Grass beds slow to develop in Cataouatche

By Bruce McDonald

July 21, 2011 at 9:49 am  | Mobile Reader | Print 

Courtesy photo

Ryan Beems with a nice bass caught in Lake Cataouatche.

"Some days we can get out on Lake Cataouatche and Salvador and slam fish all week,” he said. “On the weekends I'll go with my dad and hardly catch a fish. Fishing in the late summer is like that."

One of the reason why is that the grass beds in Lake Cataouatche are developing later than normal. Usually the grass beds take over in the western part of the lake, which makes the Netherlands and the Tank Ponds impossible to fish in. On the bright side, the grass hides a lot of fish and allows them to be protected from fishermen, which gives them a chance to grow. 

The Davis Pond Diversion did not flow Mississippi River water into the lake for six weeks in May and June. When it’s flowing, the river water adds nutrients, which cause the grass to flourish.

Right now, the diversion is flowing at an average of 4,000 cubic feet per second. If it continues to flow at that level, bass will gang-up on the north shoreline along the cuts.

If the grass beds develop, fish the outer edges to the middle of the lake. Bream are being caught on earthworms and crickets under a cork.

To catch catfish, anchor 40 to 50 yards down current from the cuts and throw a ¾ ounce weight Carolina rig with a #3 hook baited with earthworms, chicken liver and shrimp. Sac-a-lait like mini jigs in red/white/chartreuse, black/chartreuse, blue/white and black/white under a cork.

Top water is very productive for bass. Watermelon/red ribbet and a gold Rouge has worked well. Using the Booyah white/chartreuse spinner bait with gold blades and punching with dark colored worms, tubes, and flukes in Junebug, watermelon and red/black has also been very productive.

The best locations to fish are the mouth of the cuts on the north shoreline. Other locations are Bayou Bardeaux, Lucky Seven, the entrance to the Umbrella Canal, the Tank Ponds and the mouth of the Whiskey Canal.

Beems managed to catch a few bass on the Bandit Tennessee crank bait in the 200 series.