Mississippi River near Baton Rouge - New Year (2008)

[mullyden]

Guys and Gals,
2007 was a really good fishing year. It started out super, skidded back a lot in June and the rest of the summer, but ended pretty strong. I look forward to another fruitful, fun and safe year in 2008. I'd like to be the first to post at least a 10 lb+ 2008 fish pic in the New Year but will be happy for whoever gets the opportunity. Go get em!!

:0a23:

[12pack]

Wow! It's been over 24 hours, and Denny has yet to tell everyone about our trip.

Yesterday Denny & I caught 34 blues with a total weight of 63lbs. I'll let Denny give you the extraneous information, and I'm sure he'll have a few pics to post as well.
:wink:

[bself]

Sounds like ya'll had a heck of a trip this past weekend. I am actually at a point that I can go this weekend. Denny give me a hollar if you are interested. I haven't been in about 6-7 months now. I am available both Saturday or sunday. Let me know.

[mullyden]

Jimmy let everyone know how we did on our 1st trip of 2008. They were biting pretty well and the weather and conditions were great. No problems getting in or out! Level at Baton Rouge was 15.3ft. Jimmy, just the facts here--except the first pic which is your first fish of 2008. That's probably the only extraneous info in this post. Jimmy's fish can be contrasted to my first fish (pic 2). The third pic is the result of the Saturday's effort. It was a really great time.:smile2:

[mullyden]

Too bad Conan isn't on line now. He's probably going through therapy now that Dallas got whipped. Stats said they sould have won the game. Guess Jessica is too much for Romo:crazy:

[mullyden]

Brad, I'd be happy to go. Jimmy, if for some reason you don't have the girls, you are welcome also. Don't know about the weather yet. I'll give you a buzz.

[12pack]

One thing’s for certain – I can only do better. It was a really good trip though, and a great way to start the year in catfishing. As for this weekend, I’m out as Allie’s 18th birthday is Saturday, and I’ll be conducting our first soccer practice for the spring season as well.

[StuBone278]

Guys and Gals,
I'd like to be the first to post at least a 10 lb+ 2008 fish pic in the New Year but will be happy for whoever gets the opportunity. Go get em!!

:0a23:


I'll have to take you up on that one!:big_smile:

[CrawDaddy]

Yes, Yes, I am still bit bit peaved about the Cowboys' loss on Sunday. I haven't been online since for fear of getting ragged about and my fears were well-founded!!!

Actually have just been extremely busy. Had a visit from the companies Regional manager Wednesday. Went GREAT!! Got rated a Top 3 store in the area (about 70 stores total). Had pictures taken of a few things he really liked in my store, that ended up in the hands of the area manager who is in charge of all of Texas. Those pics then got sent to all of the Texas region with a declaration that he wanted this results in all his stores :)

Regional Manager told me he had a heard a rumor that I was offered another job. He told me that I wasn't going anywhere because he wasn't going to let me go. Great leverage for me when it comes time for my annual raise :)

Other than that, just been working out like a beast!! Got down to 152 lbs, but now back on a muscle gain cycle. Wednesday's cardio workout was me pushing my wifes car 150 feet, taking a 60 second rest, repeating, 4 times!! Was pretty intense!!!

[Katfishing Cajun]

Hey Denny, question for you, what size and type weights do y'all use in the big river??????

[mullyden]

Katfishin:
We typically use 3 to 4 oz bank sinker above swivel, then ~18 inch leader, then 3/0 hook. Then the water is really high, you may need a little more weight to keep the bait down. We let the sinker slide up and down the line, stopped by the swivel. We used to use egg sinkers but I believe the bank ones are less likely to roll along the bottom. This rig is for fishing with worms. If we are trying for larger fish with cut bait, we'll use a larger hook and may have 8* oz to keep it down. "Slicker" seems to be the best. The real name is skipjack herring. It's kinda hard to get. I've used pogies and frozen sardines (@ academy) with some success also. We almost always fish with worms. You can still catch an occasional larger one which is lots of fun. Anything over about 8lb or so we release since we usually have plenty to eat. I have to admit, if the fishing is pretty slow on a day, the slot limit grows a little! Where about do you fish?

[12pack]

so I guess that means Brad & you blew off going today. Can't say I blame you.

:sad_2a:

[Katfishing Cajun]

Katfishin:
We typically use 3 to 4 oz bank sinker above swivel, then ~18 inch leader, then 3/0 hook. Then the water is really high, you may need a little more weight to keep the bait down. We let the sinker slide up and down the line, stopped by the swivel. We used to use egg sinkers but I believe the bank ones are less likely to roll along the bottom. This rig is for fishing with worms. If we are trying for larger fish with cut bait, we'll use a larger hook and may have 8* oz to keep it down. "Slicker" seems to be the best. The real name is skipjack herring. It's kinda hard to get. I've used pogies and frozen sardines (@ academy) with some success also. We almost always fish with worms. You can still catch an occasional larger one which is lots of fun. Anything over about 8lb or so we release since we usually have plenty to eat. I have to admit, if the fishing is pretty slow on a day, the slot limit grows a little! Where about do you fish?
I've been fishing Spanish lake and around the basin. But were fixing to start fishing the Atchafalaya river. There some giants and no one to go after them! We figure someone has to!LOL Thanks for the help. There's a bait shop for the craw-fishermen that sell gizzard and slickers(which I'm waiting on slicker's to stock up on)right down the road for really nothing. Thanks again Denny!!:big_smile::big_smile:

[mullyden]

Katfishin
Would appreciate you letting us know when the slicker is available and where you get it.:roll_eyes:
I bet you can get some bigguns down there. Be sure and post em.

[Katfishing Cajun]

You got it Denny, I'll check Monday to see if they started coming in yet!:cool2:

[mullyden]

We had a great day fishing today. We got held up for about an hour due to a barge in our way to launch, but other than that it was really fun. Weather started out at about freezing but the wind was not too bad so once we stopped, it was quite comfortable fishing. Brad and Matt, both LSU Vet students went out. Brad is an old timer without a lot of time to fish and this was Matt's first try with us on the river. We ended up with 51 fish weighing a total of 105 lb. The bite was pretty strong for the 4 hours we fished. We had 2 that weighed 4.5 lb and all were good eater size. Attached are a few pics from the trip.:smile2:

[CrawDaddy]

OK, first of all, that pic of Brad kissing a catfish just confirmed my suspicions of his Vet schooling!!! All those speeches of the catfishes reproductive system come to mind!!!!

And his buddy, oh come on, he isn't even out of High School yet, which confirms my other sick, disturbed, suspicions of Brad!!!! Dang Arkansas!!!

[mullyden]

We're gonna give it another shot in the morning. The river has risen about 4 ft in the last week. We're hoping for another good day.:smile2:

[mullyden]

Jimmy and I went out this morning. The water is about 4 foot higher than last week. We didn't do squat:sad2:. We caught 5 keepers and were so disappointed, let them go to get bigger. The water was pretty muddy and the current was pretty fast. We had lots of bites on tiny fish. We caught a bunch, but they were just stealing the bait. Better luck next time!
:byebye:

[12pack]

Denny, I checked out the Red River posts, and Shreveport Mike says, Everything I've been catching has been on artificial bait. I tie feathers onto treble hooks, and attach to a 3oz. weight.
http://www.catfish1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69097

What the heck is he talkin' about?

[mullyden]

I saw the post and forgot to mention that today. I've never heard of anyone consistently catching cats on a lure. Now if the hook is big enough, maybe one could get snagged. . . . . :what:Oh, well, they are some good fish.

[CrawDaddy]

All I know is that a 3oz weight where Denny fishes would never even get close to the bottom :)

[bself]

Well Denny sure hate to see that you didn't do very well this past weekend. I took my final test today and am getting ready for clinics. I may be available this Saturday to give it a shot depending on what time my folks head back to Arkansas. Anyways let me know what your plans are for this weekend.

[mullyden]

I'm not going to be able to go this weekend, because I need to help Mary babysit with the grandkids. Mike and his wife are going out of town for the weekend and it's gonna be a good time to spoil them. You're right though, about the crappy trip we had last week. I'm hoping it is the +4feet of water which is now down 4 ft. Hopefully that stirred things up and that is why anything very large did not bite. We had lots of little bites, and used a good amount of bait. Just no good fish. I think next trip will be good though. Another thing that may have contributed was the fact that the fuse holder feeding the electronics corroded and we lost the eye below the water. We couldn't tell for sure how deep the water was and so we might have been able to optimize a not too good fishing day. That last trip we had with Matt was a great one. I sure hope he got to see the fish pics and I think he enjoyed it. I know I did.
Congrats about now going to clinic. That is really good. I need for you to make another trip with me!! Kim is getting a French Bulldog. It won't be ready until the end of February. If you only do half the job you did with Arliss. . . . yea, right!
On any other weekend I'd be ready to go. Let me know when you can and we'll give it a shot. Take care.:big_smile:

[bself]

Let me know and I will make the trip with you if I can. I may be able to go the weekend after next or next sunday after we get off the cruise. I guess we will just have to wait and see though.

[mullyden]

Have a great time on the cruise. :smile2:

[catfish10101]

I'm sure you guys enjoyed that trip. May I ask why can a person not see pics until he has posted 10 or more times? It seems kinda trivial to me.

[mullyden]

Welcome Cat 10101 to the BOC. I don't know why the site requires the postings, but I assume it is to encourage posts. They can be pretty short. I see you are listed as Louisiana. What part of the state?
The BOC is a good site to share info, stories and lies. On more than 1 occasion, I was looking for info and searched to find what I needed.
We fish primarily on the Mississippi near Baton Rouge. Normally we do pretty well. It is a ball trying to catch'em anyway.
Take care, and again, welcome.
:0a25:

[redfishman]

Welcome catfish10101 to BOC!! Although I fish primarily in the marsh around Hopedale I make it to the mid spillway areas (Bayou Pigeon-Grand Lake- Belle River) in the Spring to flyfish for bream,goggleye. Checkout the extensive library they have here. Hope you enjoy!!
-----------------

Cruising around S La., I was in Port Allen by the locks and noticed a launch at the intracoastal bridge(La 1 south). It seems to be maintained by the US Corp of Engineers. Anyone around Baton Rouge used it? Can you enter the locks to go into the River or you only allowed to go west toward Brusly in the intracoastal?? Talk about close from the LSU area!! Mike

[mullyden]

Redfishman,
There is a ramp on both sides of the river. The one you mentioned is a much better ramp and has an accompanying dock. I haven't seen any small boats go through the lock to the river, but I don't know if one can. Hou'd most likely be competing with barges for lock space.
In the opposite side of the river, just downstream of the downstream riverboat casino is a ramp. You get to it by following south street until it hits river road. Instead of turning south, go straight up the levee and when you get across it, go follow the road downstream. It goes down to a ramp. It is not too great, but at the current water levels, it should be fine.
I have a buddy that had a nice camp at Hopedale. It got whacked by Katrina as did everything else there. I had my only spec trip down there and three of us limited. It was lots of fun.
Let us know when the bite is on at Bell River. Ever fish Verrett?
Take care.

[mullyden]

We had a beautiful day on the river today. Temps were comfortable and the wind was not very strong. After some difficulty getting in, we ended up bringing home 21 fish. The largest was 6.5 lb with another bluecat weighing 5.75 lb. We fished with worms and shrimp. We caught the larger fish on the shrimp. We started out quite a way from the bank with not too much success. After moving in the bite improved quite a bit. We only got to fish about 3 hrs. The Mississippi will be rising 10 ft or more in the next week. I'm glad we got a trip in this weekend. I attached a few pics.
:big_smile:

[mullyden]

Ed,
Sounds like you had a really good day. You can't beat those eaters. Sounds like you figured out where they are and how to catch them. It may be a little tough fishing at 28ft by the end of the month. We had good luck on regular shrimp. There is a fella who lives in Abbeville that says he will let us know when he can get some slicker. Apparently a store down there carries it when they come in. There is another thread that is titled something about shrimp. I know you are an xpert on river shrimp so you may want to comment on how the traps are made. I believe you said that you toss them among the willows during high water. I had a few bites on pogies earlier in the month. That's the closest thing I can find to slicker now.
Let us know how you do with the trotlines.
PS How's the bridge coming?

[12pack]

Denny, I see you got a hold of one of those $5 sweatshirts from Walmart I was telling you about. I guess they were out of the XXL's though.:smile2:

I'm glad ya'll had a nice trip.

[kojock]

Hello All,

I am new to the sight and enjoying all the great information being shared. I live in Zachary and have been frustrated over the 7+ years I have lived here at the lack of really accessible fishing areas. I grew up in North LA with my choice of 4-5 really good fishing lakes or rivers within 10 minute's drive of my parent's house. Not the story around here. I have fished Belle River/Verrett a few times but the long drive deters me. Out of frustration, I took to driving all the way down to Hopedale to chase specks and reds because it wasn't that much further and the results were better. I have been wanting to try the Big River but have been unsure about biting that off without advice. This landing south of the Casino, how rough condition is it? I have a 16' Sprint Bass boat and I don't want to try launching it in a bad situation and tear it up. How is the current at this launch and how much does it affect launching and recovering? Also, can someone suggest a range of river stages/levels that this landing is useable? What is the best site/source to check river stages/depth levels before one plans a trip?

I have a 9 year old and a 5 year old and need to learn some reliable places that are fairly close to home to take them fishing for catfish and pan fish so they learn to love the outdoors as much as I do. Any suggestions on where to find good info would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Carl

[Reel_Blues]

Heres to hoping 08 is an even better year good luck to all!!!!

[mullyden]

This is a link to the long range ~1mo forecast of river level:http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lmrfc/forecast/esp.shtml. This is 1wk which is more accurate:http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lmrfc/forecast/rva.shtml. The Baton Rouge Ramp is not nearly as nice as St Francisville's, but is located just downstream of the Belle Casino @ south street. I would guess it is not useable at below 7ft or above 30 or maybe a little less. If it is too high, you will know it because as you get to the top of the road at the levee, you will see water and you won't be able to get to the ramp. We fish south of BR near Donaldsonville and don't have a real ramp. We go down the side of the Levee and get back up with a 4WD. We have had much better luck down there (where grain is transferred to/from ships) than around BR. Ed has some really nice spots up north and he is an expert on the River. Being a young man myself, I am not so wise. We do, however catch alot of fish over a season. Fishing is the best in the spring for us, through May. June for some reason sucks. There is higher water coming this week ane I don't know how it will be for the short haul.
If it has been dry you could probably make it with a 2wd where we fish, but I would recommend having someone with 4wd there. I'v pulled out several. At the Casino, the largest risk is when the level is at the bottom of the ramp. Boats can fall off the back of the ramp and then you could leave an axle there. You can readily see that though. There should be no problem now. At times, the elevator accross the river from the ramp is ok, but you typically get hassled by Cargill. They threaten to call the coast guard. I talked to a CG person who receives the call and he indicated that they don't worry about it unless you hinder commerce or tie on to their equip. No guarantee however. Ever since 911, port security has increased. If you wear a turban you will likely be hastled more!
It is nice to be in the water 20 minutes after leaving home and coming home with some fish! I don't think you would have any problems with your boat. You just need to pay attention to barge traffic et al. 5 short blasts from a boat horn means get the h_ll out of there as quick as you can. I looked that up at a coast guard web site, after we heard them. Anyway, it is good to see some BR area folks signing up with BOC. Hopefully we can arrange a trip. Take care.

[mullyden]

Ed, great news about slicker. My daughter bought a puppy that is in Abbeville that she will be picking up in about 2 wk. I would appreciate the store info. I would like to try to get a few bigguns. Have you put out any trots yet?

[StuBone278]

Wow PM me in on the slicker baitshop please! Although I could probably find it! That would be awesome to buy some!

[kojock]

Ed,

Are you talking about the ramp over by the mat field? I've been up there to look at that one before. Never used it, but know where it is, sorta. Been a few years and my memory is fuzzy. I'll give you a call some time and get some info from you. Thanks.

Carl

[kojock]

Mullyden,

I understand why you would fish down by the grain elevators. We used to drive all the way down to Empire, LA to fish the river at the pogie plant and would absolutely destroy the catfish! It was almost too easy. When they were hot, it was literally every cast. Like school trout! We would rig up double rigs and catch 2 at a time. One morning 3 of us filled up 2 100 quart ice chests in about 2 hours. Then Katrina changed everything and the couple of times we've gone back has not been the same. All good things come to an end. Thanks for the info.

Carl

[CrawDaddy]

"cant find the right conditions"?? Isn't that code for "The wife won't let me go"??? hehe

[mullyden]

Not true!!!!! I know Ed runs the show at home, right? I'd like to hear if any fish are biting with this higher water level. Been out Ed? I have not been out with water above about 26 ft. Had about the best trip at that level though.
It's easy to get in and out at that level for us, but usually lots of crap in the water. What do you think?

[mullyden]

I hope you tear em up. Sounds like you know how to do it right. I bet you do good. Is there still lots of trash?

[mullyden]

Ed,
Glad you made it out and you did pretty well on the lines. It's sure true you could have done worse. Sounds like cut bait will be the ticket to catching em. I am a little surprised that bream didn't produce. Maybe they are just too clean. I get a bite once in a while using Pogies. I guess they are slimier and oilier than the bream and closer to slicker. I don't believe we could have gotten in due to high water these last two weeks. With the drop in level this week, hopefully I'll get out next weekend. I'm kinda missing it. I spent last weekend fixing all my trailer wiring, now I need to trail it!
What kind of a spot are you looking for with the lines? Deep, fast, either? I assume you get into trees, tie up the line and back off into the water. If that's so, I see why you have to wait for high water!
Thanks for sharing your trip with us.:big_smile:

[CrawDaddy]

Conan:

I think you just broke the code !!!

Now if I could only crack the womens' code!!! But then if that happened, I'd be the world's smartest man :)

I have almost to the point that I hate to check the BOC!! You guys get me so depressed posting your pics and stories of catfishing since I have yet to find a spot down here :(

Had a customer the other day tell me about a spot that you could rent a cabin right on the lake for about $125 for a weekend. She says they catch quiet a few cats there. Even better if I can manage to get a spot baited!! Might try that out soon. That is, if I can ever get away from work!! My moron assistant messed up big time so until headquarters gives me the green light on firing her, I have to go close every night. Averaging 70 hours the last 3 weeks!!! hate red tape! What happened to the good ole days when you could just fire someone on the spot when they weren't doing their jobs?!?!? These days it takes 300 write-ups to get someone out the door.

Denny, I am becoming popular here in the Valley. I've had 2 people threaten to "get" me for throwing them out for stealing hehe. I've got Wal-Mart trying to recruit me for Asset Protection ( apparently the word has gotten out on how many people I have busted for shoplifting in my store), and now Academy is trying to get me to come interview (the guy knows about Wal-Mart's recruiting me and says he has no problem matching or beating their offer). I think it is time to try and get a bidding war going :)

[mullyden]

Ed,
Are you spying on me again? You hit it right on the head. I'm an old fart that thinks about catfishing and grandkids! I fact, I can't remember much else anyway.
I saw on the news about the flooding up north in Ark and the Ohio Valley. It will be interesting to see what the long term river level forecast tells us tomorrow. I looks like a new crest is heading our way. Maybe I can get out this weekend before gets here. So much for "Global Warming" this winter.
Conan,
Sounds like you are staying busy with all the crooks in the valley. Somehow I don't get it. You get to work 70 hr per week protecting somebody else's stuff. I say get yourself a Glock like Ed's and pop a few caps into the stealers. It should slow em down and then you can get back to working normal hours. If you really want to cut back on the hours, get an Uzi and mow the whole bunch down.:smile2: I would be very rewarding I am sure. Seriously, it sounds like you are getting some attention based on your commitment to making things right. I'd follow the bucks also!!
You all take care.

[mullyden]

Jimmy and I went out today. The bite was pretty good, although we did get a late start with failure to reset Daylight Savings Time clock and a flat trailer tire when we got to the river. We did end up with 23 fish weighing a total of 49 lb. We let quite a few smaller ones go and Jimmy released his 7 lb bluecat, the largest of the trip. Water was relatively clean for the high level. This will likely be last trip for a couple of weeks because of the river rise to 34.5ft at Baton Rouge on 3/23. It was at 27.5ft today. Anyway, we really had a nice time. Weather was beautiful, and fish were biting.:smile2:
Current was pretty strong and we had some difficulty with the anchor holding.
Attached are a couple of trip pics. You'all have a great week.

[CrawDaddy]

Jimmy, you make me sick. At least I can have solice in the fact that I was surely a better acnhor-man. am sure Eds will chime in soon to reitirate that fact :)

[bself]

well i am glad ya'll had a pretty successful trip. Maybe i can get out with ya'll next time you go.

[CrawDaddy]

Brad, Denny says he'll call you when he has a flat that needs changing :)

[mullyden]

Brad/Conan
Brad, I wished you could have made it. Fish were biting better than our total take would indicate. When we first anchored, in any place we would have lots of bites. Then we would drift out into deeper water. Looks like the new island may not be there any longer. The bottom appears to have shifted again at the bend opening it up again which I believe is a good thing. We had the greatest eddy current that I'd experienced there. It along with the wind that was blowing in the same direction really pulled the anchor. Actually we were fishing and Jimmy commented that he "hadn't seen a barge tow get as close to us." We could have cast to it. After it passed us we realized that we were getting close to the channel. We don't even have the excuse of drinking! We were sensitive to it after that and noticed we were moving earlier. I hope you can get out the next time. Looks like it won't be until after Easter with the crest predicted on 3/23.
Conan,
You are right in that Brad would have been a good choice to change the tire. It really wouldn't have tested him because I had a shop jack in the truck and it was on the trailer, unlike that tough one he changed with us on his first trip (that we were nearly fishless also).
Have you had to get physical lately with the shoplifters? Those old ladies can really make a mark on you if they get p_ssed! New job prospects still look good?
You'all take care.

[CrawDaddy]

What, no pictures from the trip?? You are slipping in your old age Denny!!!

Job prospects still out there, just gotten too aggressive yet :)

Finally fired my assistant. Have to wait until the end of this week before I can replace her. Will have a VERY good team then. But, on the other side of the coin, that now means I have 3 new people to get trained!!

Caught 2 more shoplifters Sunday. 1st one was a teenage girl in the store with her parents. I didn't have to get physical with her, but as mad as her Dad was, I am sure he did when they got home and I am sure she will think twice before she does that again!!! Other guy was an aquaintance of one of my employees. Nice to know you have honest people working for you. He could have just stayed quiet, but told me he knew who he was and where he lived. He came in a few days later and my guy told him he needed to leave and not come back.

I do know that if I take one of these other jobs I'll be taking him with me along with my new assistant. DG won't be happy but oh well :)

Because of work, I haven't worked out in almost a month now, but getting back to it on Friday. I have learned enough now that I have created my own workout regimen. Going to be training 6 days a week now hitting each body part twice a week.

[mullyden]

Conan, your slipping yourself. There are pics in the post for the trip!!!!!!!:smile2:

[mullyden]

Ed, I know you have had flooding before in St. Francisville, but your place is getting lots of news coverage. I sincerely hope the River gets back in it's bank soon so life and fishing can get back to normal. Good luck.
:angry:

[catfisherman_eky3]

Thanks for the info and pics, I enjoyed my looking thanks again for sharing this with us

[catdaddy64]

Denny,
I have been wondering if the river was keeping you tied to the shore but I guess you have been making a few trips inspite of the swift currents.

Hollar at me...I have 2 weeks left in the spring semester and will be ready to wet a line soon.

Talk to you later...

OH SORRY, Hello everyone...

[mullyden]

David,
It is fine to hear from you. We have not made any trips since the river reached 30ft. It is now at 41+ ft. The spot we put in is about 10 ft under water. It looks like the spring season is pretty well shot for the first time. Fishing usually starts stinking in June. The river will stay above 32 ft until at least mid May, assuming there are no more storms in the midwest.
I've kinda lost touch with your schooling. After this year, how much more do you need to do? I hope we can get back on the river soon. Hopefully we can find an alternate spot.
Take care

[StuBone278]

hey mully, people have been catching lots of big ones in the flooded trees!! Although there is some law saying that its trespassing if going into the trees on a boat, but I would try (bank) fishing off the levee in the trees. I saw this by reading around on lasportsman. Most of the fish look to be in the 5-15 pound range. If anyone has time give it a try for me!

[mullyden]

Catdaddy would still be able to get on the site if Paul took too much personally. He and Dave would regularly have it out via emails. All worked out. I read Stu's post and went to La Sportman's site and saw posting of bunches of cats caught in the trees at Port Allen on lines. I am not a big line person in that I think it's fun catching em on rod n reel, but don't have anything against lines either. Since we throw back anything too big anyway it probably doesn't pay for us. I think it would be a ball to try, though for the experience. I just don't know how to put my boat in the water now, and if I got it in, don't know if I'd like to be out there. Do your buds go from bank or do they use boats outside the main channel off the levees?
Anyway, it's good to hear from you. I hope the water drops soon, but it doesn't look like it will before the end of May.
Take care, and thanks for posting.:big_smile:

[mullyden]

Ed, seven ft of water will likely keep you busy for a while. It's great about the trotline success. I went where we normally put in, to fish off the levee last weekend. Didn't get a bite. I also went by Southern U in my boat and didn't get a bite. Not too hot. A commercial fisherman was near Southern on his way out to run his lines in the trees. He said he has been getting ~600per trip. They must be biting somewhere! Do you know what your SF folks have been baiting with? Looks like the river will be 36ft + for the next month. May still be possible to put some lines out. Please let us know whether the libations or the fish one out!
Take care.

[mullyden]

Glad to hear the fish are biting. Please let us know how it works out. I took my boat out for a little while last weekend by Southern. We experienced as swift a current as I have seen on the river in one direction and then it would calm and then in the opposite, many many times. Maybe 15 minutes between cycles. Are you experiencing this also. After we got out of the trees, we just anchored with 2 anchors. The boat would spin like a top and the rods were forever tangling when the currents shifted. It just pulled the second anchor around. It was the darndest thing.

Take care and good luick.

[mullyden]

Ed, that is great. A 70 pounder. . . . .Wow!
Do you believe the fishing will really be good in the trees or at your Cat Island runoff spot when the water starts to drop significantly? What's your experience with rod and reel vs. lines when the river drops?
I am really excited to get back out again. Unfortunately, it looks like it will be June before the level gets back to where we can put in. It's easy to put in now!!. June is the worst month of the year for us, consistently.
Anyway, let us know how ya doin. Take Care:smile2:

[StuBone278]

Man idk, was June still bad for yall when the river was this high before? (1997?) It seems the bite is gonna stay pretty good. I don't see why it would die off in June, that's when I first ever started catching blue cats, and would catch lots of little ones while going for gar! How's that to get into catfishing while targeting GARfish?!:roll_eyes: Guess that's how it goes.:wink:

[mullyden]

Stu, Attached is my data from 2004-2007. I hope I'm wrong this year. April and May is pretty good. I have not seen high water beyond February since 2004. I know it's a little anal keeping the data, but after we had such a sucky June last year I had to make the reason be other than my skill!! The middle line is the average catch. The + and _ sigma means 67% of the time the catch above and below the ave is within that band. (You probably already knew that.) It will be early June at least before I get back on the River unless I can find a spot that's biting along the levee and I can get in.

Take care.

[mullyden]

Ed, what a TV star! Saw you several times yesterday on the news. Looks like the water is down now. I hope the rebuild goes pretty well. Did you say the water reached 7ft?
I guess the fishing now is in transition from the high high water the just high water. We won't be able to put in until at least the end of the month. I'll be out of town then, so I likely won't make it til mid June.
Again, good luck on cleaning things up. It looked like you were able to get most or all of the furniture and other stuff out before the high water.
Take it easy.

[rpbayly]

Stu, Attached is my data from 2004-2007. I hope I'm wrong this year. April and May is pretty good. I have not seen high water beyond February since 2004. I know it's a little anal keeping the data, but after we had such a sucky June last year I had to make the reason be other than my skill!! The middle line is the average catch. The + and _ sigma means 67% of the time the catch above and below the ave is within that band. (You probably already knew that.) It will be early June at least before I get back on the River unless I can find a spot that's biting along the levee and I can get in.

Take care.


Denny- I have only found this forum yesterday but have read many, many of your posts (trip reports) since then. My biggest question-- what size boat do you use for fishing the Miss.? I only have an open 16 ft aluminum bateau, and I am afraid it is too small for the big river. I have just started to do a little limb lining on the Amite after a 15 year hiatus from any freshwater fishing.

[mullyden]

rpbayly,
Welcome to the BOC. I've been on vacation until late yesterday with the grandkids. My boat is a 22 ft bay boat. I've seen lots of bateaus out there, but, being honest, I personally have been glad I've been in a boat with higher freeboard. 99% of the time there would be no problem at all. It's just when the pointed nose tugs go by at high speed, they make a wake that can really shake you. Normally they slow down, but sometimes they don't for me. They would probably have a greater tendency to slow for a smaller boat. You can normally find sheltered areas on the bank side of docked ships or anchored barges that give you plenty of protection. Our best spot is in a 180deg turn in the river that is pretty much open. We put in along the side of the levee off a stevedore company's parking lot. For my boat I need a 4wd vehicle. That would be best even with a lighter boat. I've also help pull some other vehicles up the side.
As I said earlier, we've seen many smaller boats out there and I'm sure if mine was smaller, I'd still go out. You just have to be very careful and be ready to scoot if something happens. Like having a float attached to your anchor line so you can just drop the line and go if you have to would be a good idea. I suppose the river will have changed some with the high water. I can't wait to get out there. We can't put in above 30ft (baton rouge) because the parking lot is flooded. Good luck and hope to see you there.:smile2:

[mullyden]

Mary, Jimmy, Kim and I made our first trip to the river since early March. It has taken that long for the water to drop to a level we could put in. Fishing was excellent for June. We caught 16 keepers weighing a total of 73 pounds. We released the 4 largest totaling 35 lb. Jimmy pretty much smoked us by catching 3 of the 4 released. Water was 28.4ft (at Baton Rouge). We had to fish in a couple of rain showers but they did cool things off. Time to get back out there, folks!:big_smile:

Attached are a few pics to remember the trip.

[Katfishing Cajun]

Congrats Denny! Looks like y'all had a great trip! Denny, I was wondering if you could give me a few pointers on what you look for in the river to fish? I'm not talking about giving any spots, because I want to start fishing the Atchafalaya River and what should I be looking for? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

[12pack]

Kajun, I've been fishing with Denny for a while now, and if I was looking for a spot to fish on any river with lots of current, I'd be looking for an eddy current. I did an aerial view of the Atchafalaya, and I found a spot that I think might produce a good "reverse flow". As a crow flies, it's about 8.5 miles SSE of Simmesport. Of course you'd likely want to find a place much closer to launch from. I've attached an aerial photo of the spot.

Deny, your thoughts?

[Katfishing Cajun]

Thank you very much 12pack!:big_smile: So I need to zero in on eddy spots! This is a huge help buddy, if I can help you in any way, please let me know! I had talked with Denny awhile back on waiting on some slickers(skipjack), well I kinda of dropped the ball on this one because they only got them for two weeks and I missed it myself. Sorry guys!

[mullyden]

Cajun,
We sure didn't get any skips either. If we weren't quite so lazy we probably could have gone down to New Orleans when the Bonne Carre spillway opened. I heard there was lots of shad anyway. I think 12 pack gave you some good advice. We catch most of our fish pretty close to where the eddy meets the downstream flow on the upstream side of a significant turn in the river. The bottom is scoured out pretty well in the channel. We seem to have good luck on that slope from 40-80 ft of water. We're probably pretty lucky since the spot has treated us well for a while now. There is also some grain traffic (barges to ships) that has some spillage. At times the fish are full of grain like rice, corn, etc. Hopefully you can go with us some time.
Take it easy.

[12pack]

Denny, I talked to the butcher at the local market about chicken hearts. He said he'd be glad to order some for us, but they come in a 40lb box for about $20. 40lbs is obviously way more than we could use, but I quess we could freeze what we have room for, and discard the rest. What'cha think?

[CrawDaddy]

Nice pics Denny. I was at work when I called to see how you all were doing and got busy and forgot to call again!!

For my birthday i am going to get one of those danged round kayaks and find me some cats down here!!

[coach]

denny , seems to me like advice is just right ................. u might pass on about the fins, horns , in the leg or foot ............... if u folks can't get hold of some skips, try for some shad ................. for the blues, fish off the points sticking out that make the eddies .... anchor in the 4 to 8 ft water just at or just above the point and drift back on the anchor rope till the depth charger shows the dropoff ................. just have to be sure u are anchored where the current pushes u out into the river instead of sucking u into the eddy ................................u folks are always catching fish , so i probably should keep my mouth shut :embarassed:

[mullyden]

Coach sent me a pm the other day that I really appreciate and would like to share with others since it is important. He mentioned that our post with pictures a few days ago each had a fish held relatively close to the body and fairly high. He reminded me that those fish don't necessarily want to remain on that scale hook and they can shake themselves off and their fins can flat bury themselves into a foot (with or without shoe). I personally dropped one on my thigh as I was sitting down removing a hook. It went all the way in. This happened several years ago and I can still feel numbness when I touch the area. You can't be too careful and I appreciate it, Coach. Also, I can see by looking at your profile pic that it would also be very easy to split a gut trying to lift that huge mother of a fish that you have in your lap. We could be so lucky.
In all seriousness, I do appreciate Coach's safety message and I know it reinforces the need to do everything we can to be safe out there.
Thanks
:0a24:

[Katfishing Cajun]

Very good information from both of you! And for that I say thanks! When I was younger I had a hard head cat come off as I was swinging it on board! Fell perfectly in the top of my foot!OUCH! Foot was swollen like a softball! Anyway stay safe all!Denny I wish I could make a trip with y'all, but with my back problem I can't take the rough water rides! One day I will fish that beautiful river! You guys stay safe out there!:wink:

[mullyden]

My son Scott and I made a quick trip to the river this afternoon. We didn't get there until about noon. Water was at 30.1 ft. in Baton Rouge. The sky was hazy which helped with the heat. We ended up catching 18 of keeper size that totaled 78 pounds, all being bluecats. I caught a 14 lb and Scott caught two 11 pounders (looked like bookends) which we released. Actually the fishing was kinda tough. You could sit there for 1/2 hr with a bite or two and then have four poles loaded as once. I don't know whether they are going around in schools or what. It does keep folks on their toes. Current was a little stronger than last weekend. We were lucky that our loading spot had a plywood road about the 40 feet nearest the water. Without it, we would have had difficulty getting in and out with all the sand.
Anyway, we had no difficulty and didn't break anything!! A good time was had by all. I attached a few pics.

[mullyden]

Ed, Just wondered if you have your place back up and running after the high water. Hope so, and maybe you can go out and catch some fish. I bet it has been a challenge getting back into operation. If not up yet, hope you get it done soon!:smile2:

[mullyden]

Ed,
Glad you got the Oyster Bar back into operation. I imagine your patrons are also happy about it. I think you are probably kidding yourself if you are really thinking about retirement. It would be great if you did, but with 3 businesses, I think you are a mercenary at heart. I hope, though, that you can get a little more time to take it easy. If I remember right, you get up before dawn and don't stop until late.
Thanks for the fishing update up north. We may give it another shot this weekend since the River will only be marginally higher than last week. Take care.

[WildWillie]

What is all that water up north gonna do for y'all in BR? I recall living in Jena, LA in 1973; they opened the flood gates down south and it washed huge crawfish back up to the Jonesville, LA area. I was a young man then; had a blast with the crawdads.

[mullyden]

Willie,
Looks like all the weather in Iowa will have less than a 2 ft impact on Baton Rouge. The level was about 28.5ft prior to the Iowa floods and it will not get above 30.8ft as a result of those storms. It has much less impact than a flood on the Ohio. The river, although big north of St Louis, is nothing like here. It will crest here later next week and be over. For some reason we are catching some fish in June this year, unlike most years. Maybe the higher than normal water has made the difference. If so, "let it rain, let it rain, let it rain!" (No more for Cedar Rapids and vacinity however) Last year the water was 14 ft in mid June, In 2006 it was about 16 ft. That is a heck of a lot less water than 30.5 ft!!!!!!!
The State opened up the spillway near New Orleans when the level was 40+ ft, but I don't believe the spillway that would have affected Jena (Old River or 3 Rivers) was opened this year.
You all take care.

[WildWillie]

You said it there; I crossed the MS at Davenport, Iowa a few years back. Still a nice body of water, but nothing like even at Natchez. I used to cross the ferry at Empire when I was in my late teens working for the LA Dept Hwy. Monster of a river down there.

Will

[mullyden]

Jimmy and I went out this morning, but were chased out early by upcoming thunderstorms (that may have missed):angry:. In any case we had a good time. I caught a 23 lb blue and Jimmy caught a 22 pounder. They were released after a couple of pics. Including the big ones we ended up with 8 fish with a total weight of 66 lb. We both would have liked to stay longer but better safe than sorry. We did meet a Baton Rouge Policeman down where we fish. He said he gets on the internet often so hopefully he'll begin posting at catfish1.com. We accused him of using a taser on the fish if they aren't biting. In any case, I hope he joins the BOC. I attached a couple of pics of the bigguns!:big_smile:

[Bayou Gladiator]

Hello Dennis and Jimmy,

This is Carl the cop you guys met today. I fished north of your spot for about an hour before the rain and current convinced me to leave. I missed a couple of bites, but did end up with two nice ones (2.5 and a 3.5 lbs). I will be back out soon.

CarlK

[mullyden]

Gladiator,
Welcome to the BOC. Glad you signed up. It's great you caught a couple of perfect size. Please post regularly. With you're 20 years of fishing out there, I'm sure you have some good info. Take care.

[12pack]

it was really nice meeting you today, and I'm glad to see you already posting on the BOC.

Sorry to hear your trip was cut short by the weather & current, but I guess the wife was glad to see you home on time with some freshly caught cats for dinner.

In regards to the current, I highly recommend you get a Richter anchor. You can pick one up at Academy. Here's a link to the Richter website: http://www.richteranchors.com/

Maybe we'll see on our next trip.

Jimmy

[CrawDaddy]

Jimmy and Denny, nice looking fish there!!!!

I don't have the record of the group, but at least I am related to the man who does :)

[mullyden]

You're right there. That was a good day for him, that's for sure. We had fun. Yesterday was really good for big ones for some reason. We didn't get many bites, but when we did, they slapped it pretty well. Hope you get your kayak soon so you can get out there.

[12pack]

As far as the group I've fished with, I think Brad and Denny are tied each having caught a 25 pounder. Who's the relative Conan is talking about, and what's the record? :0a28:

[bself]

Thats right I am the man. HEHE I will soon hopefully be back out there again. Glad ya'll did some good but I can't believe denny left for a silly little storm. We once went out when you couldn't see the front of the boat due to fog. Talking about a little nervous and probably kinda stupid.

[CrawDaddy]

The relative I speak of is my Dad.

At the time I was only able to go out with Denny and Crew once every other weekend. Well, my Dad, who doesn't really care to fish decided to come visit me on my fishing weekend. I practically had to beg him to come fishing.

It was me, my Dad, Denny, and CatDaddy. We were all using chicken livers, my Dad, of course, using my sorriest excuse for a pole, nabs the 29 lb 9 ounce cat!!!

Funny store to go along with it....when the big 'un hit my Dad and CatDaddy were arguing whether he was hung up or it was a fish. Catdaddy was convinced he was just hung up :) My Dad kept saying, "I'm not hung up, when I set the hook it pulled back!!"

He gets it close to the boat and we see how big it is and it was like total chaos!! I've never seen any cat near that size so my heart is pounding, my hands are shaking. I grab the net, make a stab at it and miss, the cat starts thrashing around like crazy. I am starting to panic at this point. Second try I get him in the net, thanks to Denny's good advise of netting the head first (didn't know that at that point!!).

Get that monster in the boat and the hook is almost in the cats freaking whisker. Still don't know it didn't get off the hook!!!

[CrawDaddy]

Denny, you think you can post a pic of Dad's cat for Mr. Jimmy?!?!?!?

[12pack]

I appreciate your sharing the story about your dad's catch. You know Brad's 25 pounder was hooked (barely) in the back near the dorsal fin. Don't believe he snagged it initially though. It was wrapped up in the line when it broke the surface, so the hook probably came out of his mouth and ended up in the the back that way. That being the case, it's not hard to believe that big mother your dad caught was barely hooked too.:big_smile:

[mullyden]

Alright Conan, obviously catching fish is not hereditary. Here is Stan's fish. It still is the biggest taken on the boat, except for what I am going to catch next trip!

[CrawDaddy]

We could have done without the "hereditary" comment, but I sincerely hope you do catch a "monster" soon.

I still remember the time we were out and a monster bent your "shark" pole in half. I am certain that would have beaten by a pretty good amount!!!

[StuBone278]

Nice catches! So much for June being the worst month! haha Definately some big ones! By the way, did yall have a net to land that biggun with?

[mullyden]

We used a net for about all over a couple of pounds. It took the three stooges to get the largest one out of the water. We release anything above about 7 lbs, just because we have plenty to eat and want to give somebody another shot at catching larger ones. I am quite surprised about this June. I suspect it is the high water but who knows. Maybe we just don't tell the fish it's June!
:smile2:

[Bayou Gladiator]

Hello fellow catfisherman. Dropped line at 0930hrs this morning in nice overcast weather. Bite was good and consistent. weighed anchor at 1300hrs with 30 nice ones. Looked for Denny and Jimmy, even the fish ask where they were. Sun came out in full force and slowed bite down. Nice day overall.

CarlK

[mullyden]

Now that's what we're talking about. Those are some nice fish. We didn't have a chance to go today, but I'm glad someone did. What did you bait em with? Super day. I think the river is supposed to go up about a foot by next weekend. Did you have any trouble getting in or out?