| Bayou Dularge 2000 Reports |
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| 12/11/00 Had the irrepressible Philvis Ruth out to Paw Paw's Camp on Bayou Dularge for the weekend. We were joined by John "Ten Percenter" McQueen and Paul Wegmann and we didn't wet a line until Saturday afternoon. Not much happening in Bayou Dufresne, so we took advantage of the favorable wind conditions to fish in Sister Lake. The trout were sporadic around the islands and cuts in the lake, but we still managed to put about 50 nice specks in the ice chest for supper. The topwater bite turned on at twilight, and under a spectacular sunset, we put the last 5 fish in the boat (2.5lb and up). A 20.5 inch speck won the biggest speck rodeo, and ensured me a trip through McQueens tackle box for a rodeo prize (Chartreuse Top-Dog). I can confirm the otter sightings on Bayou Dularge, as there was a troupe of the gregarious little animals patrolling the Bayou all night. Sunday morning, Capt. Bill Lake picked us up at the camp and took us on a fishing tour of Sister Lake and the North Bayou Seveur areas. The schoolie trout were present at just about every stop we made, and although we were not keeping any 12-13 inch fish, we proceeded to fill an 80 quart Igloo. Final tally was 88 specks on Sunday (14-17inches). As always it was a pleasure to fish with Capt. Bill, and I continued to stock the Bayou Dularge fishing database with his instructions. Sent Philvis home on the 6:20 to Austin, Tx with ten minutes to spare and a 10lb sack of speck filets. All in all it was a fantastic weekend DOWN IN DULARGE!! 11/26/00 Spent a wonderful weekend down at Paw Paw's camp in Dularge from Thurs to Sun. It was the second trip down for Claire Ryan, who is now all of 6 weeks old, and I was also accompanied by my wife Sophia. "The Infamous" Coogan and I hunted ducks in a big lagoon near Bayou Dularge on Friday morning and killed 6, which Sophia and Nicole stuffed with sausage for lunch. The wind howled Friday afternoon and we bided our time in front of the fire, having been joined by John "Ten Percenter" McQueen, who was fresh from catching his limit of speckled trout in Lake Decade. THe wind was so high Friday that we found our decoys scattered all over the pond. Saturday morning we hunted again, but very few ducks were flying. Shot one teal and then off we went in search of the specks. We found them in a dead end canal way back in the marsh. I guess the water temperature is cold enought to start stacking the fish up in deeper spots. The specks were caught on plastic, both under a cork and tightlined. We caught a few on topwaters, but the strikes were difficult to coax. We left the fish biting and returned with James "El Cunado" Yockey and Nicole, and continued to mop up until dark - I guess we had about 60-70 fish between us. While I had to leave early Sunday for work, Coogan, Nicole, James and Zi picked up a few more fish Sunday morning. THe winter patterns are setting up, and this is the best time of year to get in your marsh fishing. No bugs, no heat, and stacked up fish. Catchem Up! Ike 11-04-00 Spent this weekend at the camp in Dularge, and it was the best birthday weekend I've ever had. Special guests were Mrs. Ryan and my new daughter Claire, enjoying her first trip to the camp at 2 weeks old! Saturday morning (my b-day), "The Infamous" Coogan and I hit "the beach" and first cast, a bull redfish inhaled "Mr. Lucky," my veteran Mullet Top Dog, Jr. The sun was just coming up as Coogan lifted the 20lb redfish over the gunwale of our little jonboat. A quick look and he was released to fight another day. We continued trolling through what was a big school of mullet and picked up about 20 big trout 2-3lb, all on topwaters. We also caught several smaller reds that were perfect for the grill along the bank of Bayou Seveur. Back at home it was redfish on the half-shell and twice baked potatoes and birthday cake. LSU won and I was starting to think I was living in a beer commercial - just don't get any better. BUT, Sunday was even better as we hit the same spot and Coogan put two 4 pound trout in the boat, along with another two dozen 2-3lb fish. Followed up with 3 bull reds that morning (all 15 pounders and released). Coogan lost a couple of bigger reds (and almost all his Top Dog lures) because of a drag sticking on his reel. For lunch, we had AYCE fried softshell crabs and watched the Saints dismantle the 49ers on the screened porch of the camp. One of the best weekends I've ever had! 10/14/00 On Saturday, I fished the Dularge area with "Mr. Reliable", Robert Baird. We were on the water early in Sister lake, and the conditions looked perfect. We had trouble finding a school of keeper trout, however, and spent the first two hours moving from school to school with dozens of throw backs and only 6 keeper fish in the boat. We did find a big school of finger mullet near an oyster reef in Sister Lake, but the big trout were not there either. At about 10:30, the wind came up a bit and pushed us out of the lakes. We ended up in the bayous and ponds where we caught a bunch of black drum on shrimp. THe drum and redfish were not hitting our plastics and gold spoons, but it was one after the other with the dead shrimp. Get on em early! I have an invite to chase tuna tomorrow, so I'll let y'all know what happens. . . 8/19/00 We had a work detail this weekend down in Dularge. Much to Paw Paw's chagrin, "The Infamous" Coogan Ryan, John "10%er" McQueen and myself snuck off on Saturday morning for a quick trip to the picketts. THe action was pretty slow, but we did manage about 20 nice specks between there and Pelican Island. When we got back to the camp, Paw Paw had a SERIOUS work schedule of cutting brush and stacking lumber planned. Gallons of water and a 1/2 acre of solid marsh later, we retired for the night. At least we feasted like kings on fresh speckled trout, shrimp etouffe, and "drunken chickens." On the way in, it was like preparation for D-Day at the landing, with all the shrimpers gearing up for opening day today. 7/15/00 Weekend trip to Bayou Dularge with my esposa Sophia and John "Cool Hand" McQueen. Unfortunately, our hopes for that murderous west wind to die down were unfulfilled. We picked around Sister Lake and Bayou Savarin with little success. On Sunday Morning. McQueen put two nice reds and a 4lb trout in the boat on Topwater baits, fishing in Sister Lake. I was like the "Gang who Couldn't Shoot Straight", and had several gear casualties, including the trolling motor. (Foster?? Got a good deal on 12v? bow mount?). Sunday afternoon we made a quick trip to Grand Pass to catch a few Black Drum known to frequent that area. We caught and released two before the heat drove us back to the AC oasis. It was a pleasant trip on the bayou. Watch out for the heat. Ike. 7/2/00 Couldn't keep from making the Saturday trip to the camp on Bayou Dularge. T-Storms were following me around all weekend, but I did manage to find a few fish in Sister Lake. Thanks to Bill Lake for telling me a couple of his Sister Lake spots, as I got into the big specks while trolling the shorelines and working my Top Dog, Jr. If there is a better topwater bait than the Top Dog, I haven't seen it. I caught one over 5lb. and two at 4lb., a few mixed in at 1.5lb-2.5lb. The big trout smashed the lure on the first twitch and made an explosion like you'd find if you threw a cinder block in the water from 10 feet up. Sunday AM made a trip to Pelical Pass and caught 5 keepers on the first 5 casts. BUT, looming T-storms marching all around sent me running for cover. Trust me, a few fish are not losing one's life over, so watch out for lightning. It was a great trip, and I now find myself walking the Top Dog in my sleep! 6/19/00 Spent the whole weekend at Paw Paw's camp down on DuLarge. Also present were "Eazy" Ed Baumann, John "10%er" McQueen, and "The Infamous" Coogan. McQueen met us out there with a few reds and specks he caught in Bayou Savarin on Fri Nite. Sat morning we went down to the coast to fish the mouth of GBDL, but found the H2O murky. Picked up 10 small trout. The Gulf was a little rough for our 12 & 14 foot Jonboats, so we headed across Sister lake to Savarin and picked up a few more trout and reds, along with a couple sheepheads. McQueen had to leave Sat, but we made an afternoon trip to the duck ponds for 2 reds, a drum (on top dog) and a few nice specks hanging around the mouth of the pond. Sunday Morning went to Pelican Pass, breezy and muddy. King Lake: Nada. Lake Mechant: Lots of schoolie specks - (too much measuring). So to close out the trip we joined the Flatboat Flotilla at Grand Pass and got in on the Bull Drum Rodeo that was underway. Several hookups, one 20lb black drum caught by Ed (released). It looked like there were a lot of drum being caught, most of which were being released. Although we did not slam the fish, we kept after them, and by the end of the weekend we had a nice "mess" of filets. Side Note: It was hot out there, and our beer consumption was elevated - plan accordingly. Good company, and "How bout them Tigers!" Ike. 2/19/00 This Saturday found Mr. Robert Baird (AKA "Wes") and myself in the waters of Bayou Dularge. We planned to spend the day dusting off a few cold ones and taking advantage of the nice weather we've had lately. Unfortunately, the winds were a bit high and trout were not in their usual attendance. We fished numerous spots in Sister Lake and Bayou Saveur, stopping everywhere from open water to dead end canals. Only managed 7 keeper specks and 2 reds. At the end of the day we fished a bank protected by the wind and managed to get some explosive strikes on the Top Dog Jr. (nettted a couple 3 lb. specks). Highlight of the day was Mr. Baird's proclivity for consuming only the freshest oysters. To some, snagging an oyster is not a bad thing, especially when one has a large screwdriver and a 12 pack of Bud on board. Wes then took a siesta in the bottom of the boat as we headed in. All in all, a springlike day on the water. 2/06/00 Eskimo anglers Paul Wegmann and Stewart Abercrombie, as well as 'the infamous' Coogan Ryan and myself fished out of Bayou Dularge with Capt. Bill Lake on Sunday. We had been having trouble locating the wintertime specks in Lake Mechant (our usual spot) so we made a call to Capt. Lake to take us on a tour of the Sister Lake side of Bayou Dularge. We were not disappointed. Although the water was the lowest I had seen in 10 years, Capt. Lake had a couple sweet spots in mind for just such conditions. It was near freezing that morning, and the low water and cold temperatures had the redfish stacked up in some deep canals in the marsh. The fish were
relatively sluggish, however, and you almost had to
aggravate them to coax a bite. We worked cocahoe tail
plastics slow along the bottom and caught reds
consistently throughout the morning. It was a blast
hauling them in through the clear water, their bronze
scales flashing in the morning sunlight. We must
have gone through 50-60 fish before arriving at our 25
keepers. THe |
