What's going on this week. The Acadiana Fly Rodders hold their monthly meeting on Tuesday at 6:30pm at Grace Presbyterian Church Hall in Lafayette. Casting practice/instruction begins at 6:00pm. Guest speaker will be Jerome 'Zee' Zeringue, who will give a presentation on "Baby Tarpon Fishery in South Louisiana". CCA Felicianas Chapter has a meeting on Tuesday night at Cecil Graves Chevrolet in St. Francisville, with guest speakers David Creeson, Sam Barbera and others. On Thursday night, the Delta CCA Chapter holds their annual banquet at the Audubon Tea Room on Magazine St. in New Orleans. For CCA event details, check their website at www.ccalouisiana.org. CCA has added a Non-Motorized Division (kayaks, canoes, etc.) to their STAR tournament which kicks off at the end of this month. STAR Director Sam Barbera tells me that a fly fishing division is under consideration for 2009. Back to the calendar... on Saturday, Backpacker of Lafayette will do another Paddle Demo Day, this one at Lake Martin.

The Paddle Demo Day this past Saturday turned out to be quite an event, with roughly 200 folks showing up. Members of the Bayou Coast Kayak Fishing Club (including yours truly) were on hand to promote the alternative to fossil fuel boats and answer questions. We even got interviewed for this week's episode of Paradise Louisiana on Cox Cable. One question that came up was about the economics of kayak fishing versus boat fishing. Yesterday's trip to Grand Isle cost me about $35 in gas. Pulling my boat would've cost $57, and that's not counting the gas used by the boat. What I pay in boat insurance and trailer maintenance, I could buy a new kayak every year. Don't get me wrong... boats are still a good investment. Folks just need to ask how big of a boat they really need.

Thursday, May 1
May is now here and if the feature articles in this month's issue of Louisiana Sportsman magazine are any indication, it's time to get ready for speckled trout! Usually late April brings the word up the "Bayou Grapevine" that the first spawners - those big sow trout of several pounds - are hitting topwater in the lower bays, the larger lakes, and even in the surf. So far, the only decent reports have come from the Calcasieu area, and that's understandable considering the southeast and central coasts are influenced by the major rivers and freshwater influx. In fact, between low salinities and persistent winds (yet another cold front moving through this weekend), the trout reports have been few and far between. When conditions are right, specks are being caught. So are reds, and kayak anglers are finding them in the usual places - ponds and the shorelines of marsh bayous. Right now, best flies for reds are black or chartreuse charlies, gold or root beer spoon flies, crab or shrimp patterns, and poppers. In dirtier water, an orange Stu Apte Tarpon Fly gets their attention.

Also in the latest issue of Sportsman... My Fly Lines column deals with practical knots for your leaders, and some innovative techniques for learning how to tie these knots. There's an article by Glynn Harris on yellow bass fishing on Caney Lake. This is an excellent "fly species", I've had the most success using small clousers. Todd Masson has a roundup of outdoors and conservation bills filed in the legislative session, including an entire article dedicated to Senate Bills 292 and 293 by Senator Joe McPherson. These bills would clarify pertinent state law to legitimize sport fishing on navigable waters. Currently the status of recreational fishing on navigable waters is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, based on a Louisiana case. It boils down to interpretation of state law, and McPherson hopes these bills would again provide public access to navigable waters. Two other bills being followed closely by sportsmen are SB18 and HB649, both of which would dedicate 1/20 of 1-percent of state sales tax to the LDWF Conservation Fund, ie., providing Wildlife and Fisheries approximately $40 million in supplemental funding each year. SB18, filed by Senator John Alario, passed overwhelmingly out of the Senate Finance Committee and is now pending final passage on the Senate floor. If passed as expected, it would then head to the House for approval.

The Corps has begun closing Bonnet Carre. Only 10 of the 350 bays that were open were closed yesterday, but the remaining bays should all be closed within the next couple of weeks. The Executive Director of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation was quoted as saying "Halleluah!", fearing concerns of summer algae blooms, fish kills and dead zones. So far, no kills reported. LPBF has a proposal to take out the Bonnet Carre levees near the lake, on both ends, to allow the river water to flood into adjoining Maurepas swamp and the LaBranche marsh. During spillway openings, nutrients and sediments would be filtered out in these ecosystems, benefitting them, and causing less environmental stress to the lake.

The Little Missouri is back! To normal generation, that is. Today Jeff Guerin noticed that the SWEPCO planned generation calls for none this weekend. Great news, especially considering that as of today, the Summer Catch-and-Release period begins. That means lots of hungry trout, now healthy and strong from prolonged generation, will give more than just one flyrodder an opportunity to enjoy them!

Wednesday, April 30
A new strategy for Lake Iatt hydrilla was announced yesterday by the LA Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. This reservoir north of Alexandria was once one of my favorite fishing spots for bass, sacalait and big bream. But not in recent years. Hydrilla has infested the lake, and is even found in waters up to 8 feet deep. For awhile, there were lots of small fish, and hard to find in the near-gin clear water. Now after several less-than-successful attempts with drawdowns, LDWF is going nuclear! The latest plan calls for a summer drawdown followed by a stocking of triploid grass carp after the water level returns to normal. The good news is that game fish populations have increased, and if nutrients tied up in the grass are released, there should be an increase in aquatic production and fish sizes. The bad news is that fishing on Iatt will be closed for the duration of the summer drawdown, beginning May 12 and ending October 6. I'm thinking next spring might be time to return and visit the "renewed" Iatt Lake.

This Saturday is the first of The Backpacker's 2008 Paddle Demo Days. This one will be held in Baton Rouge at the Baton Rouge Beach on Stanford Avenue from 10:00am to 3:00pm. I strongly advise going earlier rather than later, as there's a chance of rain Saturday afternoon. The Backpacker store in Lafayette will be conducting their demo day next Saturday at Lake Martin. Although I do business with Backpacker - we've known the Mathews family for a long time - in honesty I don't promote these events because of that relationship. What Backpacker does is a great service to the public. Believe me, no "googling" and forums surfing can give you any idea of what a particular paddlecraft is like until you put your butt into one ... on the water! Backpacker also has the largest selection of canoes and kayaks of any dealer in the state (including the exclusive dealership for Hobie) so you'll have at least a couple dozen boats to try. Having said that, I've pointed several friends over to Massey's (Covington, New Orleans) and Pack and Paddle (Lafayette) to try kayaks on a reservation-based demo system. Call up the store, make an appointment, and they'll let you demo up to three boats. P&P had the Native Watercraft on display at the Acadiana Fly Rodders Conclave a month ago, and it's certainly a boat worth consideration. If anyone knows of stores in Alexandria, Shreveport, or Monroe that do likewise, I'll be more than happy to point them out as well.

Monday, April 28
Happening this week... Tonight the Ouachita River Fly Fishers hold their monthly meeting at Jud Moore's home in Monroe at 7:00pm. Check their website for contact info. Also, the Red Stick Fly Fishers hold their monthly fly tying session at the Cabela's store in Gonzales, time is 7:00pm. This month's featured tyer is Dan Weber, who will demonstrate the "Grand Isle Clouser". Also starting tonight, a couple of CCA (Coastal Conservation Assocation) events worth noting. The Westside CCA Chapter holds a meeting at Addis Community Center, starting 5:30 for drinks and food, and 6:00pm meeting with guest speakers Capt. Greg Schlumbrecht and Capt Doug Blanchard. Schlumbrecht is a Ponchartrain guide and probably will field lots of questions about what's going on with the Bonnet Carre opening. Tuesday night, the Ascension CCA holds a chapter meeting at Ascension Marine in Gonzales at 6:00pm. Discussion will include the upcoming STAR tournament. For info on CCA events, contact (225) 952-9200 or their website at www.ccalouisiana.com. On Thursday, the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission holds their monthly meeting in Baton Rouge at 9:30am. As always, the May meeting is the one that sets the opening of the inshore shrimp season. More on that later. On Saturday, the Backpacker store in Baton Rouge will hold their "Paddle Demo Day" off Stanford Avenue on University Lake in Baton Rouge. I tell folks who are interested in a paddlecraft that this event is probably the best opportunity to try a boat they might be interested in, as Backpacker carries one of the largest selections in the state.

Shrimping season is near. If you subscribe to Cormier's 2nd Law of Flyfishing, i.e., "Clear water favors the flyfisher", then you know that - historically - please note that keyword - the opening of the spring season pretty much ruled out most trips to the coast for 3-4 weeks as trawling stirred up water bottoms. The exceptions have been those areas inside Wildlife Management Areas where shrimping is not allowed. Even then, strong tides and winds move dirty water to just about any part of the marsh, and most years it was a wasted trip. Notice I said "historically". The repercussions of Katrina, combined with high diesel fuel prices, have severely cut back on the amount of trawling, such that last season I saw NO shrimp boats in one of my favorite coastal lakes just 2 weeks after the season opened. I suspect they weren't interested in catching the 50-60 count shrimp there, not when there are many better spots with bigger shrimp that get higher return for expenses incurred. Ironically, lack of trawling doesn't help flyrodders either, because so many shrimp were in this lake they didn't have much of an apetite for flies.

Economic good news and bad. The good news is that today the federal government mails out those tax rebate checks, up to a maximum of $1500 per family. Most flyrodders I spoke to had hopes of buying a new fly rod, accessory, tying vise, or kayak or canoe. The money may end up going for gas instead. This morning's news had the President of OPEC speculating that oil will rise to $200 a barrel later this year. That would translate to $7 a gallon for gas! Now, some economists reacted by saying this wouldn't happen because market forces would initiate more production, and stabilize prices. Others believed this could happen, since some of the sources for increased production, the Orinoco tar sands in Venezuela and the Athabasca tar sands in Canada, while they each have larger reserves than Saudi Arabia, face problems. Venezuala has nationalized their oil reserves (so has Mexico, Russia, and Brazil), and Canada has strict environmental requirements. High gas prices impact fishing more than any other sport. Boats use gas, pulling a boat uses much more gas for a vehicle. Flyfishers are also a traveling lot... we like to go to a wide variety of places to fish. Or to conclave. Already the high price of gas is forcing several folks from Missouri, Kansas, North Carolina, and Colorado to cancel their plans to attend the GCC Conclave in three weeks. I expect if gas prices continue to go up some fall shows are going to take a really big hit.

Thursday, April 24
Finally... great fishing! The warm weather has really kicked up action for a variety of species. Until this past week, there had been some good reports, but just not to the consistency and geographic range as we're seeing now. Just about every lake in Louisiana, save those directly affected by major rivers, has good to excellent bream activity. Spoke to someone at Tunk's and they reported bull redears, aka chickapin, now biting near the grass flats on south side of Kincaid. Dubisson Lake is clearing up and some sacalait catches reported there. Bass action at False River has been excellent at the north end, where all the fish were dumped this spring following tournaments. I read two reports from this past week where yak anglers caught nice specks - up to 22" - on the north shore of Ponchartrain... on topwater! Yesterday I spoke to someone at Carmadelles' Bait Shop at Grand Isle, and they confirmed the specks are in the back bays and lakes, and even some surf action. Today's Morning Advocate outdoors report stated that "redfish are in every pond and lake" and a couple of reports from last weekend confirm the shrimp are in the grass, and so are the reds, drum, and sheepshead. I've often said that April is one of the three best months of the year for marsh fishing. We're a little late due to this crazy weather we've had, but better late than never!

Monday, April 21
What's happening this week. Not much, which means it's time to GO FISHING! Some good bream reports, first sign of caterpillars, and three excellent marsh trip reports, including Ron Begnaud's post. On Tuesday night, it's the annual Bass Life Associates Banquet at the Shreveport Convention Center. For more info, contact Dudley Beene at 318-636-1455. On Thursday night, the New Orleans Fly Fishers hold their monthly meeting at the Whitney Bank Building, 1441 Metairie Road at 7:00pm. (Perhaps some discussion of cichlid fishing?) The meeting is open to the public. Friday kicks off the Red Stick Fly Fishers' annual spring weekend outing at Lake Concordia.

No New Fly Fisher this week. I didn't inquire about it, but my guess is that LPB is dropping the series in lieu of the fact that NFF is being picked up by Fox Sports Net.

Friday, April 18
Status on the Bonnet Carre. As of noon today, it was reported the dirty river water had reached the southern end of the Causeway. Nearly a third of the 350 spillway bays are now open. Today's Times Picayune reported excellent fishing for specks and reds ahead of the river plume, as fish move east.

Other fishing reports... in large part the coast has been off due either to (a) strong winds (b) dirty water from major rivers or (c) both. The good news is that freshwater fishing is getting hot. Best spots: Southeast, Caernavorn, Cataouche, and Des Allemands. Northeast, Poverty Point and Lake Bruin. Northwest, Cross Lake for redears and white perch, bass at Grand Bayou. Central, lakes Concordia, St John, Cane River, Kistachie, Cotile, Indian Creek for bass and bream. Southwest: Anacoco white perch, Bundicks redears. As Pete Cooper noted in his fishing report, some of the CenLA streams are fishing very well for spotted bass. Puddlers are also doing well for bass at the LSU Lakes in Baton Rouge. This weekend looks to be a close repeat of the last one: a strong front will bring rain today, followed by sunny skies, northwest winds and chilly temperatures through Monday.

The April issue of Louisiana Conservationist arrived in my mailbox last night, and one of the feature articles was by our good friend Roger Stouff (author of "Native Waters", "Chasing Thunderbirds" and co-publisher/contributor for the e-zine "Far and Away"). Roger's article is entitled "Grand Avoille Cove: Louisiana's Timeless Jewel". This hidden lake of the Atchafalaya Basin was a sacred burial ground for the Chitimacha People, and in the last century, a prime fishing water. Loads of bull bream and big bass. Sad to read that it's suffering from sediment deposition like many other parts of the basin, and that in summer it's now a shallow, fishless body. Some of the magic is still there though... check it out at your nearest library.

Tuesday, April 15
A friend and brethren of the fly has passed. Tom Jindra informed me last night that Earl Rose, a founding member of the New Orleans Fly Fishers, died on Thursday and was buried yesterday. About seven years ago a tumor was removed from Earl's eyelid. The cancer came back quite suddenly. This came as a shock... I saw Earl a few weeks back and he appeared healthy and in good spirits. Ask the many folks who knew Earl and they'll tell you stories of his dedication to the sport. Case in point.. just about any event relative to fly fishing, in the South and even at the FFF National Conclave, and you'd likely run into Earl. After all, he was the one who told me long ago that "in this sport, you never stop learning". Earl was also a strong voice for conservation. During the legislative committee hearings for banning gill nets, Earl and Bill Rowell showed up to lend their support, and I recall Earl standing his ground in a verbal argument with an abusive commercial. He was a spirited gentlemen who especially loved his trout fishing, and we shall miss him greatly.

It's war on Bistineau's giant salvania. According to the Shreveport Times, LDWF is sending seventeen crews from around the state to spray portions of the lake in an attempt to destroy vast expanses of the weed. Funding comes from a portion of the $6.4 million allocated in last year's budget to combat aquatic weed problems statewide. Despite one headline claiming it to be "poisonous", the truth is salvania is just a nuisance weed. This floating plant (like hyacinth) does it's damage by spreading so quickly that it covers entire sections of water, cutting off sunlight and photosynthesis beneath, thus creating poor conditions for fish and other aquatic animals. Not to mention issues it creates for boaters and waterfront property owners. On Bistineau, salvania now covers 4,500 acres of the 17,000 acre lake. According to LDWF's Andre LaFosse, treating it with chemicals is more timely and costly than treating other aquatic plants, and can cost up to $100 an acre. And the situation is getting worse... on two occasions recently I encountered salvania where I'd never seen it previously... Ford Park on Cross Lake in Shreveport, and at the ponds in Vermillionville Park in Lafayette. However, there is hope... the weed's only natural enemy, the salvania weevil. According to LaFosse, the weevil does quite a number, which is the reason why LDWF and LSU are working together on raising and propogating the bug.

Monday, April 14
A busy week coming up. Tonight the Red Stick Fly Fishers hold their April meeting in Baton Rouge at the LDWF building on Quail Drive. It's billed as a "Mini-Conclave", with casting instruction beginning at 6:00pm, and everything from fishing locations/maps, knots and tackle, and more starting 7:00pm. There will also be some discussion and updates on the RSFF big trip to Lake Concordia, coming up in two weeks. Tuesday night, the Contraband Fly Casters and the North Louisiana Fly Fishers hold their monthly meetings. CFC meets in Room 200 of Kirkman Hall on the McNeese campus in Lake Charles. Fly tying begins at 6:00pm with the regular meeting at 7:00pm. One of the items on agenda for this meeting is the annual fly tying material and hook swap, which also includes a lot of discussion about materials and hooks in general. NLFF meets at YMCA Camp Forbing in Shreveport. Time is 7:00pm. Mr. Gordon Shaw is guest speaker this month. Also, Tuesday is Tax Day. Get those taxes done now, so you won't miss any of these club meetings (they are open to the public). On Wednesday, it's The New Fly Fisher on LPB 2, formerly LPB Plus (Cox Cable only) at 11:30am and 3:30pm. This week's episode is "Advanced Pike Tactics". On Wednesday night, the CCA's Bayou Chapter holds their annual banquet at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center in Houma, starting at 5:30pm. On Thursday night, the CCA East Jefferson Chapter holds their annual banquet at 2600 Edenborn Avenue in Metairie. For info on these banquets, contact the CCA Office at (225)952-9200. Also on Thursday evening, the New Orleans Fly Fishers hold another in their continuing fly tying series. The patterns will be the Go 2 Fly and Scud. For more details, contact Joe Bandera (504) 888-2149. This weekend, Friday thru Sunday, is "Becoming An Outdoors Woman" at Camp Grant Walker put on by Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries. Women interested in participating in this great experience should contact LDWF immediately about available spots (most years all 125 slots fill up in advance). On Saturday and Sunday, Backpacker will host "Johnson Pool Day" at their Lafayette store. Johnson Outdoors, makers of Ocean Kayak, Necky, and Old Town kayaks and canoes, setups up a huge pool for demo paddling. Check the LFF Calendar for times. Also on Saturday, the NLFF club will hold fly tying demos and instruction at the Bass Pro Shops in Bossier City. Time is noon to 4:00pm.

The Corps opened 46 more bays on the Bonnet Carre Spillway on Saturday, adding to the 38 that were opened on Friday. Heavy rains in the upper Mississippi River valley revised the projections for the flood crest and warranted opening of the additional gates. By contrast, in 1997 the Corps opened 298 of the possible 350 bays.

This latest surge of cold air and strong north winds, combined with high water levels almost everywhere, is delaying what normally is a great month for fly fishing, be it freshwater or the marsh. Even the dormant oxbow lakes, which aren't nearly effected by runoff as reservoirs and other freshwaters, are still running several degrees cooler than normal for this time of year, and bluegill spawning activity hasn't even started it's peak run (though some redear spawning has). I read on Joe Joslin's latest report on Toledo Bend that the lake really pushed up this past week and that had fish scattered. Also, a number of folks were anxious to hit the marsh this past weekend after hearing reports of the first runs of school trout in the lower bays, and brown shrimp showing up in the marsh ponds. It looks like a good opportunity may come towards the end of this week.

Thursday, April 10
Prediction came true! Today at 11:18am the Corps of Engineers announced that the Bonnet Carre Spillway will be opened on Friday for a period of 2 to 4 weeks. Not all the gates would be opened at this time, depending on how river levels fluctuate over the next couple of weeks.

All floodgates on Norfork Lake Dam in northern Arkansas are open as of 4am this morning. This photo taken by Mike Womack shows the amount of water pouring through - 43,000 cubic feet per second or roughly equivalent to 20 generators running. The Corps are also running the two hydroelectric generators 24x7, so add that to the mix. Louisiana flyrodders who frequent the Norfork and White Rivers might not recognize them; many areas are under water that have never seen river water, and it could get worse: the Corps expects to open all floodgates on the White by weekend. This is all necessitated by weeks of torrential rain in Arkansas and Missouri, and now aggravated by over 5 inches that has fallen this week alone. No word yet on what this all means for the trout fishery on these rivers.

Tuesday, April 8
No mo' Mo... for awhile! Jeff Guerin's latest update on his Little Missouri Fly Fishing website is bad news for the river's dry fly faithful. Normally March and April are prime months, but it looks as though the constant chain of storms has taken Greeson Lake up within a few feet of spillway pool! They've had all generators running, and even a gunter valve open. Jeff's got some pretty amazing photos on his "Latest". The last time the lake was this high, they generated non-stop 24x7 for four weeks. More bad news... National Weather Service is calling for a strong system to bring heavy rain over most of Oklahoma, east Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and north Mississippi over the next three days. It could well be the early part of May before the river is fishable again. The one bit of good news is that come May 1, the Summer Catch and Release season goes into effect, and there should be lots of healthy trout ready for flyrodders then.

Prediction: the Bonnet Carre will open. That's my prediction, and if it happens, we'll know by this weekend. There's been a lot of gloom and doom about what the spillway opening would do to Pontchartrain. Yes, fresh river water will move most of the saltwater species, including shrimp and crabs, out towards the Rigolets and Borgne. But that's not the big problem: there's more nitrogen that would pour from the river in six weeks than what normally enters the lake in one year. In 1997, excess nitrogen lead to significant blooms of blue-green algae over most of the lake, and subsequent hypoxia and fish kills. But just like with the Little Mo, there's that silver lining: shrimp production, and some even believe fish populations, reached peak highs during the 2-3 years that followed. The multitudes of freshwater fish that entered through the spillway found new homes in Highway 51 canals and the numerous tributaries to Maurepas and Pontchartrain. It's like they say - "no pain, no gain".

Monday, April 7
What's happening this week... Tuesday night the Lake Charles CCA Chapter holds a seminar at Lake Prien Park starting at 5:30pm. Meeting begins at 6:00pm. Cold drinks, food, fish stories, followed by guest speakers CCA Executive Director David Cresson, STAR Director Sam Barbera, LSU's Jody Callihan NOAA's Tim Osborn and several local guides on fishing tactics for Big Lake. For more info, call Chas Drost at (337) 540-0724 or CCA's Lara Ballard at (225) 952-9200. Wednesday it's The New Fly Fisher on LPB 2 (formerly LPB Plus). This week's episode is "Anatomy of a Fly Rod". Cameras go into the production facilities of several rod manufacturers and learn how a rod is made from start to finish. Set those DVD, VCR, DVR recorders or Tivo in the Baton Rouge area to Cox Cable Channel 11 or Cox Cable Channel 23 (depending on where you live) for either the 11:30am or 3:30pm episode. On Thursday night, the New Orleans Fly Fishers hold another in their continuing fly tying series. This session covers Prince Nymph (freshwater) and Pink Charlie (saltwater). For more details, contact Joe Bandera at 504-888-2149. Friday marks the 2008 Warmwater Rendezvous, hosted by the Ouachita River Fly Fishers of Monroe. Activities take place at Lake D'Arbonne State Park in Farmerville. Fishing, lodging, and cooking are available. For more details, contact Jud Moore at 318-396-4521.

What a great time at the AFR Conclave this past Saturday. I was surprised to see several outstanding fly tiers from Texas on hand, including Bill Sargeant, a master of deer hair, Diane and Richard Blair, Bill Heugel, and Fred Dupre. These folks and many more like them will be at the FFF Gulf Coast Expo (conclave) on May 16-17 in Lake Charles. Another familiar face to the club conclaves is that of Tom Jindra with TFO. Tom gave me a chance to try out several new rods (there's never enough time at a one-day deal to test them all). Dave Hayward with Orvis was there and we talked about their great new products - the Helios rod, the redesigned Superfine series, and the redesigned Large Arbor fly reels. Dave said the Orvis company store in Baton Rouge will probably open in early fall due to construction delays. I met many of our good friends there as well, including fellow writers Danny Wray, Pete Cooper and Roger Stouff. Danny gave a presentation on kayak fishing, and mentioned that March is one of the worst months for marsh fishing, but April is one of the best. "The shrimp have moved in, the reds are right behind them, and I expect the speckled trout action in the lakes and bays to bust open any day now". A few trout are even being caught in the surf.

Friday, April 4
Weather: bad today, good tomorrow. A line of severe storms associated with a strong cool front will move through Louisiana today. A tornado watch is in effect for most parishes across the state until 6:00pm. All this will give way to partly cloudy skies and cooler temperatures - and somewhat windy conditions - tomorrow. Nice weather though for taking in the Acadiana Fly Rodders Conclave in Lafayette, the Johnson Outdoors canoe and kayak demos at Backpacker in Baton Rouge, or the fly tying and casting demos at the Bass Pro store in Bossier City. Or just having a picnic in your backyard and eating boiled crawfish! It looks Sunday will be the better day for fishing this weekend. I did check up on some reports last night. Seems sacalait, aka white perch, are biting at Miller's Lake, Chicot, and Poverty Point. There's also some crappie action at Toledo Bend, but the lake has risen so fast - it's now at 173 feet, one foot above flood pool - that I doubt action will be good for bass and bream. Besides, the water there, like most north and central parishes lakes, is still a bit cool... mid to upper 60s. I've been waiting for bream action to get good on Cane River Lake and Lake Bruin, two of my old haunts. Further south and east the first signs of caterpillars are showing up in the Des Allemands area, where I'm told last weekend was pretty good with popping bugs.

Another of my old haunts for bream and google-eye is Cocodrie Lake near Lecompte. Jake and I fished it a few times in recent years, but it hasn't been much due to excessive vegetation. This past week LDWF began drawing the lake down five feet. It will be kept down for an extended period of time to allow crews to go in and chemically treat areas of the lake where the unexposed vegetation would be concentrated.

I received the latest CCA Louisiana newsletter yesterday, and there was some exciting news on this summer's STAR tournament.... the addition of a Kayak Division. Now I had read something about this on the Bayou Coast Kayak Fishing Club forum a few weeks back, but after hearing of the possibility of a fly fishing division a few years back, which never happened, I was going to wait for the official word from CCA. No details were given, but if the rest of the info I read on the BCKFC forum is correct, this division will be a one-day event, with the largest speck and largest flounder. What is confirmed is that the Grand Prize is a Flatstalker boat with a McClain Trailer donated by The Backpacker and Flatstalker Boats.

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