Southeast LA

Contents

Mediocre No More — How to catch speckled trout and redfish during the transition month of March

March 1, 2013 Rusty Tardo

If you’re a fisherman, “mediocre” is a good word to describe March. Webster’s says it means “average, ordinary, unexceptional, low in quality, second-rate and inferior.”

Pretty harsh.

To be sure, it’s not horrible, like the months of January and February can be with their frigid cold and exceptionally low water conditions. But it’s certainly not May and June, either, when our weather and fishing action turns on and becomes phenomenal down here in Southeast Louisiana.[…]

Events & Announcements

Construction of latest Lake Pontchartrain artificial reef to add fishing opportunities

February 20, 2013 M.A. Fisher

Work that began recently on an artificial reef near the St. Tammany Parish Fishing Pier south of Slidell will increase fishing opportunities for shore-bound Lake Pontchartrain anglers, the Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana said.

The work is being done between the new westbound span of Interstate 10 and the pier — the latter of which is part of the old Interstate 10 Twin Spans Bridge that partially collapsed during Hurricane Katrina. The pier opened on Lake Pontchartrain in 2012 to enormous support, but has been closed since Hurricane Isaac battered Slidell last August. […]

Columns

Sheep herding

February 15, 2013 Chris Holmes

Mark Sagerholm is an avid kayak fisherman and a self proclaimed “sheep herder.” Sagerholm has developed a great respect for sheepshead — what many Louisiana fishermen consider trash fish.[…]

News Breaker

359 rigs slated for decommissioning, leading scientist says action is detrimental to red snapper plan

February 14, 2013 M.A. Fisher

The number 359 has taken on a new meaning for some Louisiana anglers and conservationists: That’s the estimated number of Gulf of Mexico rigs and platforms scheduled for removal this year, according to a release by DecomWorld distributed on Jan. 15.

And according to Dr. Bob Shipp, chairman of the University of South Alabama Department of Marine Sciences, that number is way too high because removal of any decommissioned rig is premature, if not blatantly detrimental to reef fish habitat.

“As a fisheries scientist, I think it’s a very big mistake,” he said.[…]