Hello All,
I am in lawschool and I am thinking about writing a legal article concerning the right to hunt and fish on navigable waterways in Louisiana. This has been a hot topic of late and I just wanted to get different perspectives on the issue. I have some personal feelings about this issue but I will save those for the article. Feel free to comment on issues such as gated/private canals, and hunting and fishing above and below the high and low water marks.
Hey guys,
I'm having a problem with my go-devil motor and I want to get some opinions on what my problem may be. I was duck hunting last Saturday and my boat ran fine on the way out there, but on the way back it lost power and started bogging down. The motor runs fine out of the water, but when you drop it in the water it loses power. You can keep it in the water and it will run without killing, but it never regains power. Every once in a while it starts to pick up speed and turn more RPMs just to bog down again a second later. I initially thought I had a fuel pump problem, but I changed that and still the same problem. I took my water separator off and realized it was full of water, so i emptied it out and put it back on, still same problem. I now think its my carburetor, but my dad seems to think I have a fire problem after riding in the boat. I checked the spark plugs and fire when touched to metal. Another thing is when I spray carburetor cleaner into the carb while running, the boat gets up and goes for a second. Just wondering if anyone had any similar problems or have any suggestions. I'm ready to get back in the woods, but have to fix this first. Thanks.
After countless days in the swamp, lil cuz finally got him a wallhanger. 17 1/2 inch spread, 165 lbs. Congrats!
Hey guys,
I just bought a used go-devil motor and im already experiencing some problems. It seems that when the motor is out of the water it runs just fine, doesnt miss and turns around 3300 rpms. When I drop it in the water and give it gas it will only turn around 2000 rpms and for some reason it is losing power. Some opinions have told me that I have some kind of gas problem, probably need to clean my carborator. Just wondering if anyone else has had this problem or possibly know what my problem may be.
Thanks for your input,
Swamprat
Im heading to Lake Chicot for the week next week. I have never been to that area and I have no idea what to expect. I'm from around the Lutcher Area and have experience fishing the Spillway, Des Allemands, Verrett and surrounding areas but have no idea what to expect at Chicot. If anyone can give me any reports or any tips on the Chicot area it would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Hey guys, just wondering whats the outlook on froggin' season come June 1st. Been some pretty warm weather lately and the waters been up in alot of places. Have any of you been seeing or hearing frogs on the waterways lately? Just trying to get some talk started about another unique Louisiana outdoor tradition.
I was wondering if anyone heard any news lately about the proposed diversion down Garyville(Hope) Canal to allow freshwater to flow in through the swamp. A few years ago I heard of a proposal of three different canals being connected to the Mississippi River to allow freshwater to flow through the dying swamp. The first canal was supposed to be Garyville Canal and I also heard something of Reserve Canal and St. James Parish Drainage Canal. I haven't heard anything about this since the hurricane, but I hunt down Garyville Canal and I have heard that it was a done deal before the hurricane. I also have a friend who is an environmental engineer and he tells me that if LA 641 would be a bridge our swamp would not be dying as fast as it is. I spent the day Saturday riding through the Blind River Swamp in a go-devil and it looks more and more terrible every year. Just wanted to bring this topic up and see what you all think about it. I personally am ready to see the swamp like it was 30 years ago. I don't remember what a swamp without salvania looks like!
Headed out to Lake Martin to try to catch a few bass, sacalait, and bream. Any suggestions on where to fish and what to use for bait?
I was just wondering if anyone could give me any info on fishing Lake Martin/ Spanish Lake in the Lafayette area. What kind of fish do these lakes hold, and are the fish active at this time of year. I am a college student at ULL and I have my boat up here in Lafayette from home this week and I'm looking to catch some fish. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for the comments guys, I'm aware of the laws and statutes that are on the books in Louisiana. I'm also aware of some of the cases dealing with this issue, specifically Parm v. Shumate. I can kind of understand the whole idea of trespassing during high water, but the whole idea of gated canals is really a separate issue.
I had a similar problem with mine last week. I thought I had a fuel problem also, but it ended up being the sparkplugs. I checked both plugs and they were both firing, but apparently not enough because after I changed them I was in business. Good Luck, its def worth a try, like 8 bucks to change them.
Thanks Guys, I changed the spark plugs and changed the inline fuel filter and it looks like I'm back in business. Would have never thought it was that simple. The spark plugs were only about a month old. Thanks Again.
Yeah Ironman, those are really few and far between around here. And yeah kyle, if this is the one that we were dragging, i would swear until my deathbed that I shot it! lol. Sorry about being so late with responding, lawschool's a you know what!
I see exactly what you are saying. But I for one, although I wish I did, don't have the time with school and work to go out and scout as much as I need too. I don't think it's a big deal if you ask for some general info, like are the fish biting on this lake, or are there ducks on this WMA. I can see what you mean when ppl ask for the exact canal and bait, or exact spot, but I think sharing a little general info is a good thing. If I'm only going to get to be a weekend warrior, why not try and get a little info so I can increase my chances of success while enjoying the little time I do have to hunt and fish right now. I see the argument your trying to make with this, but if you have that big of a problem with it, just don't respond to others questions. That's my simple suggestion if that's your 2 cents. Oh and by the way just remember, everything you know about the outdoors, somebody once taught you!
If the waterway is a natural waterway, as you guys say it is, and was there before Louisiana became a state in 1812 then it is considered a navigable waterway. You have every right to be on that waterway. The issue of hunting and fishing on these waterways has been a big legal issue lately. In a case only a year or two ago, Parm v. Shumate, a federal district court judge pretty much cited in his opinion that hunting and fishing are not guaranteed rights on navigable waterways. I guess we shall see how this turns out. However, in your case, the hunters aren't the ones who can challenge your right to fish that waterway, so your good on that one.
Swamper,
Im thinking about bringing it to go devil. But i dont want a huge bill and them finding 30 things that are wrong with it. Has anyone done repair work through them, are the prices reasonable and are they straightforward with you?
Thanks Guys.
It's been sitting up for a year. The guy I bought it from hasn't used it since last hunting season. The day I went test ride it, everything worked fine. After it started acting up I poured out all the old gas and went refill the tank with premium gas. No, I havent done a compression test. I'm thinking about bringing it to go-devil to let them work out the kinks, but some people have also told me that if its just the engine that giving me trouble, just bring it to my local lawn mower repair man. Just wanted to see what you guys think before I spend alot of money getting an easy problem fixed. Thanks for the responses.
My cousin and I were fishing in the golf course ponds in the country club of Louisiana about five years ago when we saw the head of what we thought was a pretty decent sized turtle. Next thing you know it was slithering through the water. We rigged up some treble hooks to a weight and hooked it. One of the golfers on that hole noticed the size of the snake and came and beat it over the head with his wedge once we got it to the bank. The snake measure around six foot and the middle of it looked like a tire. We were told by the guards at the country club that the snake was cut open and it had 2 one pound bass inside of it. Whether are not the bass story is true I cant really say. Regardless it was the biggest snake ive ever seen in real life and it was def a water mocassin. So yeah, those things really do exists.
Went to Dulac opening day and they were really small. Caught one ice chest of 20 count nice shrimp but everything else was tiny.
If we would have gotten rid of Perrilloux the first ten times he messed up, we might of been able to get that Terrell Pryor kid from up North. Number one ranked QB in the nation this past year, looked at LSU, but probably figured he had no change to come in and play right away with Perrilloux at the helm.
Whatever you do, don't take the crawfish out of the pot and put them in an ice chest and sprinkle seasoning on top of them. This makes for the worst crawfish eating experience ever. Your crawfish tails are bland, but your mouth and fingers are on fire from the pepper. Not to mention it makes it way more messy. Soak them until they taste good, that's the easiest way.
Whatever you do, don't take the crawfish out of the pot and put them in an ice chest and sprinkle seasoning on top of them. This makes for the worst crawfish eating experience ever. Your crawfish tails are bland, but your mouth and fingers are on fire from the pepper. Not to mention it makes it way more messy. Soak them until they taste good, that's the easiest way.
If you want to catch bass easily, go to Lake Cataouchie.
I went to Chicot for the first time last summer. It's not a big lake at all. Just a whole lot of trees and stumps. The few bass that I did catch came on points, but that was during the summer. Good Luck.
I've always gone there a way that takes me about 15 minutes. Launch at Belle River landing, go down 21 inch canal, take Williams Canal at the split, go to the Forks, go down Westfork, take first canal on your left, turn right, left, right, then left again, about 200 yrds on your right you will see a big slough that connects to a canal. Go through that slough and that little short canal runs into Grand Lake.
If you are referring to the Shell Cuts, they are located in the basin. With the rise in the river stages, you would be better on the Verret side. If you are referring to the Texaco canals located off of Grand Bayou, there is a way to get to Lake Verret from them. There are launches located at Bayou Corne, Grand Bayou, and Bayou Natchez. Your best bet would be to launch at Bayou Corne and go left from the launch, that will bring you to Grand Bayou. Some more advice, google earth maps arent that good, go to weather.com and go under the radar map application, you can zoom in alot closer.
I would try Pierre Part store. They usually have all of your Louisiana outdoor needs.
Actually, if the canal you are talking about is deemed a navigable waterway, the banks of that canal are considered a riparian bank and the public can step on the land and use it for certain purposes.