Pontchartrain
 

How's the fishing in Ponchartrain? Thinking about heading out there Sunday with a buddy of mine. We would be launching at the kenner boat launch.

It should be getting good at the causeway

Watch out for Shelby!!!

Any particular areas of the causeway or certain baits? We have never had an outstanding trip at the causeway, although we've only made about 6-8 trips out there in the 2 years I've lived in La.

bump it slow off the bottom by any set of pilings, when you feel something different reel in then set the hook, seems to be what every body who fishes it says

I would leave the "Reel in" part off before setting the hook.

The fishing has been off at the bridges so far this year,but it changes by the second,when the dust settles from this last front it could get hot.

Chocolate Milk today. Should clear by weekend if wind lays down

Yeah, that north wind stirred it up good I'm sure. Leblanc, where were you fishing today?

It should be turning on with this front that passed. We have been doing ok on the cway around mid lake the past couple weeks.

wasn't fishing just crossing the Lake yesterday HWY 11 in Slidell and Causway in evening and today the causeway this morning. Wish I was fishing, but all my family that had boats in NOLA have moved away including myself.

I'm going in the am , just cuz it looks dirty on top does not mean its dirty down low .......:cool:

I hope you're not referring to strippers...:eek: :rotfl:

that is my theory on both , p-train and strippers lol, and the jump in venice in the winter

30 mph winds this weekend. ...... Good luck tonorrow.:smokin:

Fished from 9:30-2 w/o a bite ran all the way to the north shore from bonnebel , dirty water n no tide south cleaner water n very little tide up north . Saw very little bai moving

There's a few out there tough nite though caught 15 most of em 19-21 "s tigah bait matrixAttachment 42279

Bringing this one back up. I know fishing conditions have sucked lately but was curious if anyone has been?

I spent Sunday and Monday out on pontchartrain tryin to break in a new lower unit. I fished a reef close to the Kenner launch but didn't stay long because the water clarity sucked big time.

Where are some good places to fish off the south shore and a boat launch relatively close to that area? Never really fished pontchartrain before.

Caught a few nice ones in the lake this sunday 1/20.

Attachment 45313

Where about were ya?

On the causeway

Lmao. North or south?

We talking about fishing or women....... Cause you told me that one nite out n Baton Rouge.

Anyone catching or targeting Striped Bass on the causeway this year? The causeway is one of the best Striper fisheries in the Gulf coast. White plastics and red jig heads and you won't catch one under 5 pounds. Limit is 5 per person but if you target them you will wind up catching 100 and they are much more fun to catch than the Speck and Reds IMO.

More information on stripers on Causeway, please! How deep? How big of a jighead? Paddle tail or a straight tail? Slow jigging action, fast jigging action, steady retrieve? How far out on the Causeway? Are they up against the pilings or more in open water? Northshore or south shore? Is there a distinct season?

Thanks in advance!

Sorry u got all excited.... But the prevouus post is just bad info.
People have caught stripers in LAKE P.... But not like this guy is talking about.... Stick to the trout fishin.
Ur wasting time chasin stripers on lake p.

You clearly don't know what you are talking about so I would suggest hijacking another thread with your lack of knowledge.

Fish the upside current portion of the pilings (3 pilings hold more fish than the 2 pilings), the cross-overs, and the bridges (the drawbridge is a great spot along the wood fenders) and actually the wood fenders before they pulled them out at the 3, 12, 17 mile bridges always attracted them this time of year. The season for them in the Lake begins when the water drops below 65 degrees (late fall and ends early spring). They leave the Rivers, Gulf, and marsh where they are spread out most of the year and converge on the Causeway foraging on pogies which is why white grubs with a beetle or paddle tail style are so effective. You also need to find the clear water as the clearer the water this time of year the more the fish tend to school up and bite. You also have two strains of Striped Bass here: Hybrids and true Striped Bass.

4 to 9 foot range is the most effective range jigging the lure in an up motion while letting it drop or just throwing it past the pilings & reeling it back with a steady retrieve. We have been fishing them since the late 70's in this area and during the 80's most of the people who fished the Causeway during this time of year only targeted the Stripers and jigged up redfish no one really fished for Trout because the Striper fishery was soo good and so much fun. Another lure is a white deep diving crankbait which also is deadly but I like throwing the white beetle with red spot and a 1/2 to 3/4 ounce jig head. 20 pound test is a must due to the pilings and the size of the fish.

Man that sounds like a blast...thanks for sharing the info. Ive always wanted to catch some stripers

Christopher, sounds like the man knows what he's talkin' about. Wanna geaux try 'em? :rolleyes:

Since I've been inundated with PMs on the subject I'll give up a little more info.

Where to start if you are fishing from the Northshore--if the water is clear the first place I would try is the drop-off under the Causeway by the extra bridges. Sometimes they are there early in the morning and sometimes late in the afternoon. If they aren't there then I would suggest hitting the 1st cross-over area (the more pilings the better) and then hit the bridges. The draw-bridge's wooden pilings is one of my all time favorite places when the water is clean and calm (unfortunately calm also tends to bring in the fog so becareful). Then all of the other cross-overs and bridges AND do not forget to hit all the 3 legged spans--the 2 legged spans can be productive but only a falling tide but they don't hold as many schools of fish as the others typically do.

If you coming from the Southshore--I would advise fishing the old turnaround on the original span first and then head towards the North fishing in the same areas.

There are a couple of people who have said they have fished the Causeway hard for years and never caught a hybrid or striper. The reason is due to 3 things: (1) wrong lure choice (if it ain't all white then you are wasting your time); (2) fishing only lasts from Nov to early March typically when water Temps are below 65; and (3) the number of days are fewer due to muddy water (esp. Southshore), winds from fronts, and fog.

I can't say I was the founder of this type of fishing because the expert on the Lake P striper fishing but if you were around Mandeville during the early 80's you might have visited a tackle shop called Toledo Tackle of Mandeville (where George's Mexican restaurant is today). The owner and his son were the two pioneers and really promoted the fishery until their deaths. After they passed away most of the local knowledge went away with them but the fish stayed year after year.

One person asked me how do you clean them--filet them the same way you would any other fish but it is very important that you cut out the entire blood line otherwise the fish will taste terrible when you cook it.

Below are my suggestions
H&H #41 in the Queen Cocahoe or #14 in the Split tail version. Size 3 from H&H

Or use the all white curly tail below. Size 3 to 6 inches for the soft tails. The white pearl isn't as productive as the all white and the all white with a small red spot is even deadlier so long as the spot is close to the jig head.
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/tackle_2248_6057781

PS--this has to be one of the best Striper fishing seasons in the Lake because i just came across a Louisiana Sportsman's article from Dec 2012 on the Stripers tearing it up at Seabrook. Striper fishing at Seabrook has always been inadvertent but if they are catching them there as this article suggests then the Causeway should be stacked this year. http://www.louisianasportsman.com/details.php?id=4650

On a side note--at one time most of the Top 10 Hybrid Striped Bass were caught in Lake Pontchartrain. Today William Hungerford still has the #1 (Causeway), #4 (Causeway), & #10 (Pass Manchac) La. State records for Hybrids. The 16.25 was caught in 2000. In the late 80's/early 90's the gill fisherman would bring in even bigger Hybrids and Stripers than that. The biggest Striper I've caught was #25 pounds in 1998 at the draw bridge.

That's some good info. I didn't realize they had stripped bass in Lake P

Can't wait to drive home this evening on the causeway and see how boats are fishing the turnarounds with white plastics.

:grinpimp:

my point exactly.... long time ago poncho....:shaking::rolleyes:

yea, lets call duma$$ and go catch em after we load the boat trolling and hook into a few tarpon.......:rotfl::rotfl:

honk when ya see us...... or saltys smoke trail.....lol:smokin::smokin:

:help::help::*****::*****::shaking::shaking::rotfl ::rotfl::eek::eek::spineyes::spineyes:

u smokin some good mean green..... or ur memory is more elaborate then a sci fi movie....

He DOES not have a clue.....So carry on with your info for others!!!

I just text Josh Hall and they are catching lots of Striper in Lake P right now

Dude when is the last time you fished Lake P???? And when is the last time you caught a limit on Lake P out of your boat not with a person who can fish???

i been waiting for ur midget a$$ to show up....... welcome!!

until this dude shows some recent pics catching huge numbers of 5lb + stripers in lake p...... im callin bullshi+!!!

ill eat my words if he shows recent pics or video to back up his crazy info....my buddy works as a biologist in the manchac and kale ponchatrain basin.... he just confirmed that there is no substantial population of stripers or hybrib stripers in the lake.

there was back in the 70;s and 80;s..... but not in recent years.

again.... this guy shows pics and ill believe it..... obviously he knows way more then the marine biologist who work in the manchac and lake p basin area....

im sure they are.... along woth 50 lb jack cravelle from the airport ..... and tarpon at the trestles....


i saw a $15,000 buck in my back yard last nite.......

December 18, 2012

i retired from real fishing, to expensive.... i just pond fish now:D

thats 1 fish.......... tatpontom said you can catch 100 and they will all b 5lb+

lets see that pic.....

and how do we know thats lake p....josh fishes all over.....

Many anglers already know that the areas on the southern side of Lake Pontchartrain held some monster trout, but the lake seems to have more secrets than it lets on. Around the Seabrook bridge, Josh Hall has been taking the opportunity to catch what almost seems like an intruder, this far south.

Striped bass are a common saltwater fish on the east coast and many anglers fish them in the surf. But, while the fish swim in Louisiana's coastal waters, not many anglers specifically target stripers.
But Hall said there's no special tactics required to catch them. According to Hall, stripers are ambush predators and attack bait fish similarly to speckled trout. They also stick to current lines to gobble up any bait helplessly caught in the moving water, just like trout.

“This is the first time we’ve caught pure striped bass,” Hall said. “I’m not sure why they’re here but they are; we used to catch specks, white trout and reds around Seabrook, but now all we catch is specks, hybrid stripers and pure-bred striped bass.”

Hall said that right when the tide begins to rise is the best time to catch stripers. Hall will usually average around three stripers a night — his biggest so far being 12 ½ pounds.

“Any structure around Seabrook that breaks up that moving current seems to be good," Hall said. "We catch them along the shoreline around those bumpers in front of Seabrook, the new rocks and all along that shoreline. Just cast past the structure that you are fishing into the eddie that forms from the broken current; those fish are usually waiting.”

Hall believes stripers and trout are gathering around Seabrook because of the water temperature. It is not to cold because of the frequent warm spells between cold fronts, leading to average water temperatures of about 60 degrees. Consequentially, the fish aren’t moving around a whole lot but aren’t stuck on the bottom conserving energy, either, and are using structure around Seabrook as ambush points for easy meals.

“The stripers are pretty consistent at night,” Hall said, “We’ve been fishing them just like you would fish for a speckled trout — using a Matrix Shad or live shrimp, casting into that current line.”

sorry..... josh is a kool dude and all...... but LSM post more BS then the national inquirer".

one guys opinion dont make it a fact.......

kinda like u saying big lake is harder to fish then lake p...... or that u can kick a 6'3" guy in the face with a standing roundhouse ......

dude your a moron....I just text Josh and this is his words


Yes, we have been catching a ton of stripers in Lake P and Seabrook area most from the bank .

words.........lmao.... dude show proof.

ur proving ur stupidity....... show proof.... im headed off line till later....u have until 9-10 pm to find pics of limits of stripers from lake p.... in the past 2-5 years...... do that and ill shut up and tell tarpontom im sorry.