Hello Frank,

I was wondering if you had any updates on Seabrook. I fished the lake in my 20ft flat boat for the first time last year with no success but look forward to trying again this year. I read your tackle bible and intend to apply those methods this spring. Also, could you please post a list of launches that are open at this time.

Thanks

I was looking for an update on the fishing pier situation with the Corps of Engineers.

I'LL HAVE AN UPDATE FOR YOU SHORTLY. BUT...THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MY FISHING PIER. --FRANK D

Hello Frank I'm writing to get your advice. I am a Boyscout Troop leader and our boys are looking for a good fishing spot to do bank fishing. If you have any suggestions please contact me via e-mail.
Thanks!

Dear Pete:
Here is the current list of bankfishing spots. You should "scout out" a number of them (no pun intended) before taking your troop there. But a lot of them are ideal for scouting ventures.
--Frank D
FRANK’S LIST OF PLACES TO FISH FROM THE BANKS
By Frank Davis
Boat Rentals:
Gulf Outlet Marina on Paris Road. Undergoing Katrina repairs.
Tite’s Placon Hwy 11 on the Northshore. Totally destroyed by Katrina; reconstruction expected to begin in fall.
Joe’s Place in Lafitte—Call before going down there to see if they are available.
Live Bait Suppliers :
Gulf Outlet Marina on Paris Road. Undergoing Katrina repairs.
Tite’s Placon Hwy 11 on the Northshore. Totally destroyed by Katrina; reconstruction expected to begin in fall.
Joe’s Place in Lafitte—Call before going down there to see if they are available.

Bankfishing Spots:
1. The Frank Davis Fishin' Pier at Seabrook Bridge. Undergoing reconstruction as pf 6/6/06).
2. The public pier at the Bonnabel Blvd. boat launch.
3: The public pier at the Williams Blvd. boat launch..
4. Irish Bayou—Several places along the roadside where you can fish in Irish Bayou and the marshes.
5. Watson-Williams Canal (runs parallel to Hwy. 11 from Irish Bayou to Powers Junction): Poor catches here.
6. Chef Menteur (where Hwy. 90 meets the Chef Bridge. Good spots at certain times. Find one you like.
7. Ft. McComb (at Chef Menteur & Hwy. 90. Certain areas are restricted—fish ones that aren’t. You’ll know!.
8. Salt Bayou (Hwy. 433 crosses Salt Bayou between the Rigolets & Slidell). Severely damaged during Katrina.
9. Old Spanish Trail Canal (runs parallel to Hwy. 433 between Slidell & Salt Bayou). Stay off private property.
10. Borrowed Bayou (runs parallel to Hwy. 11 between North Shore & Slidell). Stay off private property.
11. Lakeshore Drive Seawall. Levee Board has just opened 5 new designated fishing areas. Look for the signs.
12. West End (just off Breakwater Dr. @ West End behind the Yacht Club). Pier destroyed by Katrina.
13. Paris Road (Paris Road Bridge, Bayou Bienvenue Bridge, section that runs between Hwy. 90 & Chalmette.
14. Ft. Pike. Significant damage due to Katrina, but some areas are accessible for fishing from the shoreline.
15. Lake Road Fishing Launch (the road that runs toward the lake from Hwy. 190 in Lacombe). Lower section good.
16. Mandeville Seawall—Typical seawall fishing: some croakers, white trout, and lots of hardhead catfish.
17. Fountainebleau State Park—Really not a prime spot because you’re fishing on the beach; but it is used.
18. Riverside State Park—One or two possible spots, but they need to be pre-scouted.
19. Bonnet Carre Spillway: Decent freshwater fishing in the Spillway, but not a very accessible place when wet.
20. Manchac: Lots of good bankfishing spots here along Hwy 51. But scout ‘em out and don’t tell a soul!
21. City Park (lots of lagoons, ponds and canals). Extremely poor since Katrina. No immediate plans for restocking.
22. North Shore Beach (directly at the end of I-10 bridge). Some areas private property—be careful where you go.
23. Bayou St. John (where the bayou dumps into the lake at the control gates). Designated fishing spot here.
24. Sunset Point, just off the intersection of Massena and Monroe Streets in mid-town Mandeville. Good modern pier, damaged by the hurricane but in the process of renovation.

Excerpt from the FRANK DAVIS FISHING GUIDE ©

Shell Beach: Drive down St. Bernard Highway and head in the direction of Yscloskey. From there, cross Bayou Loutre, take a left, and go to the end of the Shell Beach Road past Campo's Marina. The highway terminates at a shell and riprap mound that leads down to the water. A new memorial marker has just been placed there. You will be fishing directly into the Ship Channel. Fish under a popping cork (since there are lots of snags and hurricane debris on the bottom) or by quick cast and retrieve. Live bait is once again available at Campo's. Fair fishing most months of the year, especially in early spring and early fall.

Delacroix Island: Drive down St. Bernard Highway and head in the direction of Delacroix Island. About halfway down the road you are going to see a large canal appear off to the right. This is Bayou Terre aux Boeuf. At numerous spots along this waterway you can fish into the bayou for white trout, redfish, sheepshead, drum, croakers and an occasional catfish. Before Katrina, you could fish both on top and on the bottom, but some under a cork is the recommended method now (too many snags and storm debris in the water). Be sure to watch the traffic in this area. You are essentially on the shoulder of the road. Fishing is fair most times, and crabbing is very good in late summer.

The Lakefront Seawall: Extends the entire length of Lakeshore Drive in New Orleans. Once a fantastic place to fish, urban problems in the past put the area in decline. But in the last few years, fish have once again begun showing up along the seawall from West End to the Lakefront Airport. Since Hurricane Katrina destroyed the fishing pier under the Seabrook and lacerated much of the seawall abutments, as mentioned earlier the New Orleans Levee District has designated five (5) public fishing spots along the seawall. Large signs mark their locations. It's just a matter of scouting out the spot you like and fishing it on a regular basis. Almost all fishing is done on the bottom with market shrimp. A few storm snags will be encountered, but they'll be rather sparse at the designated places. Dominant species includes white trout, croakers, catfish, channel mullet, and an occasional redfish and flounder. Watch the bottom steps--they're covered with green algae and are extremely slippery!

The Frank Davis Fishing Pier: Previously located directly under the Seabrook Bridge on Lakeshore Drive, where the Industrial Canal empties into Lake Pontchartrain, the structure was totally destroyed by the wave action caused by Hurricane Katrina. Built under my direction back in 1998 with the assistance of Boh Brothers Construction, Bob Harvey and the Orleans Levee Board, this spot before the hurricane was a significant and highly popular fishing area. And it will be again within six months! Levee District plans are to return it to state of the art status, with handicapped access, open 24 hours a day, and halogen lights for nighttime fishing. Biologically, it produces some species of fish year round, but is most crowded during mid-summer when braggin’-size speckled trout move into the area. Good sheesphead and drum catches are also made here. The only drawback is its height over the water. You will need to rig a special net to lower to the water to hoist in heavier fish. Market bait works for some species, but the trout bite best on live shrimp (which you will have to bring with you). Shell grade parking is nearby.

Bayou Bienvenue: At the intersection of Paris Road and Bayou Bienvenue, a great number of local anglers fish for croakers, white trout, and channel mullet from the "old road" and the nearby mud bank. This is generally considered to be one of those low-key spots where you don't catch a lot of fish but the ones you catch are pretty nice size. Most fishermen use popping corks in Bayou Bienvenue because of the snags in the water. Garfish also tend to congregate in this area every summer. Live shrimp and Cocahoe minnows are available at Bait, Inc. right down the road, but on many occasions all you really need is market shrimp.

Leeville/Grand Isle: This is by far the Number 1 bank fishing spot in Louisiana! Drive down Hwy 1 in lower Jefferson Parish, and when you pass over the Leeville Bridge you will begin seeing flooded marsh off to the right. In fact, it will parallel the highway all the way to Grand Isle. This roadside "ditch," as most fishermen refer to it, provides very good catches 12 months out of the year for speckled trout, white trout, redfish, sheesphead, drum, channel mullet, and flounder. Live bait (which is usually available from about Cut Off all the way past Golden Meadow) works best, but market shrimp is usually considered to be a close second. Here's the trick for fishing "The Highway One" canal. Drive along until you see a spot where there is a little ditch or trainnaisse intersecting the ditch from inside the marsh. It's at points like that where fish travel back and forth into the marsh ponds and lagoons. These locations always hold fish. As far as technique is concerned, fish bottom with a Carolina rig in the straight-aways, and fish under a popping cork at the places where the marsh intersects.

Barataria State Park: On the highway headed to Lafitte, there is a park and public pavilion about a third of the way down the road on the right. It sits on the Barataria Waterway and is open 24 hours a day, 364 days a year. No major facilities are nearby, so you should plan to bring all your accessories with you. Generally, fishing is rated "fair" at best, and only at certain times of the year. I suggest you fish bottom only if you can "long cast" out into the center of the waterway. If you can't make long casts, then fish under a popping cork to avoid shoreline riprap and snags. Drum, sheepshead, catfish, and the occasional white trout will be your dominant species.

The Cocodrie Road: On both sides of the highway heading to Cocodrie (consult a Terrebonne map for exact location), you can fish both on the marsh side and directly into Petite Caillou—but stay off private property!. Little outcroppings along the road where the shell chenier is exposed make for good spots from which to fish. Most of these places will be easy to spot once you pass both the Boudreaux Canal and the Robinson Canal. Off to the right, you will be fishing in landlocked ponds and lagoons. Redfish, mostly, and an occasional flounder, will be your dominant species. Across the road in Petite Caillou, you will be fishing into a deep-water canal where speckled trout, white, trout, sheepshead, drum, and channel mullet prevail. Both live bait and market shrimp work well here. Once again, just be careful where you fish--you don't want to trespass on anyone's personal property.

Note: Additional spots will be added as they are discovered and tested. Your input is also welcomed. If you know of a really good bankfishing spot and you want to list it here for others to try, just send me an e-mail to fdavis@wwltv.com. Also be sure to write a complete description of the spot, along with details on how to get there.