Barometer midwinter’s big factor

Now that we’re six weeks into winter, paying attention to barometric pressure appears to be the best indicator of success on the water.

Last weekend’s rainy, falling-barometer conditions favored freshwater and saltwater catches across south Louisiana and farther north to Toledo Bend.

With a cold front hovering over us Wednesday, and another front due Friday and Saturday, the best plan will be to stay in the protected freshwater and saltwater areas, if only to avoid the problems with heavy north winds and extra-choppy conditions predicted for the weekend.

Weather

Strong north winds are coming with the slight chance of rain Friday into Saturday morning. The 15-knot north winds in the interior are predicted to give us 3-foot waves in Lake Pontchartrain and other large, interior lakes. Expect winds up to 20 knots along the coast and 3-5 foot seas with 25-knot winds offshore pushing seas to 5-9 foot ranges by late Saturday.

Look for chilly, mid-50 highs Saturday and Sunday with lows in the 30s.

The Mississippi River is predicted to rise from 11.6 feet to a 12.7 reading at New Orleans between Thursday and Monday, while the Atchafalaya River forecast is for a 4.5-foot reading at Morgan City by Monday.

Freshwater

The catches from the south end of the Atchafalaya Spillway turned heads over the weekend. With north winds pushing lots of water through the system, it’s possible action will stay solid through the next weeks, but only if sunshine returns to maintain the slight rises in water temperatures that have sac-a-lait and bass into prespawn mode.

Spinnerbaits (with skirts or soft-plastics minnow imitations) continue to take bass from the canals and bayous on the north and south shores of Lake Pontchartrain from Bayou Lacombe east to the Gohagan Canal on the northshore and in the Bayou Sauvage area on the south shore.

While river systems are running muddy from recent rains, water levels in Toledo Bend are up nearly five feet from December’s historic low. That’s meant folks finally can get to the most productive sac-a-lait beds. Limits of small-to-medium sac-a-lait are coming from the depths along the old Sabine River bed. Some bass are moving up the creeks and into the bays on the south end of the giant reservoir.

Saltwater

Live cocahoe minnows are taking redfish and drum from the Biloxi Marsh area west into Leeville and The Fourchon and over to the Bayou Dularge area.

When winds and seas are comfortable, the report is that Pontchartrain has warmed to the 62-64 degrees range and solid 2-5 pound trout are taking soft plastics on the bottom around the railroad trestle bridge. No limits there, so expect a 15-20 trout day per boat. The Paris Road “wall” is producing some trout on the chartreuse/orange and chartreuse MirrOdine XL hard-plastic lure.