Here Fishy Fishy-Monroe, La Area

[fishnfreak410]

I can usually do better than your average joe catching fish on the Ouachita and Bayou D'arbonne. This has been one of the most difficult years I have had in a long time. A friend of mine from Crowville was on the Yucatan a couple of weeks ago and talked to a biologist who was mainly there to see where all the white perch and bass had ran off to. He stayed there four days and only caught bream for the most part.

Everyone I have talked to has had a bad year since around March/April. My last good day of fishing was on Caney in April in 14mph winds. Of course I work offshore overseas and only get to fish every other month.

Is anyone else having a hard time on the river or d'rbone lake/bayou.? 

[Bass_Fanatic]

Fishing has been tough most everywhere in LA this year except Toledo Bend and the Red River for me.

[Cwitherington3]

The bayou hasn't been as good this year for me as in years past it seems this year it has been all about the river. Up until this month I was catch 20 to 30 a morning with 5 to 10 of them being around 3 pounds but latly I have been in able to locate the big ones. I got word last werkend of a sand bar on the bayou that was loaded with big ones that I plan on trying first thing Saturday morning. Ill let you know how it goes.

[fishnfreak410]

I dont know what the deal is. I guess it could  be cyclic. Ready for it to be corrected no matter the cause. Although I did hang a big 'ol set of whiskers on the river about a month ago. That was fun. He was spooling off 14lb test like it was nothing. Almost had it in the boat til it broke me off on some rocks. I enjoyed it anyway. I was hoping they would shut the locks down like they were threatening a few months ago. Curious to see what the fishing would be like. My F-I-L used to fish it before they raised it. Said it was awesome.

[Cwitherington3]

To me fishing is the best when the river is between 22.6 and 24 feet in Monroe and on a hard fall every little mouth or drain will be loaded with bass.

[Mr. Bassin II]

I agree that it has been a terrible year here.  Due to the locks in Columbia, there is practically ZERO current in the river and bayou. No current typically means sub-par fishing as we have seen. One thing I have noticed is that the bottom of Bayou Darbonne is silting up with about two to three feet of sludge covering the creek bed.  Some of the old sloughs and feeder creeks are getting impossible to navigate. In my opinion, this is not prime spawning habitat and the numbers are dropping.

 

I would like to see the locks opened so the water could drop to natural levels letting natural vegetation to grow while allowing this silt to dry up.  This will never happen as long as one barge needs to head south.

[fishnfreak410]

The last day I fished was either August 9 or 10. Absolutely no current in the river. The bayou wasnt any good either since the spillway was dry.

You are aboslutely correct about the buildup on the bayou. It is especially bad right below the spill way past that first tight curve. Of course, that is not the only place it is that bad.

I plan to put in at Gill's Ferry when I get back home. Usually the fishing is better there than below the spillway. It's crowded during duck season though!

 

I dont see a fraction of the barges I used to see on that river. I think they should just open the locks and let her go.