Now, if you saw the Thursday night “Fishin’ Game Report,” you saw that, yes, a significant portion of Delacroix Island's waters remains open the rest of this week and all of this weekend to fishing. And within that area some of the prettiest speckled trout caught this year mainly 16- to 19-inch fish continue to come from the well-heads and tank batteries out in Black Bay.
“Frank, any of your viewers who are hell-bent to catch their share of these prized fish this weekend, will need only three things,” Ron “Captain Ahab” Broadus confided in me Thursday evening and he reconstructed out trip out to Delacroix’s lower waters this week.
“You’re gonna need a good supply of live shrimp, a popping cork, and a heavy, 24-pound-test shock leader about 36 inches long. Then all you do is head out to the cleanest water you can find, bait up, toss out the shrimp, and let it sit undisturbed.
“You don’t have to pop it or jerk it or twitch it. Believe me, the trout will find it!
The recommended procedure for fishing the area is by anchor. You select a spot you think will produce fish, you position your boat to allow for optimum casting, and then you toss the bait out. This technique is a form of “still fishing.” It’s ideal when there are a number of boats all occupying or vying for the same area.
The alternative method consists of attempting to catch fish under feeding and diving seagulls. This method is best used by those dyed-in-the-wool veteran anglers who know—technically—how to approach the birds without splitting the flock and chasing them off.
“This is what makes this method of fishing so difficult for novices,” Capt. Ahab explains. “Gulls dropping down out of the blue to snatch up tidbits of floating shrimp or crab that school trout happen to be feeding on is a sure sign of fishing activity in progress. But. . .when the method is attempted by first-timers who aren’t familiar with the proper approach and how to infiltrate the flock - hence the school of feeding fish - any potential of catching anything quickly and usually disappears in a heartbeat.
“In other words, veteran fishermen can catch fish under the birds—greenhorns usually end up flubbing up and have to resort to stopping for a bucket of fried chicken on the way home.”
A couple of quick pointers:
1 - Since most of the trout coming out of Black Bay right now are certified “keepers,” you shouldn’t have to do much measuring. But if there is ever any doubt, haul out the ruler. Better to be safe than sorry.
2 - Bring extra live shrimp. These fish are voracious feeders! I’d venture to say that you’ll lose 3 baits for every 6 you tie on. So if you think 50 will be enough—buy 75. If you think 75 will be enough—buy 100. It’s really frustrating to get into feeding trout and find you’re running out of bait!
3 - While almost 90 percent of the trout you catch will want live shrimp, there’s certainly nothing wrong with bringing along your favorite plastics. It’s quite possible that after pitching “live” most of the morning you could be successful in getting them to “switch up” and strike artificial lures under the right circumstances.
4 - Don’t pass up the reds! General Rule of Thumb is. . .once you either get your limit of specks or generally get tired fishing specks, make sure you change spots and procedure and hit the shorelines for redfish. Catching reds after a morning of catching trout is like getting lagniappe: 25 trout + 5 nice bonus reds = 1 great day of fishing! Best place to pursue the reds is along the grassy shorelines at all the inside islands.
5 - While you could get some sort of action all day long, your best bet is to be in place on the water for the so-called “sunrise bite.” Since time immemorial, fish have always gotten up early. They like to eat early. You should be there to fish for them when they feel like eating.
6 - Finally, the fishing license you’re carrying around in your wallet right now will no longer be any good come the first of July. Louisiana fishing licenses expire annually on the last day of June. Wherever you work, wherever you live, stop what you’re doing sometime in the next couple of days to buy a 2011 fishing license. Louisiana’s game wardens ain’t gonna cut you no slack, no!
If you want to get out into Black Bay (and its environs) to fish for some of the ones I’ve mentioned throughout this manuscript, but you don’t have the right boat or the right gear or the talents to pull off a fishing trip like that, feel free to contact Capt. Ahab and book a charter for you and your friends with him. Just remember, bookings are handled “first come first served,” so you might want to get on the horn pretty quick. Ahab’s number is 504-914-6063.
Because of the oil situation, I’m now limited to the number of places I can fish for my TV show, so the destination schedule changes constantly. Next week I’m slated to fish Cocodrie. But. . .well, we’ll see how that works out!
In the meantime, be courteous and cautious out there.
Tight lines and good times to ya,
Frank Davis
