The State of Poverty

   No, this is not a blog about the poor. This is about a small lake in north Louisiana. Poverty Point Reservoir is a 2700 acre lake located north of Delhi, Louisiana. It was constructed in 2005 as a bass lake, but its fertile waters with large populations of shad, have made it one of the best crappie fishing lakes in the state. The number one black crappie and six of the top ten white crappie records have all come from Poverty Point. In 2016 the lake exploded with 3lb crappie. Three of the top ten all were caught within weeks of each other. There was at least 15 fish reported that year that broke that magical 3lb mark. Those kinda of numbers of trophy fish would rival some of the best Mississippi lakes. This has been well publicized throughout the state and the country. It has brought many fishers from all over the country to this small hidden gem. But something has changed since 2016. Those trophy size crappie have seemed to disappear overnight or at least the past two years. 

Last year, a few trophy crappie were landed, but less than the year before. This year, as of the middle of March, no 3lb plus fish have been documented. They say crappie are cyclic, which may explain the decline in numbers of large fish. The decline in the numbers and size of the crappie fishing had prompted the wildlife and fisheries to allow commercial fishing for catfish and the many other predator fish that are abundant on the lake. 

  That being said, for some unexplained reason, there were hybrid stripers released in the small impoundment 3 years ago according to the state park officials. This year has been the first reported catches and they are in great numbers. They average between two and three pounds and can grow as large as sixteen pounds. It is unclear to the officials I had spoken to, why they were put into the lake. Only time will tell whether there is a correlation between when they were released and the decline of the size of the crappie. 

   This past week I made my annual journey from south Louisiana to the "land of the giants". It was evident that things had changed from the previous years. The numbers of crappie caught were good with some juvenile fish being caught also. We landed and released over 200 crappie in 5 days of fishing. The numbers of big fish caught were nowhere near the previous years. Many of the local crappie fishers had reported the same. As stated before, it just may be a cyclic event or perhaps the introduction of these hybrids affecting the fishery. 

   Since I had no clue, or had ever heard of the hybrid program, I assumed we were catching giant white bass which have always been present in the lake. But after further inspection and some research between a white bass and hybrid, I was baffled as to where these fish had come from. No one I had talked to, nor I from my personal experiences had never caught a hybrid striper on the lake. Perhaps the strangest thing about this stocking program, is that no one reported catching these fish last year. 

   The numbers are staggering. If you love catching hard pulling tenacious stripers, then the Point may be the place to go. But for the hard core crappie angler, this is just another nuisance fish that is destroying what was one of the best crappie fisheries in the state. Poverty Point is a beautiful small impoundment that provides some of the best fishing in the state. 

  There are many varieties of fish to be caught. This includes black and white crappie, catfish, bluegill, white bass, largemouth bass, and now hybrid stripers. We landed and released over 100 hybrids between two to three pounds. By next year they may be 5lbs or better. It is hard to imagine hooking three or more of this fish at a time spider rigging that may weigh 5lbs or better. It could be that the big crappie will show up some time this spring or it maybe it's an off year. One thing is for certain, it is a magical fishery for its size. 

   Please practice reasonable catches. Keep what you need and release the rest. Releasing the bigger spawning fish benefits the fishery and just might be the reason you will catch that fish of a lifetime the next time you are on the water. Good luck fishing. Hope to see ya on the water.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Catching That Crappie Wave

Image
Every year, starting late winter, well-into late spring and even early summer, crappie begin their spawn. The wave starts here in the deep south and will continue as far north into Canada. It is perhaps the favorite time of year for crappie anglers. It's that time of year when even the novice of novice fishers can catch numbers of spawning fish. Just like clockwork, the spawn occurs here in the southern regions of the United States and progressively moves like a giant wave of crappie fishing heaven. Typically starting late January to mid February, the flurry begins and spreads north through the middle states from middle March through April. The wave continues north through April and May. So if you are a crappie enthusiust, and have time to travel, you can ride this crappie wave all the way to Canada. This may be a little far fetched for most of us, but it is possible to catch part of the ride by traveling a few hours north of where you are fishing. Perhaps the best example here in ...
Read more

Shallow Water Live Scoping

Image
Shallow water livescoping is not as easy or simple as one might think. The sheer amount of noise can make it difficult to spot the targeted fish you are trying to catch. When talking shallow, I mean 6 ft or less. So you have bought the coveted holy grail Garmin livescope or the new Lowrance Active Target. These innovations have changed the way fishers fish for certain. Deeper lakes/reservoirs are easier to navigate and spot brushpiles and fish. Shallow water seems to be more difficult. The settings are basically the same, usually noise rejection on low or medium. Then you adjust the gain and depths accordingly. Some scopers like to keep the bottom at the lower part of the screen which works fine in deep water. But sometimes in real shallow water, the view gets distorted and it's harder to see the fish. I like to put the depth at half or three quarter screen. These are only personal preferences that work for me. The key to catching more fish in real shallow water, is knowing what t...
Read more

Big Trout light tackle topwater

Image
With this warm weather here in south Louisiana, the top water fishing has been fantastic. For most folks using medium to heavy tackle would seem to be the best bet. But for me I op-out for the lightest tackle I can get away with. After all what is more exciting than hooking mule trout on 8-10 pound line with a medium to light weight 7ft spinning rod and a 1000 series spinning reel.. Crazy right? Most folks would think that, but that's exactly what I have caught over 40 fish with in the 3-6lb range these last two months. Plus this type of finesse fishing is great if you are using plastics or suspending baits. I prefer braided line also. but the key to using a light braid, is to have at least a 15-20 mono leader.. Those big trout have very sharp teeth and will slice through that braid better than any knife. As far as lures, that's a matter of preference. But a good topwater for the novice would be the mirrolure she-pup with high pitch rattles.. color seems to be secondary. Depend...
Read more