Gaspergou, catfish bite on in Cataouatche

Any fishing trips last week had to be planned very carefully. Two cold fronts with severe thunderstorms blew through the state leaving a window of opportunity during mid-week.

Gilbert and Nick Briseno had that opportunity to make a fishing trip with me to Lake Cataouatche. Both were looking for a good time and got it. We managed to catch 15 keeper catfish, bass, bluegill bream, gaspergou and some choupique by the time the trip was done.

We started out fishing for bass in the stumps located in the Tank Ponds with watermelon/red baby brush hogs, white/chartreuse Boohyah spinner baits and the Bandit 100 series Tennessee Shad crank bait.

Two nice bass were quickly boated and released.

Moving into the La. Cypress Canal, the water cleared up close to the West Canal. We dropped the trolling motor and eased our way through. Gilbert was throwing a silver/chartreuse mini jig under a cork and began catching nice bluegills. Nick fished from the middle of the boat and had zero success throwing the brush hog. He was frustrated due to the lack of action.

I kept throwing the junebug baby brush hog and caught two choupique near the rock cuts.

We decided to try our luck along the cuts on the north shoreline for catfish.

I had checked the Davis Pond Diversion at 6 a.m. and it was running at 1,500 cubic feet per second, which is great water movement for catfish. Making the short run back to the lake, we stopped at the first cut near the La. Cypress Canal. I rigged three rods Carolina style with half ounce weights and baited the No. 4 hooks with earthworms.

Positioning the boat 50 yards down the current from the cut, I dropped the anchors and began throwing the baits down current. The rods were set in the rod holders while we took a break to grab a sandwich or drink. Within a minute the first of 15 keeper catfish hit the line. We took turns reeling in catfish, gaspergou, striped bass and bream to the boat.