Shrimp season comes to a close, bass bite in local lakes
By Bruce McDonald
While sitting around the table at a camp the conversation turns to four items this time of year. One, what will the weather be like? Two, when will shrimp season close? Three, when do I need renew my hunting and fishing licenses?
And four, if the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries agents check my boat, will I have everything required?
When thunderstorms are building dangerous lightning and winds threaten your safety, do not wait around, seek shelter in a near by camp and get off the open water.
For every 5 mph wind, water will create a 1-foot wave. And remember Lake Salvador and Lake Pontchartrain can kick up quickly.
Shrimp season closes
The LDWF released the following notice stating that shrimp season in the remainder of Zone 2 is now closed:
The 2008 spring inshore shrimp season in the remainder of shrimp management Zone 2 extending from the Atchafalaya River Ship Channel at Eugene Island as delineated by the Channel red buoy line westward to the western shore of Vermilion Bay and Southwest Pass at Marsh Island and from the western shore of Bayou Lafourche eastward to the eastern shore of South Pass of the Mississippi River was closed as of June 30.
Effective with this closure, all of Zone 2 will be closed to shrimping. Zones 1 and 3 will remain open until further notice.
State territorial waters south of the Inside/Outside shrimp line, as described in Louisiana R.S.56:495, will also remain open to shrimping.
Zone 1 includes state waters from the Mississippi/Louisiana state line to the eastern shore of South Pass of the Mississippi River.
Zone 3 includes state waters from the western shore of Vermilion Bay and Southwest Pass at Marsh Island to the Louisiana/Texas state line.
The closure was announced by LDWF secretary Robert Barham and was based on recommendations made by LDWF Marine Fisheries Division biologists.
The number, distribution and percentage of small juvenile white shrimp within the area to be closed have progressively increased in recent weeks. Analysis of current LDWF shrimp trawl sampling data indicates substantial white shrimp population increases this week and these additional waters are being closed to protect these developing shrimp.
Renew your licenses
As of June 30, your 2007-08 hunting and fishing licenses have expired, and there are no grace periods as of July 1.
Saltwater fishermen must purchase the basic fishing license for $9.50 and the saltwater license will cost you $5.50.
Fishing locally
Last week I had a chance to fish the Des Allemands area.
My main targets were Humble in the bayou, Penrod, the Hot Water Canal, the Providence Canal, and the cypress trees on Two Oaks Bay.
The water had a lot of algae and looked green.
The best colors were the blue and white, black and chartreuse, and the red, white and chartreuse tube jigs.
We didn’t catch any sac-a-laits, but the bream were biting well.
Lake Cataouatche
The best fishing right now is in the Lake Cataouatche area. On the western end of the lake the water has been gin clear.
The Davis Pond Diversion has been allowing approximate 5100 cubic feet of water per second to run through the project.
The fishing has been great and the fish gang up at all the cuts where the water is moving.
John David Brady and Hunter McDonald fished with me two days on Lake Cataouatche.
They caught bream on every cast and we joked about how many cast we could make in a day and actually catch a fish every time.
While John and Hunter were catching bream, I fished for bass.
They were hitting the Baby 1-Minus with the white and chartreuse top, and watermelon worms.
The catfish are still hitting earthworms on the bottom, but like always, we didn’t keep many.
Best spots have been the cuts on the north side of Lake Cataouatche, the Louisiana Cypress Canal, the West Canal, the Netherlands, the Tank Ponds, and the shoreline around the Umbrella Canal.
The reds have been hit and miss in Lake Salvador, but try fishing the rocks at the mouth of Bayou Des Allemands, Grosse Pointe, the Rigs, and the mouth of Bayou Perot.
Best baits have been shrimp on a jig head around the rigs, a white cocahoe, and gold spoon.
Along the coast the tide are moving strong.
Check for tide correction on this month’s Louisiana Sportsman on page 206.
I spoke with Captain Roe Pitre of Golden Meadow and he told me that 2-pound speckled trout are being caught from the Fourchon to Elemer’s Island.
Best plastic baits are the Baby Bull Minnow in avocado and the purple and white cocahoe.
Live bait, shrimp and cocahoe minnows have also worked great.
Saturday, Terry Hargis and I crabbed in the Parish Canal on Lake Pontchartrain. We caught nine dozen crabs, but while we were there, the LDWF agents checked us. They looked at our catch, checked the life vest, a throwable device, our licenses, and fire extinguisher.
All was in order and they went on their way.
This weekend, watch the weather, get your licenses renew, check your boat for safe boating regulation.
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