Capt. Greg Schlumbrecht with To Fish Charters recently suggested that a mild tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico would turn on the trout bite at Lake Pontchartrain. The trout bite has turned on, but it wasn’t because of a storm. Rather it is because of a strong tidal range coupled with a strong east wind.
“The tide has been pouring into the lake at a rate that you can’t imagine,” Schlumbrecht said. “This tide with a strong wind behind it is pushing fish into the lake. Whatever phenomenon it is, it’s doing the same thing a tropical storm would have done. The water was 1 1/2 to 2 feet above normal last week, and much of that is good Gulf water, which is bringing in fish.”
While Schlumbrecht expects the bridges to turn on during October, the moving trout aren’t quite there yet. Most of the fish are coming into the lake from the deep channels like the Rigolets, Chef Pass and Miller’s Ditch. All these passes coming into the lake act as highways for trout on their way to the bridges.
Anglers looking to catch some of these transitioning trout should hang a live pogie (if you can find some) below a sliding weight on a Carolina rig or under a sliding cork. If the pogies are hard to come by, try a shrimp. Schlumbrecht recommended fishing both the Carolina rig and sliding cork to see which the fish prefer on any given day. Several of the fish biting the live bait are running in the 22- to 24-inch range.
“Also keep an eye on this front that’s moving through,” Schlumbrecht added. “If that water temperature starts dropping, the fish will start to eat plastic again. And they might make a quick move to the bridges, so if you aren’t getting bit in the passes after the front, move to the L&N, the Twin Span, Highway 11 and the train trestle.”
If the bridge bite comes to fruition earlier than expected, Schlumbrecht recommended trying a blue moon Deadly Dudley Terror Tail, Magic Minnow Hybrid Flurry or a Sardine Berkley Gulp 3-inch pogie. Stick with 3/8-ounce or heavier if the tide is still strong, and lighten up to 1/4-ounce as the tide slows.
