COVERITLIVE.COM

12:15

Kevin Spain, T-P - Welcome to the fishing chat. We're going live with Outdoors editor Bob Marshall around 12:30 or so, go ahead and start sending in your questions.

12:31

Kevin Spain, T-P - OK everyone, we're going live with Bob Marshall and we're taking your questions.

12:31

[Comment From Hefty]
So Bob, tell all these out of towners why it is that our fishing is so good all the time

12:34

Bob Marshall, T-P - Hello Hefty:

It's all about our wetlands. Southeast Louisiana has the largest, most dynamic coastal estauries in the nation, and among the greatest on the planet. When the nutrient rich water of the Mississippi River mixes with the salty Gulf of Mexico the result is a super-charged gumbo for fish production. Our marshes are the critical part of this equation because they provide the nursey habitat for the entire food chain. That's why we need to protect what we have left, and try to rebuild some of what we've lost.

Thanks for chatting

Bob

12:34

[Comment From Al]
Where do you suggest we go this weekend for great fishing?

12:36

Bob Marshall, T-P - Al:

How about your living room? The forecast calls for more weather like we're heaving today, which will probably result in small-craft warnings offshore and very rough and turbid conditions inside.

My suggestion is you gotta go is to stay in interior lakes and bays, where the wind fetch is short, and water conditions might be better. Specifically, you can probably find some trout between delacoix and Pointe a la Hache, around Oak River, Pointe Fienne, Little Lake John and Lake Pato Caballo. Reds should be easy to find in the Biloxi Marsh. On the west side, you'll be able to catch up with trout on the birdfoot delta, but you need to know what you're doing trying to run the river in this stuff.

12:37

[Comment From The New Guy]
What is the best way for a guy with little fishing experience and less fishing equipment to get started fishing in New Orleans? I have always wanted to go fishing just never knew how to get started.

12:41

Bob Marshall, T-P - Good question New Guy. The answer depends on your budget. If you have the means, hire a guide. You'll have a great day, almost certainly catch plenty of fish, and go home with bags of filets, plenty of pictures, and no work. But you'll need to spend between $350 and $550 for an inside trip. If you concvince a few friends to go along, you'll reduce the cost. You'll also be able to learn a lot about fishing technique, gear etc. If your budget is more humble (like most of us), you have two options: You can look for a bank fishing spot, or check the TP Classifieds for a used kayak. Unfortunately, bank fishing is very limited in this area. The best bets are drive to Shell beach and fish off the end of the road in the MR-GO; drive to Reggio and fish from the bank at the marina; or drive to Leeville, and fish the Louisiana Highway 1 canal between Leeville and Grand Isle. Another option is to try fishing city park for bass. If you have a kayak, pirogue or canoe, the world really opens up. You can drop a self-propelled boat off the road in dozens of places and be within a few stroeks of reds and specks. I'll be reporting on these spots in coming editions of the TP.

12:42

[Comment From Tommie boy]
Bob, I have some friends who are looking to come down this summer -- mid-June. Give me your picks for them as far as places to fish and/or who you think would be good to go out with them.

12:45

Bob Marshall, T-P - Tommie:

You're in luck. Mid-June is a great time for everything salty - inshore close to the city for specks, reds, flounder, etc., and offshore for tuna, wahoo, amberjack, and more.

I don't like recommending specific guides, because that basically adds to a TP endorsement. Besdies, there are many, many good ones. If you're interested in marsh fishing, check with the local marina operators (the list is published on NOLA.com archives), and ask their recommendations for that area. If you're going offshore, call the marinas in Venice. Don't be afraid to ask for customers referrals.

Good luck.

12:45

[Comment From Fish Chris]
I have a real small boat . Could you suggest any places that I might be able to get to that others could not?

12:46

Bob Marshall, T-P - Chris:

I need to know if "real small" means something you can pick up and carry, or if you need a boat ramp.

12:46

[Comment From T-man]
What's your favorite area when fishing out of Lafitte, Bob?

12:49

Bob Marshall, T-P - T-Man:

Depends on the weather - and what happens to be hot at the time.
On windy days like this the only reaosnable choice would be the Bayou Dupont area looking for reds, and making the leeshroliens of Bay Round - if there are any. But be careful in Dupont; erosions has made the channel impossible to find in many places unless you're a regular.

But as soon as this weather settles, I'd head out to Baratraia Bay, and begin looking for birds from Manilla Village to Saturday island, and south as far as Cat Island. On the west side of the channel you can start looking at Turtle Bay, Bassa Bassa and west into Little Lake from Coffee Bayou around the Bay L'ours.

12:49

[Comment From Banker]
I've been keeping up with your stories on coastal erosion for a long time. I live on the West Bank. How long before I'm fishing out my backyard if we don't fix things?

12:55

Bob Marshall, T-P - Banker:

Two years ago coastal scientistists came out of their closet of denial and admitted that unless we are actively building land in basins such as Barataria Bay within 10 years, the problems may be too large and deep to fix. So now we have eight years left -- and only one of the big sediment diversion projects everyone agrees are necessary is even in the serious planning stage.

Last year was a serious warning. Ike didn't come within 200 miles of our coast, yet much of lafitte was under water.

We are in sudden death overtime, the clock is running out - and we're trailing.

So we need our governor to begin making this his first and most vocal priority.

If you're living "uptown" on the west bank, we need the Feds to finish a levee system high enough and strong enough to stand up to Cat 5 surge.

In the meantime, anyone living in southeast Louisiana has to understand that a "sustainable" lifetsyle here means evacuation will be a regular occurence.

12:55

[Comment From Fess]
Out of all the various fish we can catch here, what do you think is the best eating fish? And, what's your favorite way ot prepareinng?

1:01

Bob Marshall, T-P -

Fess:

Wow, how to pick from a long list of winners?

I'll say fresh amberjack and cobia are a tie. I like taking steaks and slicing them about 1.5 inches thick and coating them with fresh-sequeezed lemon on both sides. Then I drop them into a heavy-weight non-stick pan that has bene heated to the point the stick of butter has begun to almost turn brown. I let them sizzle on each side about 1.5 minutes - max. Then serve.

If you want to add some local spices, I'd recommend Frank Davis' Bronzing Mix, or Chef Paul's Seafood Magic. But you don't want to overdo either one, and you deifnitely don't want to overcook. The filets should be almost raw in the center.

I like trout bronzed in a similar way (with the seasoning), and I love grilled redfish, and deep-fried sac-a-lait strips, and grilled wahoo, and sushi and . . . well you see the problem. My mercury level is probably off the charts.

1:01	[Comment From Greg] How is the fishing in Batise Coulett down the river? I have a 16ft boat with 85 hp,,would it be too windy to launch accross the river and should I just fish the cuts or go all the way to the Biloxi Marsh? Thanks

1:03

Bob Marshall, T-P - Greg:

This isn't the weekend to try to cross the river in a 16-foot baot -- if any time really is. Besdies the river is up and muddy. The best fishing out of Venice currently is downriver in Blind Bay and Redfish Bay and the edges of Pass a Loutre.

Biloxi Marsh is a good bet for the weekend because some of the bayous and interior lagoons and lake may actually have some clearer water.

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