Weekend Locks for Nov 29-30

Well, you knew it was coming, and now it is here. The first MAJOR cold front of the season has given us instant winter here on the Northshore. Fortunately, the front came through on Thursday, and the pressure will be somewhat stable this weekend, starting on Saturday morning at 30.3 and ending at 30.29 by Sunday evening.

The Chalmette Wall

After checking with a few captains and some guys who fished “The Wall” today this week. I’m going to give it the nod as this weekend’s Saltwater Lock.

Yes, the Trestles has been out of control this past week but I just can’t give it “LOCK” status with this cold front passing through.

Here’s the deal with the wall right now.

That front just came through, and while the air temps are in the 50’s, the water temps are still in the upper 60s, which is drastically warmer than normal for Thanksgiving weekend.

So, while you will catch trout at the Wall, they’re going to be more scattered than you’re used to seeing.

Basically, the fish don’t need to head into the deep water because the water’s just not cold enough to force them down.

What you’re going to want to do is get an early start.

Make several stops in different spots in the ICW near the wall fishing deep water.

Then try the 125-yard bulkhead connecting the marsh to the wall, just south of the ICW Lock.

There’s an 18-foot opening there that should have some pretty decent water movement.

If that doesn’t pan out, head south to Bayou Bienvenue and fish the opening in the bulkhead north of the Guillotine, then the main bayou.

The winds may be a little aggravating, but you can handle it. Saturday is forecasted to be NE 10-14 MPH, and Sunday NE 8-10 MPH.

Live shrimp on a drop shot will be your best option. All the marinas have them. But plastic will produce as well. Matrix, Speck-Drum, and Blue Collar Bait work best on a jighead.

If you want to nose-hook a plastic and fish it drop-shot style, give the Zoom Tiny Fluke a shot. Arkansas Shiner or Baitfish colors are working right now.

I wrote a piece called “Breaking Down the Wall” for Louisiana Sportsman that talks about specific sections to fish near the wall if you want to check it out for more details.

Bayou Lacombe

I’ve got two reports from this past week that line up to tell me that Bayou Lacombe is hot right now!

But it’s not the bass I’m talking about - it’s the sac-a-lait!

Bayou Lacombe has been on the mend for quite some time and is producing numbers and size like I haven’t seen since Katrina.

There were two slabs caught in the bayou this past week: 1.9 lbs. and 1.13 lbs. That’s some really nice crappie!

This weekend you’re going to want to stay in the main bayou and target all the intersections where these dead-end canals connect with the main bayou.

Right now, these fish are transitioning to deeper water, and they’re coming from the feeder canals.

Jigs are working and will continue to work all this month, but I find it easier to pick up a few shiners and cover a lot of water using the live bait to find the fish.

If you’re fishing with two people, have one using a slip cork rigged deep at 4 feet and the other a simple 1/16oz jighead.

Stick and move…. stick and move….

When you catch one, hone in on that spot and figure them out. Sac-a-lait are VERY patternable. Pay attention to everything!

After you find where they are, you can continue to use shiners, but chances are you can switch over to jigs. Bobby Garland in the Monkey Milk color is hot right now.

Upcoming Articles

Just a quick ask. I have numerous articles coming up for Louisiana Sportsman Magazine, Slidell Independent Newspaper, Outdoor Hub, and Northshore Fishing Report. If you feel you can help me out with the following features, I’d love to hear from you.

• Catching blue cats in Winter

• Using a spoon to catch winter redfish

• Geoghagen Canal Winter specks

If you’re interested, just reply to this email. Or, if you know anyone locally who is knowledgeable about these topics, please share this email with them. Thanks!