We all know, well most of us do, that catching specks is difficult during really cold weather right after several strong Arctic fronts roar through Louisiana’s coastline, particularly those strong ones that terminate deep into the Gulf of Mexico. If one is strong enough, what can follow is gale force northerly winds brought on by a huge high pressure system that drops air and water temps rapidly and blows the water out of the shallow bayous; sometimes the wind driven water drops as much a 3-4 feet. In late December 1989 this writer experienced such a drop in the Barataria area.
One could barely launch their boats in the Barataria Waterway because of the water drop and ice in the bayou, a first for me. I went out later and took photographs of frozen redfish and specks for a magazine article. I found that redfish suffered the most in theshallow Texaco Canal system. Like the redfish, other species like specks and drum could not flee the rapid temperature drop in time. Fortunately, with rare exception, does the super cold temperature hang around more three to five days. Before another front makes its approach for another round of cold weather, the wind traditionally switches to the southwest and then south, and a window of moderating temperatures, even fog.
Fishing in cold weather is a difficult time for the speck species and hard on the fisher. Specks feed little and make a mad dash for deep water when the lateral line on their bodies detects rapidly dropping water temperatures, mostly in late December, January and February. The deep water they seek is progressively warmer than the first top six to eight feet of their normal bay habitat during spring, summer and fall. Water bottoms or holes that are 10 feet or deeper is oxygenated enough and sufficiently warm to sustain their metabolism for a period of time. But there is a kink in the ointment: their metabolism, like feeding, slows considerably and they are very sluggish and move little until the water starts to warm. Yes they are cold blooded marine animals but they, like mammals, will seek warmer water conditions whenever possible. Deep water offers that.
Anyway, what I’m trying to get across, is that fishing for specks during January and February – traditionally the coldest months of months of the year in south Louisiana – requires some study and practice if you’re going to be successful when the weather is super cold. Case in point: On a particular January day, a rare four-inch snowfall fell in south Louisiana and began freezing on the ground when the temperature nosedived. Not a day for man or beast to be subjected to the elements, that is for sane people, but it was not too cold or windy to catch sow specks deep in the marshes around Lake Hermitage in Plaquemines Parish for Charles (Pete) Bruce. He was the writer’s first cousin and we married sisters, Audrey and Beverly Legendre.
Pete and I had planned to use our powered pirogues to fish some deep holes for big specks; I was ready to cancel after a massive cold front passed. But Pete insisted we’d load up with these big female specks, up to four-pounds in a certain bayou that had very deep water. We f ished together on many occasions. Our father-in-law, Yves Legendre Pete and I built powered pirogues with a straight drive shaft and located the deepest holes with a depth finder in the Lake Hermitage marsh area. They (the powered pirogues) were built and used almost exclusively for interior saltwater and freshwater fishing, hunting too. We usually fished together during the cold winter months and had been moderately successful in most instances.
I must sadly admit that Pete always out fished me on just about every occasion during cold weather fishing because he not only knew his quarry but he backed that up with special techniques and tackle. Pete is now deceased, but his family allowed me to use his story on cold weather marsh fishing, which he excelled in. As usual, his young son, Richard was always his companion on such trips, snuggled warmly between his father’s legs. The first part of Pete’s equation was simple: he’d attach a silver-colored, medium sidewinder to the terminal end of a light test mono-filament line. But his very slow retrieve and rod tip action was very professional and highly successful, and brought in many specks.
Some guys in power boats happened by and started crowding Pete while he pulled in several heavy specks from about 20-feet of water. They asked what he was using. He didn’t answer other than, “It’ll cost you,” he said. I think they eventually got the message when Pete pulled in his line and waited for them to leave after they got absolutely no strikes. Pete’s message to me was always the same, “Observe and learn, Mack.” I did! Have a great outdoor month.
By: Guy Ralph McDonald
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