When the waterfowl hunting season ends each winter, an Erath outdoorsman turns his attention to catching fish from Lake Arthur in Southwest Louisiana.
Trevor Huval enjoys pulling sac-a-lait, mostly, and bass from the lake during February. He’s fished the region, including the Mermentau River, for most of his life and highly recommends other anglers give it a try this month.
Huval has at least two go-to artificial lures to offer the sac-a-lait in Lake Arthur and, surprisingly, along the Mermentau River. One of them is a hair jig made by Daniel Mire of Maurice, who owns D&M Custom Jigs. Huval fishes a black/chartreuse model about 1 foot below a cork around the base of cypress knees and also drops it alongside cypress knees.
His other favorite is a monkey milk-colored Bobby Garland Baby Shad minnow-type soft plastic he touts as a “very, very good bait,” one that he “tightlines” (doesn’t use a cork).
“Sometimes they like the (soft plastic jig), sometimes they like the cork (D&M Custom Jigs),” Huval said.
If anglers look around, they’re bound to find clear water in the lake this time of year, according to Huval, who started fishing and hunting at a young age with his parrain, Ryan Huval of Loreauville. The second month of the year is prime time as sac-a-lait move shallower to spawn in 2-foot depths or less and mostly in 2- to 5-feet of water, he said.
Consistent action
The 21-year-old generator technician for Axis Power Solutions said he usually targets a few canals (or ditches) on the south end of the lake. Or, specifically, any cypress tree-lined points on each side of the mouth of the canal (or ditch).
“I find once the water temperature gets to about 65-68 degrees I start catching full (of eggs) females,” he said. “Sometimes I can pull up to a tree and catch 25 in 10 minutes. Sometimes it’s 10 here, five there, but the bite’s always consistent. I find, though, if they get a heavy rain they kind of push off.”
Also, Huval said, along those canals there are drains and houseboats, which can attract and hold sac-a-lait.
He’s confident he can fish clear water this time of year in Lake Arthur. At the same time, he knows from experience the water will be muddy. But don’t let that fool you, he said, noting he has had some good days on the lower end of the river north of Louisiana Highway 14.
“The Mermentau has some big, big fish (sac-a-lait). My biggest fish last year was 2 pounds, 8 ounces. I actually got him mounted,” Huval said, noting limits are the norm rather than the exception.
“A lot of people overlook the Mermentau because it’s so muddy all the time. I really, really don’t like dirty water,” he said, noting the sac-a-lait generally are used to it. “It affects the fishermen … I’ll put it that way.”
Fresh laydowns
Huval targets laydowns along either bank of the meandering river. Surprisingly, he said, the newer deadfalls give up the most fish.
“The fresher laydowns, I find, do better. I don’t know why. I always thought it’d be the opposite,” he said, adding he still relies on the black/chartreuse D&M Jigs and the monkey milk-colored Bobby Garland Baby Shads.
Lake Arthur also has its share of bass, Huval said. A Texas-rigged black/blue Senko under a pegged ¼-ounce pegged weight has paid off for him beaucoup times.
“They (Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries) actually just recently stocked Lake Arthur with a bunch of Floridas,” he said. “They take care of that place. They really do. Bass fishing is good there.”
