If history repeats itself, the 2016 winter drawdown on D’Arbonne will make the water go down and fishing action will go up.
It stands to reason that when the fish have less water to hide in, they are easier to find.
Also, since they head for deep water in the winter, it just makes it easier to find concentrations of fish.
That doesn’t mean they always bite, but at least you know they are there.
The new spillway gate structure on the 16,000-acre Union Parish lake was opened on Sept. 6 with the goal of getting the lake down 5 feet and maintaining it at that level.
Of course, as we know all too well in Louisiana that it all depends on cooperation from Mother Nature.
The plan is to let property owners do additional repairs and cleanup on their piers, decks and boat houses following this spring’s horrific flooding.
It also gives lake managers a chance to expose and kill some problematic aquatic vegetation in some areas up the Corney and D’Arbonne arms of the lake.
The lake will hopefully begin refilling with rains in late December and January so it will be stable by the time the spring spawn begins.
The lake will be open for fishing throughout the drawdown, and fishing limits will remain the same.
There is no biological data to indicate anything else needs to be done, LDWF biologist Ryan Daniels said. For additional information regarding the drawdown, contact Daniel in the LDWF Monroe office at 318-343-4044.
Anglers fishing the drawdown should be aware of shallow boat runs and thousands of stumps that will be exposed or just under the water’s surface from one end of this lake to the other.