132 Louisiana Sportsman^ | April 2015
Small-boat CocodrieDoubles are common when the early
summer trout run takes place in lower
Terrebonne. PAGE 132: Good numbers
of trout swarm nearshore islands and
reefs east of the Houma Navigational
Canal (HNC).Fish considered trophies by most largely elude anglers, but
fast, often frenzied action awaits those who roam the waters
south of Cocodrie.
The catch for many is that it’s no place for the faint of heart
when it comes to accessing much of the fishing grounds.
Temperate forecasts often bring calm conditions, but the risk
of squalls or — gasp! — missed predictions often keep anglers
from venturing into the vast expanse of Terrebonne Bay, Lake
Pelto and other big water in the area.
Fortunately, there are alternatives —at least in late spring/
early summer.
Safe, productive fishing areas are available to those lacking
the vessel or the fortitude to tackle the big water. It’s not com-
pletely without bumps, but if anglers and their rigs can handle
a few miles of open water, the Terrebonne’s bounty is within
safe reach.
Capt. Olden Rodrigue of Coastal Fishing Charters (985-856-
6494) has been fishing the Terrebonne estuary for as long as he
has been able to hold a fishing rod in his hand. And the area
east of the Houma Navigational Canal — or the “Ship Channel,”
as it’s also known — holds a special place in his heart, if for no
other reason than that it’s generally not peppered with anglersas much as those areas to the west of the HNC.
“You can literally go an entire day and hardly see any boats,”
Rodrigue said. “It’s a whole different environment than over
toward DuLarge and Lake Pelto.
Rodrigue enjoys having almost free reign in plying the pro-
tected islands and reefs on the edge of Lake Barre, Lake Felicity
and generally everything east of Seabreeze Point as one exits
Bayou Terrebonne.
He said it’s more productive innto May and June — less so
when the weather gets consistently blazing and the shrimp
move out, but he frequently checks it out well into July.
“I’ll go wherever there are fish being caught, but having the
option to pretty much fish where you want to is pretty nice,”
Rodrigue said. “You don’t have to wonder if your next spot is
going to have too many boats to fish it.”
Rodrigue mentioned Old Lady Lake, Lake Tambour and
Bishop’s Point as good spots that are accessible without even
crossing open water, as long as the operator is open to a some-
what circuitous route.
“It’s good and protected from an east or north wind,” said
Rodrique, who knows all about Terrebonne Bay’s open water
from making frequent runs across the big water to reach theSummertime speckled trout fishing
in lower Terrebonne Parish has long been
lauded as some of the most-consistent action in
terms of sheer numbers of fish.