Hit the dead-end canals off main bayous for sac-a-lait
When Bill McCarty wants to catch sac-a-lait in November, he invariably heads to the Bayou Black area.
The Morgan City outdoorsman spends as much time as possible in the woods bowhunting for deer this month, but he makes time to feel the tug of sac-a-lait in the marsh canals to the east of Morgan City.
When he does, it’s common for a pair of anglers to catch 30 to 40 fish averaging 1 to 1½ pounds, with occasional limits.
There is less fishing pressure during the hunting season, McCarty said.
He advised starting a sac-a-lait fishing trip in the dead-end canals off the main bayous such as Bayou Penchant, Trapper’s Canal, Turtle Bayou, Bluebird Canal and Orange Grove.
Look for water clarity of 16 to 20 inches deep, and fish 18 to 24 inches deep, McCarty advised.
Focus in and around scattered grass beds, as the grass beds generally will be less matted than the spring and summer.
He urged anglers to respect private property, adding there is no reason to leave the canals and go into the marsh in search of sac-a-lait.
“You’ll find in November they’re not nearly as concentrated in the drains,” McCarty said. “They’re scattered out. I look for scattered grass.
“A lot of times, the grass has started to fade away a little bit.”
He’ll catch sac-a-lait either on 1/16-ounce Beetle Spins or blue/white, yellow/white or black/chartreuse 1/16-ounce Luck E Strike jigs.
For Beetle Spins, McCarty said, use white or use black if the water is “super clear.” Retrieve at different depths until you find the sac-a-lait.
“Sometimes they want it high, near the top of the water, and sometimes they want it drug along the bottom,” he said.