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Winter Techniques- Lafitte Style
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January 12, 20091969-12-31 18:33:29
At least once a month I make my way down to Lafitte to deliver copies of Marsh & Bayou. I know you’re thinking, “What’s a high-powered magazine mogul like Chris Tiblier doing playing delivery boy?” Well, despite what my old man thinks, my life is not all glitz & glamour.
Besides, Lafitte is one of my favorite towns along my (paper) route. It’s a fishing community with a population of 3,500, right smack in the heart of fishing heaven. If you’ve never been to Lafitte, you’re missing something special. The area is rich with Louisiana history which gives you a sense of the old days when generosity and consideration were a way of life. For the most part, the area is well kept and most local anglers are quick to give advice or a fishing report.
This is especially true for the fellas over at Joe’s Landing. One of the oldest marinas in the area, Joe’s is family owned and operated. This first class operation has over 30 years under its belt and knows Lafitte fishing the best.
The drive from Slidell is only about an hour and twenty minutes; and, at 5:00 a.m., isn’t bad at all. About that time, I picked up one of my best and long time friends, Kelly Walgamotte, and we made our way down. Kelly has made many Marsh & Bayou adventures, and the ride flew by while we reminisced about past outings.
Those who know me know I am certainly the type who feels the journey is half the fun. While many dread waking up early, launching boats, or taking long boat rides to the fishing grounds, I actually dig all those things. For me, it makes a great trip even greater.
We arrived at Joe’s Landing a little past 6:00 a.m., geared-up and ready. The sun was just breaking over the horizon, and a slight north breeze had just enough butt to flicker the flags at Joe’s. As with most marinas at daybreak in Louisiana, there were at least a half dozen “regular” patrons, hanging out inside, sipping coffee, and shooting the bull.
At Joe’s you can expect at least one consistency upon entering: Mr. Joe (himself) sitting at the table closest to bar with a pile of paper in front of him, chewing on a cigar that looks older than me. You gotta love the guy, he’s the essence of old school fishing; and, in my head, I personally play the theme song to The Godfather every time I shake his hand.
One of the first times I met Mr. Joe many years ago, the scenario was the same as this particular morning, except the weather was lousy. All the fishermen were huddled around the TV, watching the weather, trying to decide whether to stay or go. Not Mr. Joe, he was sitting in his spot paying no mind to the boob tube. “Wanna know what’s going to ruin fishing?” he asked me. “What’s that?” I responded. His answer, “TV, the weather man... in my day, we just went fishing, didn’t matter what the weather was doing. If it rained, you just got wet. Now everyone hangs around the TV waiting to see what the weather’s going to do.” From that moment, I instantly liked Mr. Joe.
As Kelly & I made our way in, our visit with Mr. Joe was brief. That’s because I couldn’t help but notice the condition of our host for the day as he slumped over the bar. “Hey, Capt.,” I shouted to Sid, hoping he was just catching a power nap before our trout melee. But when he raised his head, I knew immediately he had caught the funk that had been going around. “Hey, Chris. Man I’m gonna send you guys out with China, he’s on good fish, and I feel like crap.”
Let me back up. On every monthly visit I make to Lafitte, Sid Bourgeois, owner of Joe’s Landing, and I attempt to plan a fishing trip; and, for whatever reason, it never seems to happen. This has literally been going on for about five years now. So, for Sid not to make the trip, I know he had to be feeling horrible.
Our new guide for the day, Rusty “China” Helmer, is the workhorse at Joe’s Landing and jack-of-all-trades. From guiding fishing trips, to catching bait to maintenance and marina upkeep, this guy does it all, and does it all well. He seemed jazzed and enthused by his assignment for the day, which made the transition from Sid to China bittersweet for me.
The game plan was simple, speckled trout and as many as possible. “We are going to fish Bay L’ours today, we’ve been doing pretty good over there and the conditions are right,” China informed us as he loaded the boat. The ride was only about 30 minutes from Joe’s thru the Rigolets, then thru Little Lake to our final destination of Bay L’ours.
This time of the year, trout fishing is the same through out south Louisiana. Fishing around the cold fronts is key, and bait presentation is everything. Tight lining soft plastics on the bottom for lethargic specs is one of my personal favorites, and on the chilly, mid-November morning this technique was in order.
Arriving at Northside of Bay L’ours, the conditions were ideal; there was a slightly falling tide, birds in the distance diving on shrimp, and decent water clarity. “Let’s try fishing the bottom first,” China instructed while dropping the trolling motor, “then we’ll switch to a cork if necessary. ”
There were two baits of choice for the day, China & Kelly went with Saltwater Assassins, glow and chartreuse; while I opted for Hybrid Flurry Minnows, magic minnow color.
While many anglers in this situation would rush over to the diving birds, China showed his experience and targeted areas he knew should be holding fish. “Yeah there’s probably trout under those birds over there, but chances are they’re small. Let’s try first.” While he’s getting out those words, BAM! A solid strike hit me and a nice 17” trout came quickly to the boat.
From there, we started putting together a box of trout in a very typical winter pattern. As stated before, bait presentation is everything. Finding fish is just half the solution to winter fishing, finding the right bait presentation is the other.
Once we figured out how the fish wanted it, strikes came regularly. When winter fishing bays and lakes, it’s important to stay conscious of what your bait is doing. Trying different retrieval methods are crucial, once you’ve figured how they are biting, strikes will be more consistent. Sometimes, usually on colder days, trout respond better to little movement or even no movement, while on other days, they won’t strike if the lure isn’t moving. Most of the time it’s somewhere in between. I usually change up my retrieval pattern about every five casts, until I get a strike. Being conscious of what I’m doing is essential to narrowing down how the trout are feeding. Occasionally, if nothing is working, slapping on a popping cork is called for. If there are three or four anglers on board, have one or two switch to a cork.
Sharing this valuable info with fellow anglers is sweet but not mandatory. Have you ever been on a trip and one guy is catching more than others? Well, chances are, he’s got’em figured and isn’t sharing his knowledge. I have no problem sharing technique, and neither does China who was quick to advise on his successful pattern. “Hey, they want it very slow, just cast it out, let it sit, and slowly raise your rod tip,” China advised. He was right as the strikes came more consistently.
After about an hour and twenty trout later, China decided to check on the birds we noticed earlier. It didn’t take long, and we were once again in trout. “Man, fishing the birds are tricky out here. Most of the time you chase them around for hours with little reward, unless you like under sized trout or gaff tops; but, every now and then, decent keepers can be caught,” China said and added, “Either way, it’s always worth a look.”
As we picked our way through keepers and non-keepers, we noticed the wind started to pick up and the water clarity became funky- two recipes for trout lockjaw. And lock jaws they did. Finding clean water is another wintertime requirement, so off we went.
Our luck was changing for the worse as the wind constantly picked up and our quest for clean water seemed impossible. With about 35 trout in the box, a nasty wind in our faces, and growling in our stomachs, we decided to call it a day.
The day was a complete success. We caught fish, learned a little bit about the area, and most importantly, made a new friend. Between the legendary fishing and the character of the locals, Lafitte is tops in my book and the guys over at Joe’s Landing are second to none.
For more info about Joe’s Landing give them a buzz at 504-689-4304, or check them out http://joeslanding.com/
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