Happy Mardi Gras!
Happy college baseball season!
Wish it could be happy fishing, too, but thatโs not in the cards right now.
It wouldโve been nice for another stretch of cool mornings and, more importantly, warm and sunny afternoons, but this weekendโs rainy, windy cold front will push prime-time sac-a-lait and speckled trout catches further down the timeline.
Historically, for the more ardent anglers, Lundi Gras and Mardi Gras means heading out into the marshes because most folks were in holiday parade mode.
While the waters will again likely be mostly clear of other fishing folks, the biggest late-winter problem is low water โ especially on the east side of the Mississippi River, a problem at least one fishing party faced early last week in the Delacroix area. Yes, they ran up on a mud flat.
Charter veteran Mike Gallo said low water has been a problem in the Pontchartain Basin, and he said all boaters should make their on-the-water runs in familiar places.
"You need to know the waters youโre traveling in, the shorelines, everything,โ Gallo said.
โWe had low water (last weekend), but a stronger tide pushed water back into our area (the Biloxi Marsh) Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday,โ he said.
There were other problems, like fog and no wind, the latter meaning gnats were ready to pounce, which meant carrying along your favorite vanilla-based gnat repellent.
โWhen we got into the Biloxi Marsh, the water was at the bottom of the grass line, but it was rising and gave us the chance to see redfish,โ Gallo said. โThat was good. I like low water because the fish have to move out of the marsh and theyโre in the same bayou youโre in and you just have to find them.
โIf the water is up, then the redfish move farther back into the grass and become tougher to catch.โ
OK, so with a cold front moving in this weekend โ and bringing in strong winds โ coastal fishermen need to heed the warning.
Gallo said itโs generally understood northerly and westerly winds push lots of water out of prime fishing areas, and the chance of getting stuck on a mud flat goes way up.
By Monday, the effects of that predicted wind event should be enough of a warning about what could be a productive Mardi Gras fishing trip.
Lunker laregmouth
Toledo Bend is back on the map, a least for Texas Parks and Wildlifeโs Toyota ShareLunker Program, which charts giant largemouths caught in state waters (Texas shares The Bend with ถถา๕h).
Last Sunday, Stonewallโs Drake Wadsworth put a ถถา๕h angler on the list with a 13.1-pounder. Wadsworth didnโt say where on Toledo Bend he caught the lunker, and in typical bass fishing style didnโt divulge what lure his giant fish attacked.
Gag grouper
The Gulf Council is seeking input of offshore fishermen when it comes to gag grouper in the Gulf.
โThe Council recognizes that as active fishermen, you may notice trends or interesting things happening in the Gulf that the scientists and managers may not be aware of yet,โ the council stated in the announcement.
So, with the gag grouper stock assessment beginning this spring, the council is asking anglers to go to its Fisherman Feedback Tool — on — by 4 p.m. March 13 to answer questions and provide other information about this species.
Grand Isle
Anyone wishing to comment on the seaward (beach side) construction of breakwaters at Grand Isle has until Feb. 20 to respond to the Corps of Engineers project.
The draft Environmental Assessment has been posted โ Grand Isle and Vicinity ถถา๕h Beach Erosion and Hurricane Project PL 84-99 โ along with the initial โNo Significant Impactโ finding about the 35 segmented stone breakwaters and up to 20 navigational light platforms in the project within 400 feet of the shoreline.
You can provide comments by email: mvnenvironmental@usace.army.mil
Scenic Rivers
Earlier this month the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission passed a notice to change the Scenic Rivers Program to โexpedite the permitting process, including the establishment of general permits, and clarify selective harvesting of trees within the 100-foot buffer of a Scenic River.โ
A public hearing is set for 10 a.m. March 24 at state Wildlife and Fisheries headquarters on Quail Drive in Baton Rouge.