By Frank Davis
Posted Sunday, February 13, 2005
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If going to the parades is not on your agenda for this weekend, or even for Fat Tuesday, I can tell you first-hand that you might want to parade on over to Cocodrie for a mid-winter fishing trip.
Your krewe will no doubt have a great time catching a variety of fish--from speckled trout to sheepshead--just like I and my krewe did Thursday when we shot this week's edition of "The Fishin' Game Report." Once again we were hosted by Coco Marina's Johnny Glover.
"It's overcast and it's windy and it's doggone cold out here this morning, but there' no doubt in my mind that we'll catch fish, a lot of fish," Johnny boasted. "Now it might not be our preferred choice become we do have to contend with weather conditions. I mean, last week, when it was warmer, Capt. Eugene Foret got heavily in the speckled trout--big fish up in the 2 sand 3 pound range. Some of our other charter captains also tore up the big reds back in the ponds and in the pipeline canals. But today...well, I think it's gonna be sheepshead time."
And it truly was. After testing out about a dozen haunts for trout and reds (fished with both artificials as well as live bait), our pro guide, Capt. Scott Dufresne, announced that we should tie on quarter ounce leadhead jigs and tip them with hefty chunks of market shrimp because he was on his way to sheepshead territory.
"This is prime wintertime fishing," Dufresne noted, "which is just perfect for novice first-timers, for ladies who hate to brave choppy seas, and for kids of all ages who have a hard time feeling the bites and setting the hooks. See...sheepshead eat up! They're jump on the bait, they don't finesse it, they almost hook themselves, and they fight like championship contenders! Oh, yeah...and did I mention that you can catch 'em till hell freezes over 'cuz there's no limit on 'em? "
Of course, after talking with our weather guys, I learned that you probably won't be able to target your primary game species--like speckled trout or redfish--for the next four or five days because of the presence of cold temperatures and murky water. But if you'd like to get in on the fast-paced action of sheepshead fishing, it's not all that tough! All you have to do is pull up to any of a dozen or so po-Pierre stands out on the marsh behind CoCo Marina. Find an old wharf or a set of pilings that are somewhat affected by a moving tide and for the most part "you're in sheepshead country." And I can absolutely guarantee that you'll catch yourself a mess of them in little or no time, using nothing but a chunk of market shrimp on a quarter ounce jighead fished flush on the bottom.
I actually take this opportunity to encourage any and all fishermen--regardless of your species preference--to get into these so-called "jailhouse snappers, these pipeline perch" while they're still ravenously taking market bait. Because the Terrebonne veterans who fish the Cocodrie area on a regular basis willl confide to you that this sheepshead action provides only a stop-gap measure while you're waiting for the trout and reds to start up again. And they will start up again soon--it's just that it won't be before the water and wind and tide conditions get a whole lot better.
Now, just as a reminder, remember that CoCo Marina is in its wintertime mode, which means the restaurant is closed, most of the charter operators are on hiatus, hours are extremely shortened, etc. But because Capt. Scott specializes in wintertime inside marsh trips, you can arrange trout and redfish--and sheepshead!--charters directly with him through the marina. Simply call 985-594-6626.
Next week it's time to check out Shell Beach again. Talk with your the minute we get back at Blackie Campo's dock.
Until then...
Happy Mardi Gras!
Visit Frank Davis on the web at www.frankdavis.com
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