Fishin the lower Red River

[CatFreak]

Hello all fellow fishermen! Im obviously new to the site but an avid Cat fisher that is relieved to have found this website. I sometimes feel like a Freak cause I love to fish for big wiskers more than any other fish. See, I live in south LA (Lafayette Area), and all my friends go saltwater fishing or bass fishin..YUK. I have a 19' Fishmaster that is normally a Bay boat but I put it in the Rivers and lakes.

ANYWAY..enough about me and my tiny world............Lets talk Catfish!

Me and my son went to the Red River Near Alexandria Sunday and caught 15 nice size Blues and an Op. My profile pic is from this trip. We used live Perch and cut bait. Mainly early in the morning till around 10:00 AM. THen it came to a HALT! We tried a few hours after that but the luv bugs got so bad we couldnt breathe so we shagged tail.

Are there any local Catfish Tournaments that you know of?

I look forward from meeting all of you and learning from you MASTERS! Believe me, I need all the help I can get!

[Katfishing Cajun]

Welcome to the B.O.C. Mark, there's tons of info on here and everyone on here very helpful!!! As for tournaments, I haven't heard of any around here. I think around the upper Red they might have tournaments?? Nice catch!! Good to know someone that fishes the Red down here! I might have some questions for you down the road!! Anyway good luck fishing!!!:cool2:

[CatFreak]

Nice to hear from ya and thanks for the welcome. It sure is ggod to know Im not the only one down here that likes to Catfish. As far as questions, feel free but I warn you......I dont have a clue what Im doin. I just throw the line out there and the fish grabs it.

[CatFreak]

Well news for me, its against federal law to use bream in Lousiana to catch fish. Well Im learnin, at least I learned without a citation.........I guess Ill move to plan B! THanks for the Info!

[Katfishing Cajun]

Mark, where did you read or hear this? If thats true it must be just on federal owned lakes or lands???

[aaron]

welcome to the boc!
i fish the lower red as well mark
we mainly bank fish at L&D #1

i was told by wildlife n fisheries that you can use bream for bait as long as they were caught on a pole and not a trap

aaron

[wareagle]

Well news for me, its against federal law to use bream in Lousiana to catch fish. Well Im learnin, at least I learned without a citation.........I guess Ill move to plan B! THanks for the Info!

never heard of that.:confused2:

[CatFreak]

I was told by a co-worker.....which I never trust cause the rumor mill can get ya on a course of destruction.........so I call the LA department of Wildlife and Fisheries.....spoke to a enforcement agent.

I said the same thing, If I catch it on a pole its fair game to use as a bait, no traps or nets. He said no, bream are considered a game fish and you cant use game fish for bait.

Now what have I started.:ooooh:

[catgetter1]

I was told by a co-worker.....which I never trust cause the rumor mill can get ya on a course of destruction.........so I call the LA department of Wildlife and Fisheries.....spoke to a enforcement agent.

I said the same thing, If I catch it on a pole its fair game to use as a bait, no traps or nets. He said no, bream are considered a game fish and you cant use game fish for bait.

Now what have I started.:ooooh:
Reckon ya started alotta questions,.........I've always heard that as long as they were caught on a pole they cud be used as bait........Jeepers. that would eliminate half the bait the kittie kat fisherpeople (politically correct), and us Red River Rednecks cud use.........Any hows welcome ta the BOC, I knows we'll get ta the bottom of this....Good fishin to ya..........

[CatFreak]

Reckon ya started alotta questions,.........I've always heard that as long as they were caught on a pole they cud be used as bait........Jeepers. that would eliminate half the bait the kittie kat fisherpeople (politically correct), and us Red River Rednecks cud use.........Any hows welcome ta the BOC, I knows we'll get ta the bottom of this....Good fishin to ya..........


I hope I didnt stir the hornets nest......lets all just let it go back to sleep..:embarassed:

[mullyden]

Welcome Catfreak. Looks like you're really starting out great with those pics. We fish the Mississippi around Baton Rouge. If you look at some of our earlier posts we had a great spring, but things pretty much shut down in June. Hopefully they'll pick back up when things cool off. Keep tear'in em up!!!:big_smile_2:

[CatFreak]

THanks Mully,

I saw some of yalls post saying it was bad in the MIss. Ive never fished there but would love to fish there and the three rivers area. Maybe you can hook me up on where to go and good boat landings.....cause I dont have a clue.

Mark

[StuBone278]

What about fishing the Atchafalaya basin for those big cats? I've always known people to take HUGE flatheads outta there, but where do you get them?!? :confused2:

[CatFreak]

StuBone........I just heard from a friend of mine that they caught a 45 lb flathead 10 miles south of Lake Fause Point State Park in the basin. He caught it on cut bait......Mullet. The water is low now and gettin lower so I cant get in there with my big boat.

Mark

[aaron]

from LADWF web site

Minnows, crawfish, shrimp and other legal bait species, not including game fish, may be taken with legal cast nets, minnow traps, dip nets and bait seines when taken in compliance with all other laws. Legal bait species may be taken with bait seines with a maximum mesh size not exceeding one-quarter inch mesh bar,
one-half inch mesh stretched and thirty feet in length. Bait seines must be operated on foot and solely by hand, without any pulley, mechanical device or mechanical assistance whatsoever. Dip nets may not exceed three feet in diameter and must be operated solely by hand, by no more than one person and
without any mechanical assistance whatsoever.
Bream (Lepomis spp.) may not be taken as bait for sportfishing purposes in any form of trap except at Toledo Bend Reservoir, where a minnow trap not exceeding 24 inches in length and having a throat no larger than one inch by three inches may be used to take bream for non-commercial bait purposes

i didnt see anything about not useing bream for bait just restrictions on how you catch them

aaron

[CatFreak]

THanks AAron, I cant wait to get back out there.

[thenightstalker]

bream "bluegill" i used them everytime i went out to the water. i was checked several times by the game wardens and i never had a problem. i fished the sabine river, anacoco and vernon lakes, anacoco creek, and i fished there in cameron by the ferry. i caught alot of blues on the gills, but no flatheads. cut mullet was the most productive for the flatheads down there. here, live sucker works the best for the monsters. i am pretty sure that there isnt any sucker in that part of the world. also, yellow bass "barfish" sure did work well too. the problem with louisiana is that there are too many gar.