore

Trout. Best spots: South shore at the trestles early before the wind picks up, rigs at Bayou Lacombe. Best baits: live shrimp, live croakers, Deadly Dudley Baychovie (Opening Night), DOA shrimp (glo, clear/chartreuse tail).

(Fair) Lafitte

Mostly reds, some trout. Best spots: reds in Bayou Perot, The Pen, Lake Salvador east and south shorelines, Bay Round, Airplane Bay, Little Lake, Hackberry Bay, Bay L’ours; trout early morning in Hackberry, Snail Bay, Manilla Village. Best baits: live shrimp, live cockahoes on the bottom, plastic cockahoe (glo/chartreuse tail, black).

(Fair) Myrtle Grove

Scattered reds and specks. Best spots: Bay Laurier, Bay Round, Bay Cray, Manilla Village, St. Mary’s Point, reds in the ponds along Bayou Dupont. Best baits: plastics on the bottom, and drifting with cork.

(Good) Happy Jack-Port Sulphur

Trout and reds. Best spots: Trout moving close to the beach, Bayou Chalon, Four Bayous, LaRocca’s, the Mining area, Rattlesnake, Bay Sansbois, Bayou Dulac, No Man’s Land, Bayou Travere, Grandpa Bayou. Best baits: live shrimp, live minnows, sparkle beetles (avocado), gold spoons.

(Fair) Pointe a la Hache

Trout outside, reds inside. Best spots: Trout are under the birds and Bay Crabbe, American Bay, California Point, Battledore; reds are thick inside between Pointe a la Hache and Delacroix. Best baits: live shrimp, live croakers, topwater baits.

(Good) Empire-Buras

Trout and reds. Best spots: Along the beaches from Bay Chalon to Four Bayous, but best action on the east side due to the west wind. Look for clear water Battledore, Kelly’s Gap, Iron Banks, Stone Island, Pelican Island, and Deepwater Point. If water clears, trout over the reefs in Phillips Canal, Dry Cypress area, Bay Adams, Drake Bay, Bay Jacques. Best baits: topwater baits (Zarra, Jr., She Dog), Deadly Dudley Bay Chovie.

(Good) Venice

Trout and reds. Best spots: Main Pass Block 69, Flatboat Pass, Pass a Loutre, Breton Island, Deepwater Point, Kelly’s Gap, South and Southwest Pass rocks and lumps; reds everywhere on west side. Best baits: live shrimp, plastic cockahoes (black/chartreuse) on the bottom; fresh shrimp; gold spoons.

(Good) Grand Isle-Fourchon

Specks, reds, white trout, sheepshead. Best spots: Little Lake, Lake Raccourci reefs, reefs behind Grand Isle, Queen Bess, Coupa Bel, Government Reef; some trout along the beaches from Grand Isle to Four Bayous; bigger trout along the Timbalier Islands. Best baits: live shrimp, live cockahoes, live croakers, live pogies, Berkeley Gulp! (shrimp) Saltwater Assassin (chartreuse, smoke).

Offshore

General outlook — Blue water still hasn’t shown up, but yellowfin tuna still around the floaters, wahoo and dolphin along the rips and grass patches; mangroves and red snapper in West Delta; plenty of amberjack, cobia; mangroves, lemon fish Bay May Marchand rigs and Grand Isle 20s and 40s.

Freshwater

General outlook — Bass and bream steady.

(Good) St. Bernard

Bass. Best spots: Grand Lake, Bayou Terre aux Beoufs, Oak River, Spanish Lake, Lake Lery, Reggio Canal, Lake Amadee, Caernarvon Canal, Howard’s Ditch, Schooner Canal, Bayou Le Mer Canal. Best baits: beetle spins (green/black stripe), plastic lizards (watermelon), plastic worms (purple, Tequila, pumpkin seed), DOA (glo).

(Fair) Lafitte

Bass and bream. Best spots: Tank Pond, Blue Point, The Pen, Service Canal, Delta Farms, Tank Pond in Lake Cataouatche, Salvador Management Area, Bayou Dupont. Best baits: plastic worms, (black/blue, red shad), live worms, Gulp! Niblets.

(Fair) North shore

Bass, sac-a-lait, bream. Best spots: West Pearl, Bayou Lacombe, Geohagen’s Canal. Best baits: spinner baits (yellow/chartreuse), plastic worms (Tequila); live shiner, crickets and worms for bream

Fried Catfish & Hushpuppies Recipe

My version of good old Southern Fried Catfish & Hushpuppies really hit the spot tonight! Sometimes, the only thing that will cool your craving is a whole plate of fried food, tonight was one of those nights.
I used a medium grind corn meal, and I wish I hadn’t. The only downfall of the whole meal. Those large grains just don’t seem to get cooked through enough during the short frying time.

Wondra flour (gold medal brand) is what is known as an instant flour, used for thickening sauces and gravies. It’s wonderful for frying because it absorbs so much liquid and makes the finished product ultra crispy.

The recipes:

Fried Catfish Recipe with Hushpuppies and Creole Tartar Sauce

For the Catfish:

Fried Catfish Recipe

2 Catfish Fillets, cut into fingers
1 Cup Corn Meal
1/4 Cup Wondra Flour
3 Tbsp Creole Seasoning
Salt & Pepper
Peanut Oil or Lard for frying

Heat 2 inches of Peanut Oil or Lard to 360 degrees in a Cast Iron dutch oven.
Season the Catfish fingers liberally with salt and pepper.
Combine the corn meal, Wondra, and Creole seasoning in a shallow dish. Dredge the catfish in the mixture until well coated. Set aside for 10-15 minutes.
When the oil is to temperature, fry the catfish fingers in batches until golden brown and cooked through.

Serve with lemon wedges, hushpuppies and Creole Tartar Sauce

**Be sure not to over crowd the pan, or you will have greasy, soggy catfish.

For the Hushpuppies:

Hushpuppies Recipe

1 Cup Corn Meal
1 Cup All Purpose FLour
2 Tbsp Green Onions, finely sliced
2 tsp Kosher Salt
1 pinch Cayenne
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Cup Buttermilk

Combine all of the ingredients and mix together thoroughly. Form into balls and fry in 360 degree oil as described above for the Catfish.

For the Creole Tartar Sauce:

Creole Tartar Sauce Recipe

1 Egg
2 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
2 tsp Garlic, chopped
1/4 Cup Dill Pickle, chopped
1 Tbsp Creole Mustard
2 tsp Horseradish
2 tsp Parsley, chopped
3 Tbsp Green Onions, chopped
2 tsp Hot Sauce
1 1/2 Cups Vegetable Oil
Kosher salt

Combine all of the ingredients except the oil in the workbowl of a food processor. Mix on high for 1 minute, then slowly drizzle in the oil until all is incorporated and the mixture is thick like Mayonnaise. Season to taste with salt.

Be sure and check out my ever growing Index of Creole & Cajun Recipes!

Blackie Campo’s death doesn’t mean the end of his legend

They told me Thursday that Blackie Campo had died. I don’t believe it.

That’s not denial, just fact. Landmarks don’t pass away; icons don’t disappear.

There is a level of accomplishment in our world that goes beyond famous. It’s called unforgettable. That’s what Blackie Campo is for generations of metro-area anglers. Death can’t take that away.

Blackie and his Shell Beach business are to local anglers what the Mississippi River is to New Orleans — an essential, permanent part of our lives. He spent all of his 90 years on the banks of Lake Borgne, and seemed to give every one of them to us. Life without him is inconceivable.

“Blackie was fishing in this area,” said Mark Schexnaydre, an LSU Sea Grant Fisheries biologist. “There isn’t a fisherman alive today who doesn’t know who he is.

“You can’t think of him not being here. He’s just a constant.”

He has certainly been a constant in my life, a man who was a mentor in all things fishing and also a shining example of the spirit and character of St. Bernard Parish.

I can remember being totally intimidated at our first meeting. I was a 16-year-old kid from the city standing in a crowd of sun-tanned veteran anglers buzzing around the Campos’ famous Shell Beach bait and rental business on a busy summer Saturday morning. I wanted to rent a skiff. No motor, please. Couldn’t afford the combo.

“You better have some strong arms to get back here against that tide,” a voice boomed from the heavens.

I turned and gazed up at a towering figure whose profile seemed to touch the top of the electric hoist. A row of white teeth were showing in a wide grin from a face far above me, just below a pair of strikingly blue eyes glowing like welder’s flames from a face dark as old mahogany. It was clear why Frank Campo was called Blackie.

To say I was awed would be acriminal understatement. Blackie already was famous at 48, a name mentioned almost weekly by the outdoors writers of the time. This was the man who gave counsel to McFadden Duffy and By HEK. Fishermen in the neighborhood quoted him and shared his words of advice with the kind of reverence football fans expressed when mentioning Vince Lombardi.

And now I was standing before that legend. And he was talking to me.

I could feel my face flushing, and managed only to stammer “Yes, sir,” and headed toward the skiff with a practiced casualness that must have made Blackie’s smile even wider. Naturally, I managed to catch the bottom of one sneaker on the gunwale and proceeded to spill tackle box, rod-and-reel and lunch bag onto the deck, before following on hands and knees. I could hear the cockahoes laughing from the bait tank.

“Wear that life jacket,” Blackie commanded. I quickly put it on, then proceeded to begin rowing the skiff out into the bayou — only to realize I still hadn’t untied the docking line.

“Gonna be hard to tow us all out there,” Blackie said, using a pair of hands the size of frying pans to free the line before tossing it in the boat.

What he said next was my first insight into the man that was Blackie Campo. “Take your time. Those trout ain’t going nowhere. And don’t forget to try the Shell Canal.”

Those were face-saving lines graciously served up by a man who could see the embarrassment written all over this rookie’s face.

Blackie was equally generous years later when that rookie had morphed into an outdoors writer for the local paper. I talked to Blackie at least weekly for most of the past 30 years, and he always freely shared his wisdom, revealing nuggets of insight into the behavior of fish and fishermen, mined from a lifetime spent observing both in the marshes of southern St. Bernard Parish.

He also was free with his criticism. There were memorable debates about science-vs.-experience, sports-vs.-commercials, regulations and enforcement. And there were times when he gave me a tongue-lashing with a heat that could come only from the heart.

Yet he never held a grudge. I learned to tread carefully when discussing certain topics with Blackie — such as the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the net ban, the Army Corps of Engineers or his beloved Saints. But I never worried that expressing my opinion would be terminal to the relationship.

And I also learned, quickly, that Blackie, his wife Mabel and his family were not posing when they talked about their love for the marsh. His home and business were destroyed four times by hurricanes, and his beloved swamps and marsh were decimated by the government. But leaving was never a consideration.

Nor was whining.

“That’s just part of the deal out here,” he said. “We want to live here, and we know this could happen. But this is where we want to be.”

We loved having him there for more reasons than just fishing tips. He had a mind as sharp as a filet knife and a heart as big as the marsh.

Maybe no one knew this better than Mike Hanemann, who became Blackie’s fishing buddy after his own father, who long held that position, died.

“About three months after my father passed, Mr. Campo called and asked me if I could get Tuesdays off to fish with him,” Hanemann said. “Well, that was like Gabriel asking me if I wanted to blow his horn!

“So we fished almost every week, sometimes twice a week. What I learned on those trips covers a lot more than fishing. My father left me a lot of things, but the best thing he gave me was Mr. Campo.

“He was a man whose judgment and kindness you could always count on. He was always there for you.”

The angling community, including me, took that permanence and guidance for granted, because it never occurred to us that there would not be Blackie Campo at Shell Beach. The stock market could crash, the nation could go to war or be wracked by social upheaval, we could lose our jobs or loved ones, we could be stricken by disease, we could see the world enter the dizzying pace of the digital era, our city could be destroyed by the federal levee disaster. But there always would be that tall, dark man with the piercing blue eyes waiting at the hoist in Shell Beach. Blackie was permanent, as dependable as the next sunrise or the change of seasons. Even Hurricane Katrina couldn’t defeat him.

In fact my lasting image of Blackie will come from a scene about a year after Katrina. He had taken refuge in Baton Rouge after having been chased out of St. Bernard when the corps’ levees had crumbled along the MR-GO. With the rest of the parish and much of the area equally devastated, there was little hope of reopening his business. There were just no customers.

But on a hot summer day a year later, I found Blackie sitting on a white-plastic chair next to his dock in Shell Beach, surrounded by the rubble of his business, with Mabel watching him from the steps of a FEMA trailer. I thought it was a pitiful scene.

Blackie was wearing a grin like he’d won the lottery.

“I know there’s nothing left, but when I finally got back here I felt good for the first time since the storm hit, because I felt like I was finally home,” Blackie told me. “I can see the water and smell the marsh. This is where I belong.”

And that is where he will always be for me, and for generations of other anglers who called him friend.

They can say Blackie Campo is dead, but they can’t take him away from us. He is unforgettable.

Capt Scott Poche

Capt Scott Poche
Crescent City Fishing Charters, INC
(504) 915-0392

Welcome to “The Sportsman’s Paradise,” better known as Louisiana. Step aboard with Capt. Scott Poche` of Crescent City Fishing Charters Inc. and prepare for the fishing experience of a lifetime!

Located only 35 minutes from downtown New Orleans, Capt. Scott will take you to Lafitte’s Barataria Basin with world class fishing opportunities for redfish, speckled trout, flounder, black drum and bass. In addition to being a prime spot for fishing, the waters of Lafitte are well known for their beautiful marshes and spectacular wildlife habitat.

As a native of the New Orleans area, Capt. Scott has fished and hunted these waters for more than thirty years, and has owned and operated Crescent City Fishing Charters Inc. since 1996. Whether it’s your first time casting a line, or angling is your passion, Capt. Scott’s immense knowledge and experience along with his friendly, personable attitude will insure that you have a great day on the water and guarantee that you will catch fish.

Capt. Scott has been featured on several television channels dedicated to fishing and the outdoors, such as Louisiana Sportsman TV, The Outdoors Network and The Sportsman’s Channel. He was also featured in several fishing articles published in Outdoor Life, Louisiana Sportsman Magazine and Field and Stream Magazine.

Let U.S. Coast Guard licensed Capt. Scott Poche’ or one of his well trained, talented guides take you on the trip of a lifetime. Whether it’s a trip for two, a family or a corporate fishing trip, we can customize our services to your needs. We also coordinate company fishing rodeos for groups of 50 or more. A wide variety of single or multiple day trips can be planned to include food and lodging, seafood boils, casino trips and much, much more!

Come enjoy the best of what Louisiana has to offer and book your fishing trip with Capt. Scott Poche` of Crescent City Fishing Charters Inc. today for an unforgettable fishing adventure!

Capt Scott Poche with Kids

Capt Scott Poche teaches kids how to catch monster Redfish. Great day on the water for the kids. Mom and Dad had fun too!

Redfish Courtbouillon

From NolaCuisine.com:

This is the city or Creole version of the great Louisiana Courtbouillons, the other being the Cajun Catfish Courtbouillon (COO-be-yahn). The major difference in my two versions is the absence of a Roux in this one and of course the type of fish. I actually used Red Snapper for this version. Although Redfish is preferred and classic, I went with what I could get freshest.

According to the Picayune’s Creole Cookbook of 1901:

Those kings of the New Orleans French Market the Red Snapper and the Redfish, are used in the pride and glory of the New Orleans cuisines, a good Courtbouillon. More generally and with finer results the Redfish or Poisson Rouge is used. This Fish may always be known by the single spot on the tail. The old Creoles have a tradition that this was the fish that the Apostles brought to the Savior when he performed the great miracle of the loaves and the fishes. They hand down the quaint legend that the Savior took up this fish between his fingers and blessed it, and it was ever after a marked fish in the waters, the imprint of the Lord’s fingers having remained on the spot where He held up the fish and blessed it and offered it up to His Father. They hold the Redfish in reverent veneration, and never fail to tell the children when cooking it: ‘Those are the marks of the Lord’s hand.’

More on Redfish Courtbouillon from what I’ve said before is one of my absolute favorite reads on the subject of Creole & Cajun cooking, the long out of print 1971 Time-Life publication American Cooking: Creole and Acadian by Peter S. Feibleman:

Stop and have a bowl of redfish courtbouillon, a dish that is to the bayous and marshes and Gulf coast what a hamburger is to the Midwest. A rich brown roux has been made and combined with tomato puree, onions, shallots, garlic, celery and bell pepper. Bay leaves and allspice and red pepper and other spices have been added, and a dash of Tabasco. Redfish meat and a bit of claret have been put in and simmered gently for an hour, and the courtbouillon is served in a gumbo bowl with rice. It is red and thick and searing, and just one taste of it makes you imagine that you can stand up even to the weather.

When making your Creole Sauce for this recipe be sure to make it extra thick, otherwise the liquid the fish lets out while cooking will make your sauce watery.

Here is my recipe:

Redfish Courtbouillon Recipe

2 Whole Redfish, Red Snapper, or other firm fleshed fish (scaled, gutted and trimmed of all fins)
1 Cup Flour, liberally seasoned with salt, pepper and cayenne
2 Tbsp Unsalted butter
1/4 Cup dry white wine
1 Recipe Creole Sauce, made with fish stock, and made extra thick
1 Lemon, thinly sliced
2 bunches fresh Thyme, 1/2 of which tied tightly with butcher’s twine
1 Bay Leaf
1 Recipe Creole Boiled Rice as an accompaniment

Season the fish all over including in the cavity with kosher salt, black pepper and a little cayenne. Place some of the sliced lemon and 1/2 of the Thyme into the cavity of each fish.
Dredge the fish in the seasoned flour and warm the unsalted butter in a large cast iron skillet.
When the butter just starts to brown place the fish in the pan, cook until golden brown on both sides.
Remove the fish to a plate and deglaze the pan with the white wine. When the wine reduces slightly, add the fish back to the pan and ladle enough Creole Sauce to come up the sides of the fish by half, plus ladle a little on top of the fish.
Add the Thyme and bay leaf to the pan and place some of the lemon slices on top of the fish. Cover the pan with a lid or aluminum foil and place into a 350 degree over for 30 minutes.

When plating, carefully remove the fish and filet gently being careful to get rid of all of the bones. An alternate method would be to filet the fish raw and use the head and bones to make your fish stock.

Serve with Creole Boiled Rice and garnish with chopped parsley, lemon slices, and a genourous helping of the Creole Sauce from the pan.

Serves 2-4 depending on the size of your fish.

Be sure and check out my ever growing Index of Creole & Cajun Recipes which is a directory of all of the recipes featured on this site!

Variety catch in Pontchartrain

Now once you get about halfway into this week’s report you’re gonna swear that you’ve read it before… or that I’m posting a “repeat” of a previous Lake Pontchartrain trip. But let me assure you, this report is from the trip we did this morning – June 26. It’s current, up-to-date stuff that all took place today from sunrise to about 10 am.

David Joachim / WWL-TV

Capt. Kreeger shows off a fresh catfish.

“That’s just how good it’s been out here, even in spite of the spillway opening,” Capt. Kenny Kreeger, my charter guide this week, said. “Trout, redfish, flounder, drum, sheepshead, gafftop catfish, croakers, stingrays, and a wide variety of other species seem to be stacked up all along the railroad trestle—yep, trestle again! And the area on the southern end, western side, in the vicinity of Piling # 30, is where most of the action that I’ve been into here lately is coming from!”

Capt. Kreeger isn’t alone in targeting that side of the lake. Other charter operators like Mike Gallo, Dudley Vandenborre, and Greg Schlumbrecht, along with veteran fishermen like Dr. Bob Weiss and Hil Wegener, have all pulled impressive speckled trout from the water under that end of the train bridge.

“I think it’s just the confluence of the lake and the adjacent passes,” Kreeger continued. “Currents swirl in that location, salinities are more stable in that location, turbid water clears up quicker in that location, and fish just seem to like it better when they’re in that location! In fact, that entire end of the lake and the structures that make up the environs there – trestle, Highway 11 Bridge, and Twin Spans – rank right at the top of the lake’s productivity chart.

“That, Frank, is why for the past couple of weeks, myself and just about everyone else who religiously fishes this area has consistently caught a myriad, a hodgepodge, a potpourri of game fish species here. And you know what? This is only the beginning! It’s gonna get even better as we plow deeper into summertime.”

For all the Pontchartrain weekenders and casual anglers, here’s your game plan:

»Get up early! Get out early! Fish early! Because early is when most of the action takes place, regardless of what it is you’re fishing for.

»Use live shrimp on an 18-inch-long Carolina rig. Weigh it down with a full half ounce or 5/8’s sliding sinker, and affix a 4/0 long-shank, straight Carlisle, Aberdeen, or O’Shaughnessy hook on the business end.

»Hook the shrimp through the last two tail segments instead of in the horn on the head. Tail-hooking keeps the shrimp alive a whole lot longer.

»Make sure you’re fishing on a moving tide. Makes no difference whether it’s “incoming” or “outgoing” so long as it’s moving. And any range between 6/10ths and 9/10ths is ideal.

»Try fishing both “with” and “against” the tidal flow, eventually settling on the method that produces the most strikes and puts the greatest number of fish in the boat.

»Be aware that most of the time it’s routine to anchor about 20 yards off the trestle and cast toward it, trying your best to fish under it. But at other times you’ll have to do just the opposite—anchor about 20 yards off the trestle and cast away from it. That’s what Kenny and I did today… and we successfully boated a nice mixed bag.

»When the bites stop at the trestle, move to the old draw on the south side of the Highway 11 Bridge, tie up to the fender, and fish bottom for some nice sheepshead and drum (drum that, in Kenny’s opinion, are the biggest he’s seen in years and years).

“Now I’m aware that a lot of folks want to pitch plastic and stay away from the live bait approach,” Capt. Kreeger noted with reservation. “That’s okay… and they will put a few fish in the boat. Notice that I said a ‘few’ fish, okay. Pitching plastic at this time of year is fishing the hard way because you’re handicapping yourself. It’s like the ‘trollers,’ who’d rather not still-fish because their thrill is to pull plastic bait behind a moving boat. This time of year, Frank, they’ll catch a ‘few’ as well.

“But if you’re intent on doing it the easy way, the ultimately productive way, you need to tie on live and lively shrimp… because that’s what the trout and reds and drum and everything else in the water is eating now! The shrimp are infused in the water everywhere! They’re the main dietary item for every species right now for breakfast, dinner, and supper!

“You wanna catch a bragging mess and have a good time doing it? Invest in some live shrimp and serve ’em up!”

One more note:

There’s yet another reason to get up early and fish early other than the fact that the fish are biting early! That reason is… when you fish from daybreak to about mid-morning, you’re fishing the coolest part of the day and avoiding the blistering rays of the midday sun. You’re also more apt to avoid running into one of those Louisiana summer time showers. Pretty good logic, huh?

And here’s my parting reminder this week. Please read carefully and note:

You’ll need to go buy a brand new fishing license before the last day of this month (June 30)… because that’s when the one you have now will expire! Don’t get caught on the water with a fishing pole in your hand without the new license! And you know why, too, don’t you?

Frank’s Note: If you would like to contact Capt. Kenny Kreeger directly, you can call him at 985-643-2944.

The Huckestein trip

Yesterday I had the pleasure to fish with a great father and son group from Birmingham.

It was a beautiful day to be out on the water that morning, nice cool breeze and no rain in sight. We started the day out from Lafitte Harbour Marina in search of Redfish. I went in the direction of Bay Round to find some nice reds I saw a few days before. But the water was very dirty from the windy days before, and the rain and high winds we had the night before. So we decided to go to a few of my favorite duck ponds, and see what the shallow water looked like. But the duck ponds were dirty from the bad weather the night before also.

We saw many redfish waking down the banks, and across the shallow ponds that we threw baits at, but were not very successful at getting many to bite in the dirty water. The first area we stopped did not do us any good, as we did not get a bite from the fish we saw. But one of my favorite ponds had some redfish helped us out. we caught 9 redfish and 1 lonely Speckled Trout, after casting baits at somewhere near 50 or so redfish. It was frustrating watching these redfish swim by the baits and turn their nose to a lure. So we moved on to other areas that did not help us with the catch either. After exhausting our efforts and run out of places to try and find clean water,with the wind blowing at 15 to 20mph by now, we called it a day and returned to the marina with 9 redfish and our 1 lonely trout.

I enjoyed fishing with Bob and Joseph, and look forward to fishing with them in the future.

If you would like to book a trip for some redfish and speckled trout action, you can call myself Capt. Scott Poche at 504-915-0392 or find us on the web at www.lafittefishing.com and just remember your only a phone call away from” FISHING WITH THE BEST”

Good Luck and Good Fishing!

Capt. Scott Poche`