One year ago, I fell out of my boat onto a dock and tore my rotator cuff in my left shoulder.
Seeking an orthopedic doctor’s advice, Gretchen, my wife, informed me Dr. Robert Dugas, a physician with the LSU Healthcare Network, was working out of Kenner Regional.
I set up an appointment and made a visit. A year later, Dr. Dugas and I set up a fishing trip this past weekend in the Lake Cataouatche and Lake Salvador area.
Dugas played football at Hahnville High School and was on the 1972 state championship football team. He was recruited by Charlie McClendon’s football staff to play at LSU.
Dugas went on to become an All-American offensive tackle. Later he became an orthopedic surgeon. He grew up in Mimosa Park and has fond memories of going to his Dad’s camp on Bayou Des Allemands near Lake Salvador.
We had plans to fish Lake Cataouatche for big bass, the Salvador Management area for sac-a-laits and bream, and also to try Lake Salvador and Bayou Perrot for redfish and black Drum.
We started out in the Salvador Management Area in the North Canal around 8 a.m. Fishing with a red/white/chartreuse 1/32-ounce mini jig 14 inches under a cork, we picked up six sac-a-laits and a big bream. Keeping an eye on the sky, Saturday morning produced several big thunderstorms which forced us back into Lake Cataouatche.
We tried going towards the Tank Ponds to catch bass and to the cuts on the north side of Lake Cataouatche for catfish.
The Davis Pond Diversion is running around 8,000 cubic feet per second and currents coming out of the cuts allow bass, bream and catfish to gang-up.
There were good reports of bass being caught on the watermelon speed craw, blood line ½ ounce rattle traps, white spinner baits, and baby minus one in bream color and pearl. But with the bad weather looming, we called it a day and headed back towards Pier 90.
“This is a beautiful area to fish,” Dugas said. “I can’t wait to come back and catch some of the monster bass in Lake Cataouatche and big redfish in Lake Salvador. The Davis Pond Diversion is helping the lakes tremendously.”
Grand Isle shrimp
Plenty of shrimp are being reported in the Grand Isle area. The count is running about 100-120 per pound. Even with the threat of the oil slick in the Gulf, Grand Isle remains open for fishing.
As of Monday, the oil slick was 12 miles off shore. Dorla Pitre, of Bridgeside Marina, reported that specs and flounders are plentiful in the surf near Caminada Pass.
Many fishermen were using small croackers and shrimp. The glow, avocado, black/chartreuse, purple/white worked the best under a cork or just throw and retrieve.
She also said that, as of now, all of the scheduled tournaments and rodeos for the summer are still on.
A list of upcoming events at Grand Isle:
14th Annual Grand Isle Speckled Trout Rodeo, May 28-29-30 @ Bridgeside
New Orleans Electrical Association Rodeo June 4th & 5th @ Sand Dollar
7th Annual Cut Off Fishing Club Public Rodeo June 11th & 12th @ Bridgeside
3rd Annual Grand Isle Rotary Club Fishing Rodeo June 18-19-20 @ Bridgeside
26th Annual Creole Classic Fishing Rodeo June 24-25-26 @ Bridgeside
ABC Rodeo June 24-25-26 @ Sand Dollar
8th annual E.D. White Open Family Fishing June 27 @ Sand Dollar
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