Tuesday was one of the standouts of the fall, Champagne says
This past Tuesday was one of the best days on the water this fall for North Shore angler Chas Champagne.
And the owner of Matrix Shad said he couldn’t believe that no one else was fishing as he hauled in fish after fish.
The day started off cold, and Champagne began trolling the canals that run through the Eden Isles subdivision of Slidell, just 200 yards from his office. Fortunately, he didn’t have to go far before he started hooking some nice winter trout.
For a fishery that is literally at the back door of so many people, Champagne was surprised that he had the trout all to himself — and really didn’t see another boat all day.
“I guess that everyone went fishing at the Wall,” Champagne said.
Trout typically feed from November thru March in the canals located in any of the North Shore subdivisions in Slidell, and Champagne found steady action and good fish trolling Matrix Shad in tiger bait.
He said that trout will move to feed in Lake Pontchartrain as long as water temperatures remain above 52 degrees.
“But if temperatures drop below 52 degrees, you won’t get a bite in the lake,” he said.
After about an hour, Champagne saw how slick the lake had become, and went to investigate.
“I spotted birds feeding on white shrimp from one end of the lake to the other,” he said. “First thing I saw was the reds wound up under the birds. After that I tried fishing shallow along the banks, thinking the trout might have been sunbathing with the sun out warming the water rapidly, and I guess I was correct.
“I saw one shrimp jump out the water so I switched to a Matrix Float and it was game over.”
Champagne caught all the trout he wanted and kept enough to clean for Christmas presents from Cajun Santa.
Anyone interested in purchasing Matrix Shad lures can check out their holiday sale going on now at matrixshad.com.
