If you’re ever on Bayou Lacombe and see a gentleman driving a red 17-foot RT Ranger with the words “Bon Temps” written on the side, pay attention to where he fishes.
Jim Bates is a relative newcomer to the sac-a-lait world but has learned a lot about fishing the bayou in the past two years by fishing as much as he can. While he fishes year-round, he said there’s just something about fishing for sac-a-lait on Bayou Lacombe in November.
“The cool mornings with low-flying ducks whistling by is just a little piece of heaven,” he said.
This month, the Lacombe angler is excited to see sac-a-lait moving into deeper water. Bates said it’s been a challenge finding fish deep because of the drought-like conditions the area has seen this summer.
“With the lack of rain, we saw that saltwater start to push up into the bayou,” he said. “It not only pushed the fish further north, it also pushed them up in the water column.”
Saltwater intrusion
To emphasize just how much brackish water was in the bayou, Bates recalled a trip that he made with his wife Dee Dee in September. They launched at the boat launch on Main St., which is a little over three miles from Lake Pontchartrain.
“That’s the first time I witnessed shrimp jumping at the launch,” he said.
After putting his boat in the water, the team started looking for fish on sonar but the screen came up empty. Bates then decided to head south past the trace bridge and finally was able to spot something on his electronics. The team lowered their jigs and Bates felt a thump. He reeled up the fish and was surprised to see a speckled trout on the other end.
“I couldn’t believe it! Speckled trout! All my favorite spots were full of 6-inch specks,” he said.
Bates and Dee Dee tried all over that day but all they could manage were a few small trout. Since then, things have improved with the increase in rainfall. Bates has been fishing with his grandson, Austin Dabdoub, this fall and said the sac-a-lait are finally getting back to their normal pattern and he’s seeing tons of sac-a-lait on his electronics.
Getting back to normal
November is a transitional month for sac-a-lait on Bayou Lacombe. And while they aren’t quite holding in a winter pattern yet, the fish are grouping up tighter and can be spotted holding to submerged structure and treetops in anywhere from 15-20 feet of water.
Bates uses Garmin Livescope to locate the fish and said he’s seeing sac-a-lait in larger and more pronounced groups which makes it easier to catch more in one spot without running all over the bayou.
“I find they start to group up more around structure and near cuts or subdivision canals that lead off the main bayou,” he said. “They are preparing for the spawn where they will head to shallower water with less current to nest. They like places where they can go 18-20 feet deep if temperatures drop and then return to shallower waters when it warms up during the day.”
This month, Bates said he’s seeing an increase in shad clouds on his screen, which means the sac-a-lait won’t be far behind. They are following their food source, and on Bayou Lacombe their food source is large balls of shad. Find the shad and find the sac-a-lait, Bates said.
Bates fishes with a 9-foot Lew’s Wally Marshall Classic Series jig pole.
“I found that the Medium-light action has enough backbone to give a good hook-set, but is sensitive enough to feel the thump,” he said.
He pairs the rod with a Daiwa Underspin XD Reel loaded with 8-pound fluorocarbon.
In November, his favorite jigs to use are Pan Fish Assassin 2-inch Baby Shad in the Crystal Shad or Salt and Pepper colors. He threads them on either a 1/64 or 1/32 ounce Arkie Minnow jighead. Then he adds a split shot.
“I pinch the same weight split shot about a foot above the jig to help get the jig down to the fish quicker and to be able to recognize my jig on the electronics.” he said.
Sac-a-lait sidekick
This fall has been a special one for Bates as he has had the chance to teach his grandson, Austin, all about sac-a-lait fishing. The 66-year-old said Austin now lives to fish.
“He played on a state championship little league baseball team and then lost interest in baseball last summer when I took him fishing,” Bates said. “He would rather fish than do just about anything.”
In addition to fishing, Austin also helps out with all the necessary chores that go on before and during the trip.
“I realize I am getting older and can’t do half of what I used to be able to do, so my goal is to make sure Austin can do everything dealing with a fishing trip,” Bates said.
After the boat is in the water, Austin lowers the trolling motor and clears the boat out of the way for other boats backing down. He then hits the spot-lock, gets his life vest on, and turns on the electronics. Bates said he is getting spoiled.
“He is almost to the point where I can get on the boat, sit down, and say ‘Go catch fish!’” Bates said. “When we get to that point in the next year I will have accomplished a top 10 bucket list item.”
This year, the grandfather and grandson have been competing to see who catches the biggest sac-a-lait.
“As it stands right now, Austin and I are tied with a 15-inch black sac-a-lait caught on Bayou Lacombe,” Bates said. “I guess we’ll just have to keep fishing until we break the tie!”
