By Frank Davis
Posted Saturday, February 26, 2005
 E-mail this page  Printer-friendly page
If you're leaning toward spending the whole weekend on the water catching speckled trout, I'm here to tell you that it can be done, but. . .it's gonna take a little doing.
If you're from the old school that teaches "all you got to do is just throw a bait in the water anywhere and the fish will abandon all caution and gobble it up," then you might want to plan ahead to stop for a 10-piece bucket with fries! (Cuz you ain't coming home with no trout, Dude!).
"The recent rains and the cold front dropping down on us have changed conditions again," Capt. Eric Muhoberac attempted to explain to his krewe this morning. "But with a little bit of patience, a whole ot of skill, some dogged determination, and a few of Frank's tips, even the king of the rookies can bring home as many this Saturday and Sunday as my guys did today during the taping of 'The Fishin' Game Report.' Here' what y'all need to do:
"Head out of Hi-Ridge Marina and go straight-away to either Bayou Laneaux, Bay Sanbois, Rattlesnake Bayou, Lake Washington, or Grand Ecaille. These are the top producers right now for both trout and reds. Then after you're there, fish up against the grassy shorelines for redfish and out toward the open water for speckled trout. But note--it's gonna be "a moving game" until about mid-April--in other words, you'll need to drift and cover a lot of water just to find the fish."
The pros will tell you that you'll pick up one or two here and there and then nothing, which means it will be time to move again to find the next cluster. Oyster reef areas and shell banks seem to be the specific locations which continue to hold the greatest number of trout and reds.
"Artificial lures rigged on a quarter-ounce jighead will work tightlined, the Speculizer is probably your best choice for trout on the surface, and a live Cocahoe minnow worked off a sliding Carolina will pick up both species in the transitional bayous and lagoons," Capt. Rob "Redbone" Martin added. "This means that you can't get out there with just one rod and reel--you'll be tying and re-tying all day long switching from one method of terminal tackle to another. Bring one combo rigged for bottom fishing, preferably with a Carolina configuration; then bring along another combo--preferably a spinning rig--configured to fish a Speculizer up on the surface. Then alternate every few minutes or so until you establish which configuration the fish want."
General "Rule of Thumb" is you should give each spot about 10 minutes. If you don't get any action within that time period, find another location. Places with structure seem to fare out much better than places void of stickups. And nothing is to be considered "standard operating procedure." Trout probably won't bite like trout; reds won't strike like reds; and all the book-learning you once counted on will probably be right out the window. "You gotta be ready for anything," Muhoberac insisted. "A teeny nibble, a solid bump, or even a rip-the-rod-out-of-your-hands train wreck! But that's what makes fishing this time of year so great. You gotta know what you're doing because nothing happens accidentally right now."
One other thing you'll absolutely need to know. . .bring along your gnat supplies. Because when the wind dies on the marsh, it's barbaric out there!! You'll need 100% DEET, Deep Woods Off, Avon Skin-So-Soft, Gnat Hooks, insect clothing, bloused pants, long-sleeve shirts, and a good hat. By way of suggestion, latex rubber gloves are also a good item to bring along in the tackle box--gnats can't bite through them, and if you cup them over the cuffs on your sleeves they can't crawl under them to get to your arms, either.
One final word of caution: water all over the Port Sulphur quadrant is extremely low right now and there are dozens upon dozens of hidden, submerged, dangers virtually everywhere you boat--well pipes, stumps, tree trunks, mud flats, oyster reefs. For this reason, proceed cautiously when moving from fishing spot to fishing spot--many an unsuspecting fisherman has lost a lower unit while rushing up on an unseen oyster reef at 55 miles per hour! As the poet says, "go slow in spots you don't know!"
Next week it's time to revisit "the lake" (Lake Pontchartrain, that is). We'll take a look at how the Spring season is shaping up out on the massive estuary. I'll file a story for you the minute Kenny Kreeger and I get back to Tite's Place. In the meantime,
Be safe and be courteous out there.
Article courtesy of Frank Davis at http://www.frankdavis.com
E-mail this page Printer-friendly page
| 
