After a week of strong southerly winds, what can fishermen expect from the coming days?
Yeah! A cold front, more winds, this time from the north and chilly morning temperatures, and a reason to doubt that adage that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.
Well, what do we call this April weather thing? A roaring tiger?
For coastal anglers, the south winds helped push water into the marshes and helped those areas recover from winter’s low-water periods. South winds also help by pushing small brown shrimp into inland coastal water where, yes, they become food for us and food for hungry trout and redfish.
But what will happen this week? The north winds will push the water out again. Hopefully, the gusts won’t be strong enough to push water levels down to the point where fishermen will have to watch where they run to avoid getting stuck on mud flats.
Through this weather change, we can expect to find lots of dirty water from the winds and rain run-off coming from the rivers and bayous.
Good luck and stay safe.
More CWD
During Thursday’s meeting, the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission voted in a Declaration of Emergency to be followed by a notice to expand the Chronic Wasting Disease Control Area after an infected whitetail deer was taken in Catahoula Parish during the recent hunting season.
The CWD protocol in this area will take effect May 1.
It’s the 40th CWD-infected deer found in our state.
The protocol sets out a 25-mile radius from the Catahoula site where the deer was taken and includes parts of Catahoula, Caldwell, Richland and La Salle parishes.
This new control area follows the first established CWD control area that takes in Tensas Parish and parts East Carroll, Madison, Franklin and Concordia parishes. Earlier this year, a deer with CWD forced the same move in Franklin Parish.
The declaration runs for 180 days or until the notice takes effect and “ prohibits the baiting and supplemental feeding of deer ... and the transport of deer carcasses outside of the control area also is prohibited except for the specific parts listed, or by permit for purposes of taxidermy.”
No jakes
The turkey season began in earnest Saturday, and Wildlife and Fisheries is warning hunters 18 and older about a no-take rule on taking jakes, the young male turkeys.
The rule defines a jake is “as having a beard less than six inches and a spur less than 0.5 inch.”
Properly licensed hunters 17 and younger can take one jake per season. Hunters are limited to take one gobbler (a male) per day and two per season, and all hunters must use agency-issued tags before taking a turkey from the field.
Going to nationals
Catholic High’s Porter Morrison, who competed by himself,finished fourth among 76 teams inBassmaster High School Series on Oklahoma’s Lake Tenkiller last weekend and qualified for the tour’s national championship.
His five-bass limit weighed out at 15 pounds, 10 ounces. Arkansas Youth Anglers’ Connor Gartman and Blake Starr won with an 18-10 catch.
Other state teams among the top 50 included Denham Springs High’s Jack Varnado and Dylan Johnson (19th, 12-6), Sulphur High'sKyler Harsh and Annabella Youngblood(27th, 11-11) and Teurlings High’s Joshua Burows and Brylee Williams (42nd, 10-0).
The college series
Levi Thibodaux, of Thibodaux, and LSU-Shreveport teammate William Tew took third place in the 175-team Bassmaster College Series last week on Oklahoma's Lake Eufaula. Their two-day catch weighed 33 pounds, 2 ounces.
Their LSU-S teammates Triston Richardson and Johnny Hudson finished 13th (24-06) and Grayson Bonfils and Nevan Osburn took 41st place at 19-01. Northwestern State’s Noah Trant and Evan Howewere No. 44 with an 18-10 catch.
Houseboats
A reminder about houseboats. If you have one, you must register it through Wildlife and Fisheries’ website: .
You’ll need to submit an affidavit of ownership of the non-motorized houseboat and provide a photo of the houseboat.
