The drought of 2006 harmed Lacassine Pool more than the storm. The pool normally opens to public fishing from March 15 through Oct. 15 each year. With the state gripped by drought, the pool closed to boat traffic in June 2006. Before the rains hit the area and refilled the pool in early fall 2006, little remained of the once-vibrant marsh except the perimeter canals.
The hurricanes didn't affect the marshes between the Atchafalaya and Mississippi rivers as much as they did other areas. Some areas experienced isolated fish kills, but overall, fishing remains relatively normal in the Lake Salvador, Lac des Allemands and lower Atchafalaya Basin areas.
The 5,000-acre Henderson Lake area between Lafayette and Baton Rogue did suffer a major fish kill, said Jody David, an LDWF fisheries biologist in Opelousas. Here, Rita stirred the bottom and caused oxygen levels to drop, killing many fish. The ensuing drought dropped water levels, causing more problems with deficient dissolved oxygen levels.
"We lost quite a few fish, but we've seen some come back slowly," David said. "We've seen a lot of reproduction in 2006. It will eventually come back, but it's going to take time. It's almost like a new lake. The fish that did survive will come back strong. The fish what we stocked will do well. The lake will be in a lot better shape in 2007 than it was in 2006."
In 2006, the state stocked 80,000 Florida bass fingerlings into Henderson. In addition, some fish dropped into the deeper waters of the canals and natural lakes to escape the drought. Some holes in these waters drop to more than 20 feet deep. These fish will offer a breeding remnant that should quickly refill the bayous, flats and lakes of the Henderson area.
"Henderson Lake has a good forage base," David said. "The bass will grow quickly. In the spring of 2007, people will catch many young fish. It's going to be a bonanza in this lake in the next couple of years. Some adult fish will always survive by staying in good areas. The lake produced some bass in the 4-pound range since Hurricane Rita. In the past, it produced bass almost up to 10 pounds."
While things don't look that great now for bass anglers in many parts of coastal Louisiana, we could see some of the best fishing in years, as systems improve daily. For now, break out the ultralight tackle and enjoy catching a bunch of small bass.
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