Capt. Chas Champagne is an avid angler, located in Slidell, LA. Capt. Chas owns and operates Dockside Bait & Tackle and also manufactures his own tackle producing the Matrix Shad fishing lure and the Golden Eye jig heads.
https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/sports/outdoors/article_c4e3556c-c40f-11e8-b26e-7b0b2819ce0e.html Big Trout On Hard Baits: By Todd Masson Make sure to read the article above for exactly how to target big trout right now in the Pontchartrain Estuary
Well September felt more like August making us crave October cool fronts more than normal. The good news is we look like we escaped the heart of hurricane season yet again and the trout have already started their move to the west. Usually we do not start making good trout catches until October but we…
“Transition Time” August has past and gone and usually I am thrilled do get out of that dreadful month but this year was different. This August speckled trout unexpectedly showed up in several areas and I was pleasantly shocked. I personally started my mornings out in Lake Catherine each day drifting way off the banks…
“Why Lake Pontchartrain is Not What it Used to Be” For those reading this who have fished Lake Pontchartrain during this century will agree completely that fishing the Lake for speckled trout has completely changed and not for the better. What some may disagree on is the reasons why and that is ok as there…
Well the blistering heat is here and it will not be going anywhere soon. As most know the dead of the summer means very early starts on the water especially if you are looking for specks. If it’s reds you are after you can get away with a later start but the heat will…
Are you looking for a big trout to put on the wall but you don’t have a boat big enough to make long boat rides or handle heavy seas? Well I have a place right up your alley if so. The Florida panhandle is a small boat owners dream especially if you are looking for…
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” as Charles Dickens once wrote. Well here off the Pontchartrain basin it has been the worst of times. This April was the worst I just about ever remember. The spillway water finally made its way all the way to Lake Borgne mixing with…
It’s starting to be a common trend to be fishing a fresh Lake Pontchartrain during the spring months. Now that the MRGO is completely closed the Pontchartrain basin is a tough place to target trout during the spawning month’s. April-Sept trout really need high salinity levels to lay their eggs and out eco system simply…
A life long Florida resident, I grew up fishing the waters in the shadow of Kennedy Space Center on the East, Central coast of the state. There are many great places to fish in this area and I’m trying to hit them all! I mostly target Redfish, Trout, Snook, and Tarpon in the Intracoastal waterways,…
After a brutally cold, rainy and windy January we rolled right into an abnormally warm and calm February. A lot of anglers relate the bridges in Lake Pontchartrain as an April and May place to fish but nothing is further from the truth if these certain starts align. If water temps get over 55…