I haven't fished the hwy 11 bridge in many years. The last time wasn't long after Katrina. I remember there being a boat launch right before the bridge next to what i think was a bar. Is the launch still there and useable?
Last winter we dug a pond by my house. It's about a half acre pond, maybe a little bigger. Everything was great until a few months ago. In a matter of what seemed like only 2-3 weeks the pond basically got taken over by 'giant duckweed'. We've sprayed twice with SONAR, which looked like it was working but then within a few weeks the duckweed just came back in full force. We've tried manually removing it, but it just comes right back. If it was just regular duckweed it wouldn't be a big deal, but this stuff is thick and looks terrible, not to mention makes fishing a pain in the ass.
This past weekend I went out to my cousins camp on 3 mile lake, and they are having the same problem with this stuff. She told me that (they) paid something like 12 grand to have someone come spray the stuff, and it died for a few weeks and came right back.
Have any of you ever dealt with this stuff before? Any advice on how to get rid of it would be greatly appreciated! I read that it only grows in 'still' water. Would having a recirculating pump spraying water on the surface get rid of this stuff?
Hey guys, I'm looking to buy a couple of thousand rounds of .223 for a good price. Anyone know a good website or even better, a good local place that gives good deals on large quantities of ammo?
I have a question that a need a FOR SURE answer on. I've researched the hell out of google and found the answer in many other states, but can't seem to find it for Louisiana.
Is it illegal not to have a REAR bumper on a pick up truck in Louisiana? I'm not talking about the plastic bumper cover. I'm talking about the metal bar that mounts to the frame. From what I've found, it's illegal for CARS not to have a bumper, but it's not illegal for trucks. But again, that's in other states. I'm looking for the answer in Louisiana law.
Reason I'm asking is because my truck hasn't had a rear bumper in years, and I've gotten it inspected with no trouble, and have never been pulled over for it or anything, but today my girlfriend got pulled over on the interstate by a state trooper and he told her that the reason he pulled her over was because it's illegal not to have a rear bumper. He didn't write her a ticket or a warning, but told her to get it fixed because next time he was going to write her a ticket.
I'd like to know what the law is about that in this state. If anyone here is in law enforcement or can find the info online, I'd appreciate it!
Ok so I made a pretty big mistake today on my tractor. Yesterday I had a hydraulic line bust while operating the front loader. Lost a good bit of hydraulic fluid, so I grabbed a can I had under the carport that was still about half full. Topped off the hydraulic fluid level.. Started it up and operated the front loader and backhoe to make sure all was working normally and noticed one end of the new line was leaking hydraulic fluid, so I went to tighten it and noticed the fluid looked very milky white.. Uh oh... I go and pour some of the hydraulic fluid out of the can that I used to refill. #)$!. Somehow, the can got water mixed in! The lid was on tight but water got in it somehow, so I just dumped about 2 gallons of water/hydraulic oil into my tractor. And operated the hydraulics, so I now have this water and oil mixture in all of my hydraulic lines.
How in the world do I go about getting this crap out of the lines? I can't drain it and then operate the hydraulics to clear the lines because the lines cant pressurize with no oil to suck up. And as anyone with a tractor knows, hydraulic fluid isn't exactly cheap. So draining it, then filling it back up with good oil and operating the hydraulics, then draining again and refilling until it runs clear is going to get expensive. Does anyone have a trick or any advice on a cheaper way to flush these lines?? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Does anyone have any photos of this weekends gar rodeo weigh in?
Catfish are biting at manchac. Fishing on bottom at night. Tide has to be moving or you'll only have crabs steal your bait. Tide direction doesn't seem to make any difference. As long as it's moving, they're biting. Size range 15-50 lbs.
Anyone know of a place near hammond that buys old car batteries?
I havent fished the hwy 11 bridge in years.. I think I went once a few months after Katrina, but haven't been back since.. Do they still have the boat launch next to that (bar?)? I forgot the name of it.. I'd like to make a trip out there soon, but I want to make sure the launch is still there and useable.
And has anyone done any trout fishing there recently? I saw a report on the news saying the trout were biting pretty good.
Friend of mine's dad caught this fish at their camp this past weekend. I've never seen this fish before... Anyone know what it is?
I've gone out bow fishing a few times over the past 2 weeks, and I can't find any clear water. My favorite place to bowfish is Manchac, but the water has just been way too dirty to see any fish. Plenty of small gar of course, but not worth shooting.
Also tried bowfishing Blood River the past 2 nights.. Again, muddy water..
Anyone else been bowfishing lately? Where's the clear water???
I usually bowfish at manchac, but lately I haven't had much luck. So I was thinking about going to ramah to try some bowfishing for Carp. I hear they have some pretty big ones out there. Anyone here ever bowfished in the ramah area and had any luck?? I was planning on getting off at the ramah exit *coming from hammond* and taking a left at the levee and launching my flat boat at that little boat launch a few miles down on the left side. I'm not real familiar with the area, so I will probably just try riding around searching for some canals with some clearer water. I haven't been out there in a long time, but from what I recall, the water is usually pretty muddy.
Does anyone have any tips on where I should try? Or if someone knows where I can find a downloadable map of that area, that would be extremely helpful!
Hi guys. I've been fishing for many many years, and while fishing is fun in itself, it's always nice to have a good fishing buddy. I'm 27 (male) and since I run my own automotive body shop at my home, I've got more free time than I know what to do with.
I have a 2005 skeeter sx180 with a 130 yamaha.
I mostly fish the manchac area since it's only a 10 minute drive from my house, and I've spent enough time in the manchac area that I can normally find fish under most condtions. I'm always willing to find new places. I personally enjoy fishing manchac because I can catch anything from Huge catfish (at night) to bass, trout, and even redfish, within 5 minutes from the boat launch. If you're looking for someone to put you on some BIG CATFISH, I can definately make that happen almost any night of the week. And as we all know, the bass can be found, but it takes work and patience.
I also REALLY enjoy bowfishing at night in the manchac area.. If you've never done it,and you're interested in trying it out, Get in touch with me and we'll arrange a trip. I'll supply the bow and lights. All you need to bring is curiosity, and be willing to learn a different way of fishing. Trust me, its a sport you will do one time, and automatically addicted.
As far as fishing for bass, bring your own rod and reel, and your favorite baits. Other than that, pitch in a few bucks on gas to run the boat, and that's all you need.
As I said, Im just looking for someone that loves to fish as much as i do, and just doesn't have to benifit of a boat.
I must add this in here.. No bad attitudes please. This offer is for someone that loves to fish, whether your catching anything or not. I don't do competitions, or anything like that. I fish for fun.
So if you are interested, Email me at Shane_tweezy@hotmail.com
Must have a valid fishing license. And by the way, age, sex, nor race makes no difference to me. As long as you love to fish, that's all that matters to me.
I live in hammond, louisiana. Even if you dont have a vehicle, If you are within a decent driving distance from hammond, I will consider picking you up.
So if you are interested, email me.. Tell me a little about yourself, and lets GO FISHING!!
SHANE_TWEEZY@hotmail.com
It's been too long since I have been to manchac for some night time bowfishing. When I was doing it, I was having amazing luck. Mostly large carp and some really nice catfishin. I know the time is getting near. Anyone else bowfish the manchac area, and if so, when can I expect to go out and stick some fish into the boat? The last couple of attempts were a waste of trip. The water was muddy, so visibility was extremely limited, and the added aggrevation of choppy waters made it a pain in the butt.
If any of you bow fish, or even spear fish the manchac area, please let me know when the best time would be to start making those trips out there.
My personal experience has been accomplished by showing up in LATE afternoon, and by the time the boat is in the water and we're headed to our spots, the sun has pretty much set. I've seen some huge fish, and taken many.
It's simply a matter of showing up at the right time of year, and catching the fish when they are (feeding?) in the shallows.
Any tips, or advice would be greatly appreciated. And if anyone has some bow fishing gear, and would like to come along, email me at SHANE_TWEEZY@HOTMAIL.COM Subject:Bowfishing
Also, for the group of fellaz that go speargun fishing every year at manchac ( in the exact same area that I bowfish) , I'd love to try spearfishing out! So If you guys want an extra spearman, Drop me an email. I'd love to join in on that action!
Thanks for lookin!
Had the pleasure of fishing Lake Ramsey last weekend with my dad. Amazing bass action! That place is bass heaven. Put atleast 40 bass in the boat in 1 afternoon, and missed/lost just as many. Definately looking forward to going again soon!
I just bought a 2002 Skeeter Bass boat with a Yamaha 130 V4 Engine. The trim position gauge on the dash works, but it doesn't show the correct engine position. Can someone tell me where/how to correct this problem?
I'm looking for someone who can trouble shoot and fix dirtbike engines. I have a 2003 yamaha TT-R 125 L. It sat up for about a year, and now I cant get it to start.
Im located in Hammond,LA.
Killed this big boy a few nights ago in the pond at my house. They are coming out strong this year. I'm killing 2 or 3 a day, but this one was the biggest so far.
Has anybody been fishing or heard any reports on trout around the Hwy 11 bridge in slidell? When do the trout usually start biting out there? Have they fixed the lights along the bridge yet? The last time I was out there (night time) was a few months after Katrina, and none of the bridge lights were working.
Also, how long before the trout start to move into manchac pass? Isn't it usually around mid-May?
Bass fishing at manchac has been productive the past few weeks at manchac. A lot of small ones, but even the little ones have been putting up an impressive fight, so it's still a lot of fun. A few 2-2.5 pounders mixed in here and there. Biggest I've caught so far was probably a little over 3 pounds. (Picture below) .. The larger fish seem to feed in the afternoons.
Tips.
Fish the main canal that runs along the interestate. The smaller bass are holding close to the banks in the mornings. Especially around the edges of "floating grass?". The bass are much more aggressive in the mornings than in the evenings, and get more aggressive as the temperture rises. With a clear sunny sky, expect to get a lot of bites as soon as your lure hits the water. The males will charge a lure from several feet away with intentions to kill! Give your lure a twitch or two, and let it sit for a second before reeling. I've gotten most of my strikes that way.
In the afternoons, the bites are not as often, but usually better size fish. And the bites are much different than in the morning. Bring a sensitive light-medium action rod because you will barely feel a bump, and thats if you're lucky. Most times all you will get is a slight tap, and then a little extra weight, like having grass on your line. They're just sucking the lure in, and swimming off slowly with it, so if you feel the slightest tap, stop and watch your line.
Just my personal advice, but don't even waste your time pulling grass off of crankbaits and spinner baits.
SOFT, WEIGHTLESS PLASTICS!! Twitch, twitch, stop. They are hitting it on the fall.
HOPE THIS HELPS, AND GOOD LUCK!!
Peeling is usually caused by not sanding the surface properly before painting it. The surface has to be 'scratched' for the paint to stick. Paint wont stick to a smooth surface. Peeling also happens when painting a surface that hasn't been cleaned.
The first thing you'll need to do is try to sand off the previous paint job you did. If you have a pressure washer, start with that. Start pressure washing all the areas that are peeling with a fine jet stream. You'll probably be able to knock a lot of the paint off without much work. Then Use a DA sander and some 80 grit on whatever paint is left. After you're done getting as much of the old paint off as possible, Just do a quick pass on the entire surface with 180-220 grit to smooth out the deep scratches the 80 grit left. Then give the entire surface a good washing with dish washing liquid. This will remove the dirt, and any grease or oil. Once it's dry, check to make sure you have no shiny/smooth spots. If you do, sand them. Then you're ready to spray a primer coat, and then your color.
As for the bed liner, DA sand the hell out of all the surfaces you plan to spray the liner on with some 120 grit. You'll need to hand sand in the small cracks and corners that the DA can't get. Any surface that isn't scuffed will peel/chip ESPECIALLY with bed liner. Then wash it really good with some dish washing liquid and you're good to go. Just make sure you let it dry COMPLETELY. Don't waste your money on the spray can liner. For surfaces like boats that will be walked on and have things knocking around, the spray can liner won't last long. Get the kind you 'roll' on. The roll on liner is much thicker and more durable.
Sorry if I went into more detail than you were looking for lol
I have heard of that law. I believe it is a safety issue for small (low)cars that may rear end you, and if your bumper is high enough, instead of hitting your bumper they can go underneath it and end up taking your bumper through the front of their windshield.
Your answer did bring up a thought I hadn't taken into consideration before. I can see how having no bumper could indeed pose a safety issue. The fuel tank is located under the bed of most small pick up trucks. I guess getting hit in the rear end without a bumper could cause damage to the gas tank and possibly cause an explosion. So it would make sense to have such a law, however I have yet to find any law against it in Louisiana. Even California, where just about any modification to a vehicle is illegal says it's illegal for cars, but not for trucks. I'm going to make some phone calls tomorrow to the Louisiana state police and see if there is a law regarding no rear bumper on pick up trucks.Will update.
It wouldn't be out of the ordinary for her to get pulled over just so the cop can get a closer look, but that wasn't the case this time. She said the guy was actually pretty rude and unfriendly.
Thanks for your response. Your method makes sense. I will definitely try what you suggested. Thanks a lot!
You CAN eat rabbits that are killed in the summer, but it's generally not a great idea. If you cook it at the right temp it will kill all the parasites and worms, and you wont get sick from it, but I'm not sure cooked parasites and worms taste very good.. Never tried them. lol
The reason most people dont eat rabbits or squirrels in the summer is because parasites breed like crazy during the warm months, and any animal killed in the summer is going to be infested with fleas, ticks, lice..etc... Same goes for parasites on the inside. The warm weather makes the animals great breeding grounds.
Also, during the summer, there's a pretty good chance that if you shoot a female rabbit, she's going to be pregnant.
My grandfather used to say not to kill rabbits or squirrels in any month that didn't have an R in it..
Delayed response, but the water is high and muddy at manchac. Having no luck with the catfish. Only thing biting are big gar and sail cats.
I fished the Natalbany river early morning about 2 weeks ago. Caught a few nice bass and some small ones on red-shad worms.. Fish were holding real close to cypress trees. Had no luck around grass or lillys. The previous week was a lot better. Tide was falling and fishing the run-outs produced several fish from every run-out I fished. If you want to go for goggle-eye and bream and maybe some sacs- fish a blue and white tube jig with a chartreuse crappie nibble. Lot of small ones, but some keepers mixed in. Good luck!
My grandfather used to catch gar (LOTS OF GAR). He used jugs, and another way that I found really cool.. He would use a strings, like the kind they use for hay bails I think, and run them about an inch below the water surface. He'd run them across canals or whatever, and just leave it for a few hours.. It worked really well.. He said it works best at night when the gar are swimming close to the surface. They swim with their mouths partially open and their teeth would get tangled in the string.. I've never done it myself, but I've gone with him to retrieve the lines and there was always plenty of gar on.
I too took a shot and went out to see if I could catch a few yesterday with the blue bird sky. Went down the natalbany river.
My experience was totally opposite from yours though. Fish were biting basically in the middle of the cove we were in, away from any cover at all. And simply WOULD NOT BITE when the sun wasn't shining directly on the water.. I thought it was really strange until i finally figured out what they were feeding on. They were schooling up new born shiny bait fish right in the middle and feeding on them. And I guess when the sun wasn't shining on the water, they couldn't see them as well, so they would just quit feeding. It was a pain to get the hang of what they wanted, but once we figured them out we were able to get about 20 before the sun tucked in behind the trees.
Strange as it is, they wouldn't hit a shinner. We started catching them on blue/white tube jigs fished about 1.5 ft under a cork, and would have to reel very slow through the schools of bait fish.
Aww man, lol.. I got punk'd.. Oh well.. I'm actually a relieved to know it's not true. LoL
Thanks for clearing it up Mike!
If you have a flatboat, then IMO you're best bet at shooting a large gar at manchac is launching at the manchac launch, going under the interstate, and instead of going left down the main canal towards maurepas, just continue strait across and follow the curve to the right, and start looking for the opening on the left that will bring you out to the lake. Once you get to the point where it opens up into the lake, stay to the left and follow the shoreline. Go down until you see a dead cypress tree that's just a few feet from the water line. It sort of stands out since theres nothing else around it. You dont need a generator or anything like that. Just two bright spotlights will do the job. I have shot LOTS of fish in that area. Big catfish, and Big carp! The carp are really fun to shoot because they fight hard. Anyway, You can start there, and work your way down the shoreline until you get to the point that you have to go left *back towards the bridge*. After that point, I have seen almost no fish.
There are two major issues that will determine whether you have a good night, or a horrible night. One is the water clarity. If the water is muddy, you might as well head back to the lauch. And the other is WIND! If it's windy, don't even attempt to bowfish in that area. You will spend more time rocking the boat off of stumps, banging into stumps with the trolling motor, and fighting the wind with the trolling motor than you will bowfishing. It's NO FUN! TRUST ME
Now if you do get out there and the water is clear, but the wind is blowing too strong to fish that area, you can go back and bowfish the main canal going towards lake maurepas. I've had the best luck fishing the right side. I have never seen any large gar in the canal, but you will see lots of catfish and a few nice carp. Lots of gar, but mostly runts that aren't worth shooting at.
One very important tip- DONT USE THE ARROW TIPS THAT COME ON THE FISHING ARROWS. Stick one of those deep into a stump or root bed, and you're going to be there ten minutes just trying to get your arrow back. And they are a real pain to remove from the fish too.
Get Muzzy Stingray Arrow Tips. They cost between $15-$18, but they will prove to be well worth the money. Especially when you miss and get stuck in a root bed or bury the arrow in an old rotten log. You simply twist the arrow counter clockwise, and the blades fold foward allowing you to pull the arrow out with no trouble.
GOOD LUCK! I'm about to head out there not so I will update tomorrow.
Manchac has always been my first choice for bowfishing and catfishing. Probably because it's only a 15 minute drive from my house.. But that also allows me to spend a lot of time out there searching around and scouting out the area, which i've done for the past 8 years.
The gar out there are plentiful, but it's certainly not the place to go with huge expectations of sticking a giant. I've caught several gar that were close, and a few over 100 pounds out there on rod and reel, but as for bow fishing, I've only saw and shot one that was I'd guess right over 100 pounds. I've seen probably a dozen 50+ pounders, but I don't really go for the gar. I go bowfishing for the catfish and the carp. When the water is clear, Manchac is definitely the place to go for catfish and carp. The problem is the water clarity out there can change from one day to the next so you just have to load up and go see for yourself what the water looks like.
The last few times I went, the water was really low, and I'm guessing that may have something to do with the water being muddy. I'm going to head out there tonight and try it out.
I hear Rudoc is a great place to catch plenty of bream, but I don't fish there because most of the canals are shallow and I'm not very familiar with the area, so I always go to manchac. I mostly catfish at night at manchac, but when I just want to get out on the water during the day and do some fishing not far from home, I bream fish in the canals under the interstate. If you are just looking to catch some fish and you aren't trying to fill up the freezer with meat, it will do the job. There are PLENTY of small-medium sized bream, and you dont have to go far from the boat launch. They do have some good sized goggle-eye though. I usually fish with night crawlers. The goggle-eye will hit the night crawlers, but the larger ones like shinners.
Good Luck, And Have fun!
Where are you located? And do you have a vehicle?
Are you talking about the pass manchac area?
Yeah, its a pain trying to get out there at just the right time. I have gone 3 or 4 nights in a row, and my luck couldn't have been any better, and the I'd come the very next night, and the water is either way too muddy, or the wind makes it impossible.
Glad to hear you had atleast one good trip. It's enough to get me out there to give it a try atleast. Only 10 minutes from home, so not much lost if it's a bummer night. And of course if all else fails with bowifishing, theres's always tying off and catching some big catfish.
What night were you considering going? I can meet you out there. Maybe trade a few tips and spots. I'll probably bring my bassboat just to check the situation out, and if it looks promising, I'll go back home and get the aluminum boat.
Yeah, Thankfully, I am able to fish during the week, so once the jetskis start coming out, I'm not even going to bother fishing there unless it's during the week.
Yes, we fished both sides of the lake. It seems that there are more bass on the "new" side, but the biggest one I caught was on the old side. I take it you have fished there? Those bass definately have a strict feeding time. And they may hit one lure for an hour back to back, but when the bite stops on a particular lure, they simply dont want that lure AT ALL anymore. Switch baits, and its back to the action.
Will he travel to Hammond to fix it? I know it's not going to be a major job. Probably just some cleaning of the carb, and small things like that.. I'm looking for someone that makes house calls.
You still spearfishing around that shoreline with all the stumps at manchac? I saw you out there several times last year.. I am dying to try spearfishing. I was going to buy some gear but I keep putting it off.. I started bowfishing (night) last summer, and did really good with the catfish last year, but this year, I cant seem to find them. I'm even having trouble finding the carp, and lastyear, they were everywhere! I dont know what the deal is.
Awesome. Thanks!