Louisiana Fishing Calendar 2004
We've got three dozen top Bayou State fishing trips for you right here -- a year's worth of great fishing. And you won't even have to leave the state!
| 2004 FISHING CALENDAR
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The calendar is in PDF format. The Adobe Reader can be downloaded for free here.
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By Glynn Harris
Take a Louisiana map, close your eyes, toss a dart - and you have a virtual guarantee that, within a few minutes' drive of the spot on which that dart lands, you can find a waterhole whose fishing's worth a visit.
But that's Louisiana for you. We're wrapped up in waterways, lakes, ponds, bayous, canals and rivers. Our entire southern border fronts the fabulous Gulf of Mexico, one of the world's best fisheries.
In this article, we've attempted to help you locate three choice fishing holes for each month of the year; best is first, followed by the first and second runners-up.
JANUARY
Hopedale
Speckled Trout All you need to do is ease into of any of the shallow lakes and bays around Hopedale and toss out a smoke grub or chartreuse beetle. In the unlikely event that the fish are sluggish, add a popping cork a couple of feet above the lure. The commotion should induce any trout in the area to latch on.
Lake Claiborne/Crappie This a good time of year for catching crappie, especially if you anchor your boat in deep water just out from the dam on Lake Claiborne. This lake has some deep water near the dam, and big schools of crappie frequently suspend near the bottom. Minnows or jigs work equally well.
Pearl River/Mixed Bag Even in south Louisiana, winter can make its presence known. Anglers who want to get out of the cold wind but still want to catch some fish should consider sneaking into the Pearl to shelter amid its plethora of creeks, bayous and sloughs. Drop a minnow or night crawler around brush, logs or fishing piers and you're likely to catch a bream, crappie, goggle-eye, bass or catfish.
FEBRUARY
Barataria Bay
Sheepshead The key here is to find pilings to which barnacles have attached themselves. With your push pole, scrape the sides of the pilings beneath the surface to dislodge barnacles, creating a chumming effect. Use a Carolina-rigged treble hook (a small version - these fish have very small mouths) with a shock leader. Pinch on pieces of cracked crab; shrimp will also work, but crab stays on the hook better.
Caney Lake/Crappie If you're interested in getting your name in the state records, this is the time to head for the deep water out from the dam at this Jackson Parish lake, dangle a minnow or jig around a submerged brushpile - and hang on! A new state-record black crappie weighing 3.33 pounds was caught here at this time last year.
Venice/Redfish In late winter, anglers gather in the Bay Adams area around Venice to try their hand at some fantastic redfishing. All the ingredients that reds like are here: an oyster bottom, some good points and varying depths. Look for the deepest water you can find, toss out a soft-plastic cocahoe on a 1/4-ounce grubhead, and you'll likely soon be into a raucous redfish.
MARCH
Toledo Bend
Bass This is another good time to toy with the state records, and Toledo Bend is a good a place for landing a double-digit bass. While there are excellent fishing areas all over the lake, you might want to try the upper end of the lake; flip finesse worms in and around flooded brush in shallow water there.
Port Sulphur/Black Drum In this area laced with canals and bayous, the trick is to locate a spot where two of these types of flow intersect. Look for the deepest water you can find here and toss out a 1/4-ounce jig baited with shrimp. Anchor within casting distance of the middle of the intersection and lob your bait, allowing it to settle to the bottom. When you get a bite, hang on.
Larto/Crappie One of the best-known areas of Louisiana for taking crappie is the Larto Lake/Brushy Bayou/Saline Lake area in west-central Louisiana. These waters are teeming with crappie, and unless there warmer-than-usual weather has triggered an early spawn, the fish should still be in the shallows in March. The slabs should be easy pickings for anglers wielding either a jig or minnow.
APRIL
Chandeleur Islands
Trout Wade the surf around the Chandeleur Islands - a great place to catch April specks - and toss topwater lures, especially where baitfish are active. One thing to remember about fishing this chain of islands is that what you see this year is likely to be completely different from what you saw the last time you visited. Tropical storms are constantly changing the layout of these islands.
West Delta/Cobia For the thrill of a lifetime, head out Southwest Pass into the area known as "West Delta" to fish for cobia. Then move on out to one of the rigs in the area, and use a small hardhead catfish for bait. Chances are good at this time of year that you'll tie into a cobia, one of the hardest-fighting fish in the Gulf of Mexico.
Caney Lake/Redears Although Caney Lake is better known for its trophy bass and crappie, it is also a super lake for bream. Caney is home to some of the state's top redears, including the state-record fish, which weighed 2.87 pounds. Fish small crawfish around shallow spawning beds to catch these giants.
MAY
"The Rip"
Dolphin This is an area you'll have to look for. Some 35 miles off the Louisiana coast, currents, tide action and wind-driven water converge to produce - to use its popular name - "the rip," which is identified by a thin line of floating vegetation. Easy to spot, the colorful dolphin feed on baitfish here. Toss live bait toward feeding fish, but remember to use heavy tackle, as some of these bruisers can approach 50 pounds.
Bayou Dorcheat/ Spotted Bass And Goggle-Eyes This is bayou bassin' at its best. Launch a canoe or small bateau into the bayou near Minden in Webster Parish. Armed with a lightweight casting or spinning rod and some small spinners and crankbaits, you can rest assured that you'll soon be doing battle with two of the less-sought-after species of freshwater fish: spotted bass and goggle-eyes.
Cocodrie/Speckled Trout You can catch speckled trout virtually all year along Louisiana's coastline. However, if your quest is trophy specks - fish up to 8 pounds - the full moon in May is the time to go get 'em, and Terrebonne Bay out from Cocodrie is the place to go. Either artificial surface lures such as the MirrOlure or live bait, especially croakers, will entice strikes from these hefty specimens.
JUNE
Lake Poverty Point
Bass Poverty Point, near Delhi in northeast Louisiana, may be Louisiana's newest lake, opened for fishing for the first time last summer. Like any new lake, this relatively small impoundment is loaded with bass that are growing rapidly. Get on the lake early and watch for feeding action around brush. Toss a topwater lure for surface action, or if the fish are slow to hit, try a Texas-rigged plastic worm. If they're still finicky, go with a Carolina-rigged worm over underwater humps.
Lake Pontchartrain/Sheepshead This huge lake just outside New Orleans is sometimes overlooked in favor of smaller, harder-to-reach places. However, for some hot action with a hard-fighting specimen, the sheepshead, head for the south shore, especially on a falling tide, and fish with live shrimp.
Lake St. John/ Channel Catfish Lake St. John near Ferriday in Concordia Parish is teeming with channel catfish. Bream fishermen catch channels along with bluegills and redears. However, if it's channel cats you're after, large minnows or Canadian night crawlers fished on rod and reel around trees and docks will give you all you care to clean.
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