http://www.LouisianaSportsman.com April 2015 | Louisiana Sportsman 125
Mrs. Flores and I always make our first spring freshwater
fishing excursion to this particular area, fishing along the tree
edges in the northern part of the lake, before heading into
Bear Bayou.
We fish the base of trees, sloughs
that drain into the main bayous, and
any and all deadfalls we see. Clear to
slightly stained water seems to be most
productive for us.
And when the water is falling in the
Basin the fishing can be special.
Fishing in April isn’t like fishing in late
May and June — during the April bite
you pretty much can catch fish all day.
We’ve even found we were too early for
the morning bite.
It’s later in the spring and summer,
when temperatures reach into the high
80s and low 90s some days, when we
start thinking morning and evening
bite.
On this trip, my granddaughter’s big-
gest thrill might have come from the
hard-hitting smack and then pull of a
goggle-eye that we seemed to get into on our Basin trip.
I was doing my best to make good on his son’s guarantee,
and I knew I’d score high marks when this chubby bruiser got
into the boat — she’d just have to do her part and reel it in.
My wife and I always boat a few goggle-eye during our April
excursions. Their huge, red eyes give them a ferocious look
and their dark colors hide them quite well beneath the water
where they lurk, hiding to ambush prey.
The chunky fish always provide good tussles, and they make
great table fare.
Moreover, it just wouldn’t be a basin trip if one or two didn’t
make it into the ice chest.Beadle has several regions that are easy to get to with short
runs from local landings in Berwick and Morgan City.
“The north part of Duck Lake is usually a great place to fish,”
he said. “Guys should fish around the trees in the lake. There
are also some nice sprigs of grass and laydowns to fish.
“In American Lake, at times you can catch them. The mouth
of Bayou April and Bayou February where it drops into Bayou
Saul always has lots of boats pounding the chinquapins,
goggle-eyes and bass each spring.”
There’s also plenty of fishing outside the Basin in the Ste-
phensville area.
“Grassy Lake (on the Stephensville side of the Basin) has
some edges of tree lines that have some great chinquapin
fishing, but all around the lake is great,” Beadle said. “The
Cheramie off Grassy Lake is good, along with all of the canals
off the Cheramie. I have done well up in the northern part of
Lake Verrett.”
But timing is important, no matter what part of the Basin
system you choose.
“Don’t wait too long if you plan a trip there,” he said. “It can
be over in two to three weeks after it starts.”Where to go
When to go >>>Panfish success in the Atchafalaya means targeting
flooded cypress and tupelo trees, around which the
fish hold. TOP lefT: Locate just the right spot and
Atchafalaya Basin bream can stack up quickly.