Big Reds at the Bridge
With the New Year came mild temperatures, and anglers wasted little time taking advantage of the bridge bite on Lake Pontchartrain.
Michael Casadaban recently made a trip with his son Michael Jr. and Jonathan Oglesby. The trio launched on a Friday morning with Slidell fishing guide Mike Brantley. They launched out of The Point Marina around 6 a.m. under thick fog that Casadaban described as “pea soup.”
Despite the limited visibility, the group made their way to the Trestles, where they quickly found working birds and an active bite underneath. The action started fast and stayed steady throughout the morning.
The highlight of the trip came when Michael Jr. battled and landed two massive redfish entirely on his own. The fish were estimated to be between 35 and 40 pounds, easily the biggest fish he’s ever caught. During the fight, he repeatedly begged for help, but his dad made it clear that assistance was not an option. “I told him you never know, it could be a world record bluegill,” Casadaban said. “If you hook it, you reel it in. That’s the way it works.”
By the end of the trip, the anglers had put together three limits of speckled trout, 15 blue catfish, and released the two big bull reds. All fish were caught using live shrimp fished on the bottom around the bridges.
The group returned to the dock around 12:30 p.m., wrapping up a productive half-day on the water. “There’s nothing like watching a kid reel in fish,” Casadaban said.
Whopper White Trout
Matt Harding of Denham Springs battled less-than-ideal conditions on Lake Pontchartrain but still managed to put a pattern together. “Lake Pontchartrain looked like chocolate milk this morning, but I found some decent water in the canals,” Harding said. He eventually figured out the bite on sloping flats in about 15 feet of water, right about the time he had to leave. A green hornet jig did the trick, with water temperatures sitting between 53 and 54 degrees. The trip was capped off by a standout catch, a 16-inch white trout, a size that is highly uncommon for the species and one that turned an otherwise tough morning into a memorable one.
Speckled Trout and Green Trout
Daniel Kelly of Mandeville took advantage of an early-morning window before the cold front blew through. He launched at Mandeville Harbor and fished the northern shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain. Kelly quickly put together a limit of specks by 8:30 a.m., even after getting a late start.After limiting out on specks, he spent the rest of the morning exploring and found a few largemouth bass, landing seven more while losing several others at the boat. As the wind picked up and conditions deteriorated, Kelly pointed the bow back toward Mandeville, ending the trip with a slow and rough ride along the shoreline.
Limit in the Fog
John Rucker of Mandeville fished through the fog in Lake Pontchartrain and had to work through small fish but hit his limit by 8:45 a.m. “It was a smaller class of fish this morning but fun nonetheless,” he said. Rucker used Matrix Shad on a 3/8-ounce jighead and his TKO Shrimp Rucker-rigged combo all morning.
Rucker said the pattern is beginning to change as winter settles in and anglers will need to adjust. “Slow it way down. Cold water equals slow trout,” he said. “Soft plastics on light jigheads with a slow bounce or drag along the bottom is key. If you think you’re moving too slow, slow down even more.” He added that winter trout tend to stack up in deeper water. “Look for deeper bays, bayous, canals, and drop-offs near flats. Trout stack up where the water temperature stays more stable,” Rucker said. Downsizing baits can also make a difference this time of year. “Smaller profiles tend to get more bites in winter, and natural colors usually shine,” he said, noting that winter strikes are often subtle. “Feel for the thump. Winter bites can be light.”
Upcoming Tournaments
Pearl River Team Trails will hold its next tournament at Crawford Landing on January 10. For more information, call Charles Dauzat at 985-960-3260.
The Pearl River Challenge 2026 season kicks off on January 24 at the East Pearl River. The season will run from January to November and will be held on every third Saturday of the month. For more information please contact Lee Hillman at 985-352-3522.
(Keith Lusher Jr. writes a weekly column. For more info, visit NorthshoreFishingReport.com. Contact Keith at [email protected].)
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