Casting at the Capitol

The Baton Rouge area offers plenty of public ponds that present anglers young and old the opportunity to fill their stringers.

By now the excitement of the latest video games has begun to leave the kids bored, with limited options to occupy their time before schools kicks off again. After all, the hot summer temperatures are in full force, forcing most to curtail their outdoor activities to the early and late portions of the day. For those willing to take the trip, these same times of day are the best to capitalize on the active feeding periods of fish choosing to lie in hiding during the scorching midday hours. It is in these cooler periods when the fish are willing to leave their midday haunts behind in search of easy meals.

Although school will be back in session before we know it, there is still time to round up the kids for an afternoon of pond fishing in one of a number of locations available to the public that offer decent fisheries at no cost. In the Baton Rouge area alone, there are numerous destinations offering bream, bass, catfish and other freshwater fish.

So why not gather up the family and head out to one of the many fishing locations offering just the place to pull up a lawn chair (or a bucket) and wet a line?

The Recreation & Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge, or BREC, manages a host of sites throughout the capitol city area. Nearly everyone has traversed the most visible of the bunch, City Park Lake, while passing through town via I-10, but this is only one of the many offerings from BREC.

The commission also hosts seven other sites throughout the greater Baton Rouge area offering public fishing opportunities with plans for additional ponds in the works. And though University Lake, which is the large water body between Stanford Avenue and LSU’s Lakeshore Drive, is managed by the university itself, BREC manages the Baton Rouge beach complex on its eastern shore. This park offers plenty of waterside fishing via two piers and substantial water frontage including a beach area. A backdown ramp is also available for small boats.

According to BREC’s director of planning and engineering, Ted Jack, fishing is one of the most popular recreational activities of Baton Rouge-area residents.

“In response to such demand by area residents, we’re working to upgrade existing facilities and even expanding our offerings throughout the community,” he said.

On any given afternoon with decent weather, many residents can be seen fishing the various lake systems, and when the word gets out that a particular water body has turned on, you can bet the number of visitors will spike accordingly.

According to Jack, the expansion operation in progress at the Burbank complex not only includes baseball and soccer fields, but also more pond acreage to offer visitors looking to fish. Some other BREC parks are slated for fishing-pond construction, further adding to the numerous opportunities to hit the water.

Though most fishing is done from the bank or piers, Jack indicated that small boats can be utilized at City Park, Blackwater and Greenwood as long as they are paddled or propelled by electric trolling motors, as no gas-powered motors are permitted. Also, Jack said all parks close at dark, which should allow fishing until after 8 p.m. in this month, leaving plenty of time for an after-work excursion.

For residents looking to make a trip later in the fall around the holidays, Jack noted that the ponds of North Sherwood, Greenwood and Oak Villa have been stocked annually with rainbow trout, usually in the month of November. The fish cannot be released into the ponds until the water temperatures fall below the 60- to 65-degree mark. Though most of the fish stocked are of the 8- to 10-inch variety, Jack noted that some larger fish up to 3 pounds are released into the ponds.

“If you’re willing to work at it, there are some quality rainbows to be had,” he said. “Anglers can enjoy the type of fishing normally found up North right here in our own backyard.”

BREC asks that anglers adhere to a daily limit of four trout per person.

By the spring and summer fishing seasons, the rainbows are completely caught out or have died off due to rising water temperatures. Nevertheless, residents can look forward to the following holiday season for another round of stocking, which Jack indicated to be on a rotational basis with different ponds.

“We try our best to offer easy access to the fish for as many residents as possible,” he said. “If they weren’t in your area this year, look for them to be stocked in the coming year or two.”

For information on which particular lakes will be stocked, residents may visit the commission’s website, www.brec.org, for the latest updates.

The Blackwater Conservation Area is one of BREC’s newest nature parks having been revitalized from an old dirt and gravel mine. Facility upgrades include a new handicap-accessible fishing pier, benches and a visitor clean-up station for hosing off prior to heading home. The area includes two ponds, roughly 3 to 3.5 acres each, and another that offers 8 acres of fishing waters. Jack mentioned that this park offers visitors access to the Comite River for fishing.

As part of the facility upgrades, BREC has also planted cypress trees throughout the park.

In general, all the standard freshwater fishing tactics can be employed for success. For those looking to chase bass exclusively, most typical patterns hold up. Some ponds offer laydown structure, which bodes well for those looking to pitch a jig through the brush or work a worm along the shoreline, with color and size varying on the conditions of the day.

Of course, throwing a topwater rig is always a good idea when visiting the parks in the early morning or late evening. From floating plugs to buzz baits, hungry bass should be happy to take your offerings. However, keep in mind that in most cases the fish are going to range on the smaller size, so anglers should scale down their offerings accordingly.

For targeting bream specifically, live worms or crickets present a safe bet for panfish action. For the kids, this technique is tough to beat. Rig them up with a small hook under a snap-on cork, pinch a weight halfway between the two and you’re set for an afternoon of fun.

For those anglers who enjoy fly fishing, shoreline grass beds are great locations to work various floating flies like poppers, which are readily inhaled by hungry bluegill and even bass.

When considering a go-to bait that’s attractive to nearly all the common freshwater species in a small pond, both small Beetle Spins and floating cricket crankbaits are very effective. Working these baits all around the ponds is a great way to attract bream, bass, sac-a-lait and everything in between on the same bait.

When making a quick trip after work, you don’t want to waste time rigging up various lures for a few casts. I’ve found by just sticking with one of these stand-bys, I can make more casts and enjoy more action than if I were trying different presentations to target a particular species. An ultralight rod will allow you to whip these lightweight rigs surprisingly far and enjoy fighting the smaller fish versus using a traditional bass rod.

Most of the lake systems are also host to a variety of catfish. For these fish, the simplest of rigs will do as long as your offering is flirting with the lake bottom — if not set right on it. Many anglers will set up with multiple rods sporting Carolina rigs of some form or fashion, often with personal tweaks to best fit the needs of a particular location.

Rig up with a sliding sinker above a barrel swivel and a foot or two of leader material spanning to the business end with a small but stout hook, and you’re ready to go. In shallow waters, cork rigs can be deployed to keep the bait hovering just above the bottom for best chances at a hungry cat. Some anglers have been known to catch their own bait via castnet to gather up a bucket of local shad. However, all your typical catfish baits like melt, dough balls, chicken livers, live worms and even hot dogs are effective.

About Darren Digby 69 Articles
Darren Digby has been hunting and fishing the marshes of Southeast Louisiana since childhood. He lives in Baton Rouge with his wife Ella.