Strong diversion flow means big catfish in Cataouatche

If you want to catch a big blue channel catfish, Lake Cataouatche is the place to go.

For the past two weeks, the Davis Pond Diversion has been running around 5,200 cubic feet per second of water through the diversion. This is about 52 percent of the diversion’s capacity and is considered a strong flow. Because of that, water is rolling over the rocks into Lake Cataouatche.

“When water comes out of cuts and into a lake, fish will gang up looking for a meal,” Dave “Supa Dave” Price, of Luling, said.

Dave and I set up a fishing trip with the intention of going out and catching a few big catfish. When we reached the lake, we turned right and started fishing at the second cut. We eased the 18-foot Kenner VX along the right side of the current line 40 yards below the cut and dropped the anchor off the bow of the boat. After the anchor held, I dropped another anchor off the back of the boat to keep it from moving side to side.

We set out four rods rigged Carolina style with ¾ ounce weights that were baited with earthworms on a No. 4 hook to fish on the bottom. With everything in place, we sat back and waited.

Within minutes, one of the rods bent over.

“It looks like that fish is trying to break that rod,” Dave said. It took him 10 minutes to fight the 15-pound catfish and bring him to the boat.

After putting the fish in the live well, all Dave could say was, “Wow!”

After we didn’t get any more bites, we picked up the anchors and set our sites on the last cut before the La. Cypress Canal. We dropped the anchors about 100 yards down stream in the current below the cut. Setting out the rods again, it only took a few minutes before the first of three big fish took the bait.

“This is the first time I fished for catfish. I like the way we throw out the lines and sit back. I am a salt water fisherman but I like this,” Dave said.

We caught eight big catfish during the fishing trip to Lake Cataouatche and the last fish we caught on the day was a 10-pound blue channel catfish. I gave it to Dave to put in the live well, but while I was setting out my line I heard a splash.

Dave had thrown the fish back into the water.

“He wouldn’t fit in the live well,” he said. “We needed to cull them any way. It only means we have one less fish to clean.”

We laughed about the situation and headed home.