In 2003, refuge officials again delayed the opening until April 28, again to allow more bass to spawn without pressure. When the pool opened, anglers could keep anything they wanted in accordance with state regulations, except for largemouth bass, all of which still had to be released.

Bream and crappie anglers enjoyed a banner year. Faster-growing than largemouths, and much more prolific, many huge bream now inhabited the canals and deeper channels of Lacassine Pool. Without as many big bass to prey upon them, they thrived in magnificent numbers.

Bass stocked in 2000 or 2001 continue to grow. In 2003, people could take good numbers of 2- and 3-pounders and an occasional fish in the 4- to 6-pound range; a few caught fish breaking 8 pounds, and some even claimed to have hooked double-digit bass, but because of the catch-and-release rule, they couldn't bring them to certified scale. There were even reports of anglers bringing in 50 to 100 bass in a day, although most barely reached 12 inches. But plenty of small fish indicated that the pool had started to regain some of its former health and splendor.

Which brings us up to the present - and barring any major natural or artificial disasters, Lacassine Pool should again produce good numbers of fish in the 2- to 5-pound range during 2004. With the catch-and-release rules, the pool didn't receive the pressure in 2003 that it did in 1999; indeed, many people grew out of the habit of fishing the area. Moreover, the catch-and-release rules discouraged bass tournament organizers from conducting events at the pool.

"If I could only take five baits into the Lacassine marsh, I would choose a 1/4-ounce or 3/8-ounce baby bass spinnerbait with willow-leaf blades, a gold spoon with a green and white pork chunk, a red shad Texas-rigged worm, a pumpkin pepper frog and a white buzzbait," said Dane Thibodeaux, a Lake Charles bass pro.

Many anglers toss Texas-rigged soft-plastic jerkbaits, shiners, lizards or frogs. Often, anglers use no weight, so that these light and lifelike lures can flit over grasstops easily. Sometimes a tiny split shot or a slightly heavier hook can provide enough weight for making longer casts. In the shallow, clear rainwater of the pool, anglers often need to make long casts to avoid spooking fish.

You can use an unweighted soft-plastic jerkbait or lizard in one of two ways. Method 1: In thick cover, throw baits past holes in reeds or silver-dollar lilies and twitch or skitter them across the grasstops; bass often explode through the vegetation to eat them. Since they feel soft and lifelike, don't set the hook immediately. Let the fish take it for a second. After feeling the fish on the line, set the hook - hard!

Method 2: Let baits fall temptingly through broken cover or scattered vegetation into any tiny pockets among the lilies. After baits fall a foot or two, like a sinking wacky worm, pull them over the vegetation again. Don't hesitate to let a bait rest on top of a lily pad - bass can see silhouettes on pads and may erupt through vegetation to gulp the bait. Hot colors include pumpkin pepper, golden shiner, black and blue, green pumpkin or black and chartreuse.

Just as was the case in 1999, weedless spoons tipped with pork chunks still entice big fish. Most anglers use 1/4- to 3/4-ounce baits. Use lighter spoons on bright or calm days and heavy spoons in thicker vegetation or on dark, windy days. A silver, gold or black spoon will usually work. On cloudy days, use a black spoon with a yellow pork chunk.

Many dragonflies swarm over the humid wetlands. In gin-clear water, bass watch dragonflies land on reeds and then jump from the water to snatch them - an activity that telegraphs lunker ambush points. Throw a 1/4-ounce black and yellow spoon past the point at which a bass grabbed the dragonfly. Dance it along the surface in front of the honeyhole until an aggravated bucketmouth blasts it.

As the water heats up, bass try to escape into deeper ponds, boat lanes or perimeter canals. Anglers will encounter slightly deeper water in the North Pond and the South Pond, two areas that retained some water during the drought. For deeper bass, throw Texas-rigged worms or lizards. Hot colors include red shad, moccasin, watermelon, green pumpkin, pumpkinseed or black and blue.

With so much vegetation, anglers usually go to stouter lines, many resorting to 17- to 25-pound-test, some using super-strong braided lines to yank bass from thick cover.

Boaters may not use motors larger than 25 hp inside the pool. In 600-acre Unit D, boaters may only use paddle power or electric motors. During open season, anglers may fish from one hour before sunrise until one hour after sunset.

For complete rules, call the refuge office at (337) 774-5923. For fishing reports, call O'Blanc's Bait Shop at (337) 622-3348.