[GreenwaterJon]

The water in lake Pontchartrain, the Rigolets, and northwest Lake Borgne has been near zero visibility for most of March. Strong gusty winds have muddied almost every shoreline – the lee shores will clear up in 2-3 days, but the winds has been switching direction every couple of days. The Pearl River was running over 16-ft. at the beginning of March (and is still around 14-ft.), adding its muddy load to the mix, so it’s been a struggle to find fishable water anywhere. I’ve been skunked twice in recent weeks, and what few fish I’ve found have been widely scattered, so your experience is about what I’ve seen, too. Thanks for the report!

[GreenwaterJon]

That’s a very cool adventure, and I’m envious of the Islander reservation. I make the VERY long trip to the islands several times each summer from my back door in Slidell, such a gorgeous area. This is a 2-1/2 to 3 hour journey, and I never really seem to get out there before the mothership, Islander, Pelican, and floatplane guests have already set up all along the flats on the back side, so I’ll be looking forward to the report when you go.

[GreenwaterJon]

Muddy water in Lake Pontchartrain, The Rigolets, and Lake Borgne today, too – come to think of it, this makes four trips in a row with almost unfishable water… Hang in there!

[GreenwaterJon]

Thanks for the report – I’m sort of stuck with departing from Eden Isles (at least for now – until I finally get the old trailer in roadworthy condition), but it’s helpful to know what kind of habitat the fish were in. Those are some gorgeous trout, but the way – hope I can find some tomorrow…

[GreenwaterJon]

Excellent report – thanks!

[GreenwaterJon]

Wow, awesome report! South Florida has some beautiful trout, too – remembering a snook/tarpon/permit trip out of Islamorada, fishing Florida Bay when our guide just stopped and started blind-casting a topwater – and got slammed on every cast, gorgeous trout, 18”-22”. Said he could smell them, not sure how that works, but the fish were there… Good to hear how the LAFB principles work elsewhere, too.

[GreenwaterJon]

No worries on the iOS app, boss… I’m an iPad and iPhone user, but am perfectly happy with this website. I don’t use Facebook, so wasn’t getting anything from the LAFB Elite community until you opened this excellent site. Can’t wait for the book! (I have some fishing buddies who really NEED some sort of rational system to help them catch more fish – still relying on what worked once before, a new magic lure, some vague – and often incorrect – advice from magazine articles, etc. I be happy to buy a few copies for them, and myself…)

[GreenwaterJon]

Thanks for posting this link. The LDWF comments seem credible, and don’t appear to be an easy “do nothing” decision-avoidance tactic, so I am now more optimistic for the year ahead.

[GreenwaterJon]

Time will tell – I will be doing catch-and-release, and will probably focus on outer coastal and offshore fishing this summer…

[GreenwaterJon]

Welcome, Roy!

I’m Jon, live in Eden Isle and probably fish the same general areas – glad to have you here…

[GreenwaterJon]

The Ulterra seems like a fiendishly complex machine, and Minn Kota doesn’t have an ‘official’ belt replacement procedure for owners. (They REALLY want you to go to one of their Authorized Dealers or Service Centers, who undoubtedly do have a written procedure from the manufacturer). As a result, there is some crazy stuff on the internet on this topic. One dude took the lift actuator assembly COMPLETELY APART, and spent 15 minutes of video time trying to get it all back together. Another guy cut the control head wiring, removed the head and pulled the lift actuator completely off the motor shaft – for no obvious reason. A third guy did a three-minute video on how he STAPLES the broken belts back together.

Anyway, I got it fixed – and the lift mechanism runs smoother and more quietly than it ever has. I did this without removing the control head, opening any sealed assemblies, or touching any wiring. I didn’t have to remove anything from the unit apart from a few screws. The whole process took about an hour, but I’m confident I could do it in 30 minutes next time. Please feel free to contact me if anyone ever breaks a belt and wants some input on how to get it going again…

[GreenwaterJon]

I had a look at the Bates reels online. They do appear to be very good in terms of design and materials, but the price point is about $150 above what I was expecting. If you do get one, I’m sure we’d all be very interested in a review…

For what it’s worth, I converted from Curado to TranX about three years ago and am extremely pleased with them. The Curados are outstanding reels (I had a couple of the original Curado-B series, one DSV, and three Curado E-series reels), but the TranX have better cast controls, a somewhat better drag, and are the most saltwater-proof inshore reels I’ve ever owned. I have the TranX 150, two TeamX 200s, and one TranX 300…

[GreenwaterJon]

Thanks Devin,

I appreciate the report. All the little East Biloxi Marsh throwbacks swarming the outer bays this summer are coming in for the winter, evidently – I fish the Biloxi Marsh often, and have caught very few keepers all year. I do love this area, though – my trolling motor belt should arrive today, so hopefully I may give it a try soon myself – probably in the far northwest Malheureux Point area, just because it’s usually much less crowded…

[GreenwaterJon]

I was thinking the outgoing tide just kept going because all the water that had been piling up in the lake from east and south winds just overpowered the incoming tide, helped along by west winds on that day. With that said, I did NOT know about the difference between the Rigolets and Lake Pontchartrain tides. I use the Rigolets, Chef Pass, Shell Beach, Michoud/ICW and Grand Pass (35 miles east) stations for planning, and these space out more or less in order from east to west, with Grand Pass about 2 hours ahead of Shell Beach and 2-1/2 hours ahead of the Rigolets, etc. The Chef and ICW are east of the Rigolets but move LATER, though, now that I think about it – so my ideas on differences are a bit off. I will definitely be checking the Bayou Bonfouca station from now on, really appreciate the tip!

[GreenwaterJon]

Well, I have my son in town who wants to go and we’ve had a couple days of warmer weather, so I’m planning to start in the Eden Isle canals, then some of other nearby winter refuge spots – Lakeshore Estates, Salt Bayou, the Treasure Isle lagoon, Geoghegan Canal, etc. We are expecting N to NE winds tomorrow – 5-10 mph, not too strong, but maybe enough to drop water levels and move some redfish from the ponds into the little bayous that drain them. I may try that later in the day, will report back soon.