What's up with BL?
 

First, I'm just an office fisherman; I fish BL from early spring to the end of June most years making an average of 8-10 trips per year (fishing BL for over 30 years). Without a doubt this has been my least productive year fishing BL. Started out with limits of nice fish in March and April.....then came May and now June with not many fish to filet. Most years (I keep a log) we would be tearing them up in the lake over the deeper reefs during the month of June. Most areas we have been fishing are holding just a few small dinks with an occasional decent fish.
Have the fish moved out the lake into the Gulf? Has the population of good fish been depleted? Seems there are plentiful bait fish, however, I have noticed not as many mullet schools as I use to see. I just find that BL is just not its normal self. Have any of you the same experience this year?

Not as many reports this year that's for sure. I have not fished bl in over a year.

the wiers and the 15 fish limit, no one is catching fish













































:rotfl::grinpimp:


but seriously we had a good trip a couple weekends back despite boat problems, coulda shoulda woulda put a hurtin on em but thats life. Be back there next weekend for sure

I think the pressure makes it tough if you fish on weekends. Boats running all over and stuff.

I blame Kevin Ford

that's not the case with me and my buddies.

I remember back in early 2000s just crushing damn near every time we went. I still get on them now it just takes me half a day to find them maybe if I got to fish during the week it would be different . I use to be able to pull right up on em and you know there will always be that dude that catches a limit before 7 of his dock or at least claims.

I blame the star tournament and cheap out of state license. Not bashing Texas fisherman at all but my god sometimes I wonder if I've ventured into Texas waters. They are taking over.

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It's a cycle coming off 2-3 dry years w excellent fishing it's just a slow year...

we have been catching limits just about every trip, fished five times so for. just started fishing a few weeks ago. usually start in march.

I buy more into the cycle theory than anything else but the increased pressure has a undeniable affect not Necessarily on number of fish ( IMO) just constant running all over and terrible fishing practices that make it harder for the weekend guy.

Pressure definitely a factor catch way better mon theu thurs than fri sat and sun but fishing conditions have been horrible this yr either blowing too hard r slack tides days that have good tide and low winds everything is normal just been lil tough conditions

Ive been doing pretty good when I can get out there early (on weekends), I notice the bite dies real quick when the boats pour in. Two weekends in a row I watch people run over spots where trout should be or where they were biting 15-30 minutes before. I'm still new/learning big lake but it doesn't take an expert to figure out some of the more simple problems such as that.

Exactly, people run anywhere and everywhere...eventually the trout in the lake will go hang out somewhere deep and out of the way.

Coming from a professional fisherman I appreciate your input. If it gets real tough for guys like you imagine what its like for sports that get on the lake maybe 3-4 times a month. I try not to fish on windy days but ya gotta take 'em as they come. However, I have fished great days with no wind and moving tides and still struggled to find a few; not something I've experienced in the past. Just seems far more effort than ever to find a few.....Then again it could be my ol mojo done hit the road!

Just seems far more effort than ever to find a few.....Then again it could be my ol mojo done hit the road![/QUOTE]

Man o man did I feel just like this last year. Worst year I ever had but I bounced back just had to rethink my approach.


" Don't Worry Don't be Afraid Ever because Its Just a Ride "

Best year of my life this yr. is! There was never an in between stage, fish just spread out. Gotta run n gun to fill da box. Never had to do that as much as this yr. jmo

When we had the drought, we had a lot clearer water also.
I do better in clearer water. And the bait was unreal way up in Lake Charles/Prien area.

The lake is a month behind... 3 northerners in may delayed shrimp coming in shrimpers just started catching week half ago by now fish should be on reefs and birds should be done... Also the trout bite should be over behind the weirs and its still goin on.... Once shrimp makes it to the marsh all the fish will concentrate on reefs and channel bc that's where all the bait holds there's always a 2 week transition from bird fishing to reefs it's starting to happen now... The night boat just started limiting out on reefs past. 5 days ....the 25 or bust theory is dumb Sabine lake is same as big lake and the fish size isn't struggling neither is numbers ive made 7 trips over there this yr and limited out 6 out of 7 the difference is weirs... I think biggest factor is weirs restricting bait flow 2nd would be pressure and 3rd would be the 3 northerners in may that delayed shrimp coming in just my opinion but as far as too many fish in lake I'm not buying that every1 would be catching... I've talked to biologist and they said on there net surveys they haven't seen size decrease and agree that there is a cycle this spring was best big trout yr in a few years...

The net surveys show a lot of non shrimp bait.
The Brown Shrimp are small, but the White Shrimp are nice.
I keep my big boat next to the LDWF research boats.
Every time I see them, I ask to see their catches.

Agree. 100%. I couldn't have gone that in debt but seems like that's exact truth. This first yr I caught fish where they weren't supposed to be by logs. Like clampy said we used to pull up shut down and lay hamma. Same spot same time same conditions 3 fish here 5 there. I think since bait is restricted trout are patrolling more than staying put and ambushing. There's only been 2-4x this yr we've caught 15-20 in same spot.

this has been a bad year so far for me both fresh and salt i fish prien area to salt water barrier water hasnt been good at all this year havent caught many at all this year

Started fishing evening til after dark to get away from pressure. Have had some pretty good trips all spring on BL and Sabine.

Sabine lake has 200 less guides and 1500 less boats per weekend

And i dont know which Biologist you spoke with but i have a email from Baton Rouge and the trout size in nets have decreased over the last 7 years with last year being the smallest


I do agree that the trout are late because they are catching limits behind weirs and that should of been way over

Post ur email then w

I already posted it up in a thread like this but let me look for it and i will be glad to post it again

So if too many fish??? u state limit should be 25 why is everyone not catching?Sabine lake limit is 15 same amount of fish less pressure and bigger fish..... W

I have zero info on Sabine estuary, but our SPR #s can support a 30 trout limit.....plus Sabine has zero Oyster Harvest which makes a huge difference..
On fish holding

What is spr??

Sabine lake is identical to big lake both have rivers at the top end that run thru
em both hit gulf thru a channel both have marshes on east and west.. An idiot can catch a limit on Sabine... They take way less fish out than here on big lake and have better trout per school fish... Taking more fish out of big lake is not the answer the answer is in the bait the only difference on Sabine is no weirs and no butterfly nets across every cut!

Spawning potential ratio

No big difference is No Oyster boats


Lets take on small area on bl

Basket reef before and after

Btw i have written documents of every trip!!

Pre oyster rape of Basket you could sit on a spot and catch al the trout you wanted once fish moved in the are

Post oyster rape...i have not sat one time on that reef and limited and have not spoke to anyone who has

Think about our trout vs Sabine

Our trout are beat up 24/7

We have more boats running over reefs and lake day and night

Hell we have 5 night boats i know of that sit on reefs all night smoking trout, then we pull up in the am and wonder why we cant catch trout???

Simple reason they have moved off

Sabine lake doesn't have many reefs....

Can't catch em in am after night boat bc they full from eating all the bait under the lights... Cheniere prime example won't catch **** after Jason been there at night

So we got less reef now less bait and more pressure and u say take more fish??? What's the logic in that?

We dont have less bait..our lake is full of bait our ship channel is a seafood buffet

Im saying the reason our big trout size has fell off is because we are not taking enough fish out!! We only have a very small circle of people who can actually catch trout .. we have over a 1000 boats on weekends but maybe 25 can catch a limit but the other 975 are running over reefs..trolling up wind letting boat slap in chop...pulling up on big motor...throwing anchors...so these people make it even harder for the 25 that can fish to catch fish ( does not mean fish are nor there) You know that when trout get spooked the either go deep and hang on bottom or move

You two both up early... Y'all fishing?? If so Post up some results...

This is contradictory, food is one of the limiting factors on sustainability of fish/trout/deer/antelope/elephants/water turkeys/zebras/hippos etc.

If there was a shortage of food, then you have a problem but you just addressed that.


and I thought the weirs were keeping ALL the bait behind them, how is their a buffet?:confused::spineyes:


The fishermen's take of trout is negligent in the grand scheme of things in Big Lake. This isn't some clear shallow water lagoon in Florida, the limits could be much higher before any negative effect was seen.

BL school Trout are way bigger than in Barataria and Timbalier Trout.
They have a higher limit.
School Trout there average 6 to 8 inches.
I have never seen so many small Trout, even in the Fall.
There are plenty, but not much size.

Hell no im in school all week and to beat Houston Traffic you have to get up at 5am

On days playing hide and seek for 12 hrs

we are all aware of the fact that you are one of the few people that catches fish on BL. with that being said, the limit shouldn't make any difference. the rest of us are all such bad fishermen that no matter what the limit is, we aren't hurting the population with a 15 or 25 fish limit.

Im sure its a combo of all things stated.


" Don't Worry Don't be Afraid Ever because Its Just a Ride "

This has been the worst spring I've seen in 15 yrs hands down......

What reason(s) do you think attributed to lower than normal catches in your opinion?

Global Warming imo! Lol just joking fellas. ;)

sent from my Galaxy NOTE II

Weather....The 3 fronts in may pushing out the shrimp that was here in April killed us. Winds keep you isolated to lee banks along with everyone else putting major pressure on an area. Patterns are off big time. Reefs we are normally smoking the fish on this time of year are not holding #'s. Now we are seeing 97-100 degree temps and the summer time pattern has begun....we barely had a spring at all IMO. I've noticed a lot of silver c r a p in the boat telling me they have been eating fin fish which there is an abundance...The white shrimp are good size but few...and the browns are maggots. I think some of our problem is the shrimp population. The fish you catch on the reefs are nice size and are eating fin fish. But that bite last until some one trolls over the reef on 100 or you loose your tide which has been early lately....The birds are picking on trout in eyeballs and wiskers...the trout are small and sets are loaded with gafftops. I'm ready for the channel bite to start....at least we will be able to count on a bite happening.

Been catching on channel for Over a month. Sheephead reef is on the channel. Not limits but 20-30 consistantly.

Also noticed a pattern on which sets of birds hold bigger trout. May be a quincedence but seems like the smaller the group the better the fish. Ex: end of may when drifting allowed we caught 22 fish off of 3sets of birds all were almost 2lbs.(3-5birds) same day we drifted 2 sets of 15-20birds and hardheads eating plastics and dink trout. Bigger fish were eating finfish smaller ones eating shrimp.