Plenty shrimp plus good fishing tips and lots more for anglers
When it comes to bait, live shrimp is king in South Louisiana.
I’ve fished all over the Northshore and can honestly say that nobody is more efficient with stocking their tanks with shrimp than Lake Catherine Island Marina. This landmark marina, located at 26204 Chef Menteur Hwy, reflects owners David and Angie Stewart’s dedication to providing their customers with live shrimp — and more — almost year round.
In fact, I’ve been a customer there for over eight years and can’t recall a time where they haven’t had live shrimp. Their live bait dependability isn’t the only thing I’ve come to appreciate with the sprawling facility. Cleanliness, and a friendly staff are always the case when I launch from Island Marina.
“We’ve got a really professional staff here where we emphasize being there for the customer whether it be supplying them with bait, backing down their boat, or giving them advice on where to fish that day,” David said.
I can attest to the advice as I’ve been known to base my decisions on where to fish that day on Angie’s tips.
“If I can help the customer to catch more fish by giving them tips on what’s biting and where, then that’s what I’m going to do,” Angie said.
The husband and wife team are frequently on the water fishing the area and have consistently fed me good information on fishing Little Dee Dee, Alligator Point, and Unknown Pass to name a few. The marina carries live shrimp, live cocahoe minnows, and an assortment of frozen bait like squid, and cut mullet. Another bonus to this spotless facility is their lodging. David and Angie have recently opened three camps that are on the property.
“The camps are booked year-round and people seem to really like staying on the water rather than traveling from a hotel to go fishing,” David said.
The camps are affordable and are invaluable when making early morning charter trips or multiple trips over a sequence of days. For all these reasons, Lake Catherine Island Marina leads my list of top bait shops on the Northshore. Check them out online at islandmarina.net.or drop by the store for more information.
The Bait Shop
With a name like “The Bait Shop,” one would come to expect a no-frills, straightforward operation and that’s exactly what you get with Marshall Knight’s bait store in Slidell. Located at 1604 Front Street, the shop supplies customers with a wide variety of baits including frozen pogies, shrimp, cut squid, cigar minnows, finger mullet and sardines.
They also carry rooster livers, chicken necks and melt for chasing crawfish and crabs. But it’s the live shrimp tanks in the back that get the most attention from customers. Knight said people seem to have a lot of questions about the shrimp. For this, he has made a sign that answers all the questions that are posed to him. Yes, they’ve got shrimp. For all other questions, read the sign.
“Believe it or not, there’s not a day that goes by that someone asks me one of the questions on my sign,” Knight said.
Another thing I like about this bait shop is their propane service. It seems more and more businesses are trading out tanks, which leads to turning in my tank that usually has fuel left in it. Knight refills and tops off the existing tank which saves money and fuel. The shop is open seven days a week.
