Marsh/Ponds off Intracoastal
 

A friend of a friend from NW La has been fishing a few times recently in the Big Lake area. On his last trip, he supposedly killed the reds in the marsh off the intracoastal. Is this marsh public or is it posted? Are there redfish in there year round, or have theyjust moved in for the fall? I'm just trying to find out a little info, because we usually go to Leeville/Golden Meadow which is a considerably longer drive. I have fished Big Lake before, but we fish out of a 16' boat and if the wind gets up, we have a hard time. It would be nice if there is some sheltered water where we could fish. I would appreciate anyone's input.

I'm not sure of the marsh that you speak of but some excellent fishing this time of year especially if your in a smaller boat is the Salt Ditch, Black Lake and the marshes surrounding it.

You can launch at Ellender Bridge on Highway 27 right before you get into Hackberry and run west down Intercoastal then take a left (South) down the canal with the Highlines on the side of it. This is the Saltditch and Black Lake connects to the Saltditch through a few cuts to the west.

I usually go by the rule that if you have to cross a leeve, its posted. Otherwise, if you go there, the worst that can happen is that somone will tell you to get out, Just apologize and leave.. thats what i usually do, but it usually only works one time. After the 10th or 11th time getting caught in the same place, apologies dont work anymore...lol.... a little more cussing is usually involved

Marsh
 

I beleive all the marsh from the salt ditch going west is private land. (On the south side.)

Yes, the marsh is posted...but you can fish the cuts feeding into the marsh.

Reds stack up there in the ditch about this time.

Thanks for the info guys. One other question. Does Black Lake & surrounding marsh hold redfish and drum in good numbers year round or just mainly in the fall?

the law is that if it is a man made canal, then that water and land is private.

if it is natural, then the land is owned down to the winter high tide mark if it is tidal, or an arm of the sea.

if it is a river, lake, or stream that is natural made then it is owned down to the ordinary low water mark

unless it is involved in domestic/foreign commerce, national security, historically significant/important, or if it is exempt due to the Rivers and Harbors act.

Then the state/fed government owns the waterway

but on all natural waterways, the state owns the water bottom

heck i'm confused yak! if a crabber comes up screaming at you...your in the palermos marsh...;)

my bad sulphite. lol

guess all these darn law classes are getting to me

it actually could really be helpful when someone is screaming at ya to get out of "their" marsh when in fact it isn't...

yea, it gets really cloudy ESP in louisiana Law, because of the swamp buster act and all the oil and gas as well as subsidence.

its kinda funny, but when wetlands subside below water level i want to say that the land becomes state owned land, i may be wrong but i think thats how it works.

And if land is reclaimed, the land is state land.

but the problem with this is that the land owner no longer owns the mineral rights under the reclaimed land

they are trying to get that law changed to allow restoration, but allow the land owner to keep mineral rights just not surface rights

The Salt Ditch has navigation markers at the beginning of it and a sign that says to stay in the middle.
Tugs used to use it to get to Black Lake when the Kelso Bayou bridge was broke down.
I don't think the ditch is private. But that is just my opinion.
If you don't want to go thru the ditch, you can get to Black Lake from Hackberry.