Weirs Closed

[AubreyLaHaye458]

Originally Posted by mallardhead

Must not be manageing something right back there used to hunt back in that area with sono savoies lease in the mid and late 90s and would smash ducks every day from what I hear now it sucks back there I always hear all this crap about ducks dont like salt water marshes well im calling bs on that too. I can see closeing the weirs when tides run way above normal but not the bull crap they are pulling now.

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Duck hunting has gone down hill everywhere since the 90's. The duck hunting problem is bigger than this and is definitely not needed in this thread. lol


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[mallardhead]

Originally Posted by AubreyLaHaye458

Duck hunting has gone down hill everywhere since the 90's. The duck hunting problem is bigger than this and is definitely not needed in this thread. lol


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hahaha

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[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by AubreyLaHaye458

Duck hunting has gone down hill everywhere since the 90's. The duck hunting problem is bigger than this and is definitely not needed in this thread. lol

I agree. The goal of marsh restoration is to keep the marsh from washing away and becoming an open bay, not to create optimal duck food to bait ducks for hunters to shoot.

Over time, if good salinity conditions are maintained, the habitat will shift and be more amenable.

But you can't have competing goals each and every hear and make great duck bait, optimally feed the lake, and keep the marsh from washing away in the next storm surge. You gotta pick one. And keeping the marsh from evolving into an open bay is the right priority.

[bgizzle]

Originally Posted by AubreyLaHaye458

Duck hunting has gone down hill everywhere since the 90's. The duck hunting problem is bigger than this and is definitely not needed in this thread. lol


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This is very true IMO. We just don't "hold" birds like we used to


"Go ahead, share your opinion! I won't cry"

[Smalls]

Originally Posted by mallardhead

Must not be manageing something right back there used to hunt back in that area with sono savoies lease in the mid and late 90s and would smash ducks every day from what I hear now it sucks back there I always hear all this crap about ducks dont like salt water marshes well im calling bs on that too. I can see closeing the weirs when tides run way above normal but not the bull crap they are pulling now.

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Name all the different foods that ducks eat. Guarantee you I can tell you that the majority do not occur in salt marshes.

That marsh is not salt marsh anyway, so that's irrelevant. There is a very small fringing salt marsh on the southern end. Most of it is intermediate and brackish. Most of what I have seen is dominated by wiregrass, which is not a good duck food.

[noodle creek]

Originally Posted by Smalls

Name all the different foods that ducks eat. Guarantee you I can tell you that the majority do not occur in salt marshes.

That marsh is not salt marsh anyway, so that's irrelevant. There is a very small fringing salt marsh on the southern end. Most of it is intermediate and brackish. Most of what I have seen is dominated by wiregrass, which is not a good duck food.

I know there is enough food and fresh water between here and canada that the ole grey duck marsh behind the weirs shouldn't be a huge concern. That marsh gets much fresher there won't be too many greys in there. Ponds will close in with cattails and cut grass, and there won't be any open water period. Fly over lacassine refuge and tell me that's a healthy marsh that is great habitat. It was 5 years ago, now it is done for.

[Smalls]

Originally Posted by noodle creek

I know there is enough food and fresh water between here and canada that the ole grey duck marsh behind the weirs shouldn't be a huge concern. That marsh gets much fresher there won't be too many greys in there. Ponds will close in with cattails and cut grass, and there won't be any open water period. Fly over lacassine refuge and tell me that's a healthy marsh that is great habitat. It was 5 years ago, now it is done for.

Can we get off the ducks already! That is not the purpose of the weirs. Marsh management, not duck management. Waltrip has said it before, the east side is the life blood of the lake. You know why? That marsh. If it becomes open water, no more nursery, no more bait fish, no more crabs, no more shrimp, and a lot more *****ing.

[mallardhead]

Originally Posted by noodle creek

I know there is enough food and fresh water between here and canada that the ole grey duck marsh behind the weirs shouldn't be a huge concern. That marsh gets much fresher there won't be too many greys in there. Ponds will close in with cattails and cut grass, and there won't be any open water period. Fly over lacassine refuge and tell me that's a healthy marsh that is great habitat. It was 5 years ago, now it is done for.

Boom ty

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["W"]

Anyone who wants to come jump in my boat and take a ride let me know
We will start here at Heberts then drive to Cameron and talk to locals then to Hackberry plus stop a few shrimp boats in the way

Bring you note pad and pencil because this is not my 1st rodeo

[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by "W"

Anyone who wants to come jump in my boat and take a ride let me know
We will start here at Heberts then drive to Cameron and talk to locals then to Hackberry plus stop a few shrimp boats in the way

Bring you note pad and pencil because this is not my 1st rodeo

Y'all should jump in. I learned more about Big Lake in my first boat ride with W than in my fist 40 years. He knows this lake.

[AubreyLaHaye458]

Originally Posted by "W"

Anyone who wants to come jump in my boat and take a ride let me know
We will start here at Heberts then drive to Cameron and talk to locals then to Hackberry plus stop a few shrimp boats in the way

Bring you note pad and pencil because this is not my 1st rodeo

Do we get to fish in between?


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[Natural Light Kid]

Originally Posted by "W"

Anyone who wants to come jump in my boat and take a ride let me know
We will start here at Heberts then drive to Cameron and talk to locals then to Hackberry plus stop a few shrimp boats in the way

Bring you note pad and pencil because this is not my 1st rodeo

Count me in. If possible I'd like to go at the same time as Math Geek. Like I said before, we can go on my dime too. Not sure how much estuary management background the shrimpers, crabbers, and locals Of Cameron parish have but I'm sure they will have some very strong opinions. Smalls, would love for you to jump in too.

[Smalls]

Originally Posted by Natural Light Kid

Count me in. If possible I'd like to go at the same time as Math Geek. Like I said before, we can go on my dime too. Not sure how much estuary management background the shrimpers, crabbers, and locals Of Cameron parish have but I'm sure they will have some very strong opinions. Smalls, would love for you to jump in too.

You wanna do it, put it together. I'm down.

[Natural Light Kid]

Originally Posted by Smalls

You wanna do it, put it together. I'm down.

Mr. W, it's up to you now my brother to put this together. please keep in mind most of us do work during the week. If necessary though, it's worth a vacation day to me. Keep us posted. Thanks

[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by Natural Light Kid

Count me in. If possible I'd like to go at the same time as Math Geek. Like I said before, we can go on my dime too. Not sure how much estuary management background the shrimpers, crabbers, and locals Of Cameron parish have but I'm sure they will have some very strong opinions. Smalls, would love for you to jump in too.

I'm stuck in Baton Rouge or travelling on business until late May. Take W up on his offer as soon as you can, then stop by and shoot the breeze with me when we're in town for the creel surveys in late May/early June or come and tell fish stories at the Tourney. When we're in LC in May/June, we're at the boat ramps doing creel surveys on the prime time days (weekends), so we'll do most of our fishing during the week.

You're also welcome to join us any time surf fishing. We'll be hitting Holly and/or Rutherford often this Summer. PM me and we'll swap numbers, etc.

[SULPHITE]

Irony at its best here folks....

The political and finacial backing of whatever sprouts from this endeavor will most likely come from....











*gasp*

Office Fisherman!!!


Don't bite the hand that feeds....

["W"]

MathGeek next time your around I'm kidnapping you for the day.. me and you have some ground to cover so keep in mind to leave free at least one day or half day when you come

[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by "W"

MathGeek next time your around I'm kidnapping you for the day.. me and you have some ground to cover so keep in mind to leave free at least one day or half day when you come

Check your PMs.

[noodle creek]

I understand, just confused on whether or not managing a marsh so that it doesn't erode and managing the same marsh for awesome duck habitat can coinside. Seems like there would need to be a little bit of salt water in the marsh. Is there a way to get saltwater to eastern side of the marsh, where everything is growing in, without having too much saltwater in the front of the marsh?

[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by noodle creek

I understand, just confused on whether or not managing a marsh so that it doesn't erode and managing the same marsh for awesome duck habitat can coinside. Seems like there would need to be a little bit of salt water in the marsh. Is there a way to get saltwater to eastern side of the marsh, where everything is growing in, without having too much saltwater in the front of the marsh?

It depends on where exactly you mean. There's a lot of land back there. If you open the weirs more, you introduce the most salt closer to the weirs, and the salt decreases the further away from the weirs you get, so by the time you've got "just the right amount" of salt for your favorite marsh veg mix 3 miles away, you have too much salt at most points closer to the weirs.

Also consider the make-up of that marsh. Everyone wants their hunting spot to have perfect conditions. The eastern edge along 27, S of the ICWW had great duck conditions last fall and winter. We saw beaucoup ducks every time we drove 27 in the fall and winter. Sorry you missed them. Of course, we were fishing, heading back and forth to the jetties and beaches chasing bull reds. Getting permission to hunt closer to 27 might be easier than raising salinity in the spot you currently have access to.

If you want to raise the salinities closer to the ICWW, there are times when it has a bit of salt, though the salinity decreases quickly as you move toward Mermentau and away from the Calcasieu locks. In the area that moves SE, you can have salinities up to 20 ppt at times. Transfering that water into the marsh at the right times would increase salinities in the adjacent areas. (This is a scientific fact, it may not be a political possibility. The USACE and NWR peeps might have issues.) Once you get to the E-W stretch, salinity is much lower most of the time.

But I think the gradients in salinity and vegetation between the lake and 27 are OK. There is probably too much open water as a percentage of the overall land area. (See the attached photo). I don't think the science is on your side thinking you need more open water.