Birds are a dead giveaway to solid action
My old friend and former charter guide Gordon Matherne said November is the best month of the year to fish the Sulfur Mine.
“There are several inland lakes that’ll produce some good numbers of trout this month, including Catfish Lake, Lake Chien and Little Lake, but I prefer to fish the Sulfur Mine area for several reasons,” he said. “It’s close to home, it only requires a short run from Basson’s Launch to the mine, and it’s protected water. You’re not in a huge open lake or bay like in Little Lake, so the winds aren’t as much a factor as they are in bigger bodies of water. Which makes the area perfect for smaller boats to access, and for kayak fishermen.”
Matherne said the trout this month aren’t necessarily huge, but they’ll be plentiful.
“We catch a lot of school trout in November, so you may have some throwbacks in the mix, but you’ll have no trouble finding keeper-size fish in the process,” he said.
The key?
“Just look for birds,” he said. “There will be flocks of birds all over, and they’ll be diving on bait. Sneak in within casting distance to the frenzy and toss H&H beetles or cocahoes in glow or chartreuse, either tight-lined or about 2 feet under a cork.
“Better yet, throw doubles.”
Matherne said you want to choose a day with a good tide range of eight-tenths to 1 ½ feet, and you definitely want to fish a falling tide.
For reds, Matherne said besides catching them in the mix along with specks, you can target them in Lake Salvador or along the grass in Catahoula Bay by using market shrimp, gold weedless spoons or topwater baits.
