Bonne Carre Spillway to open (2 Viewers)

[MLU]

I think you are calling him a liar.

 

[DavidM]

doubtful...more like gars, sturgeon or paddlefish. You know... typical fresh water fish.

There is a persistent rumor that there are sharks in Lake Pontchartrain – and the rumors are correct. Years ago, an angler would occasionally land a large shark along the lake front, and a photo usually found its way to the local newspaper.

...

Dr. Bruce Thompson, marine scientist with LSU’s Coastal Fisheries Institute, has studied bull shark populations in coastal Louisiana for the last couple of decades. He has collected juvenile bull sharks throughout the lake, but has never been able to verify the presence of a mature individual. According to Dr. Thompson’s records, there has never been an attack on a human in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin.

...

Bull sharks are well known invaders of freshwater areas. The infamous Zambezi sharks of Africa are bull sharks. This species is also the shark found in Lake Nicaragua, rivers in Gambia, and the Ganges. The most inland specimen captured in the United States was taken in the Mississippi River near Alton, Illinois, in 1937 (over 1800 miles upstream from the Gulf of Mexico). In the summer of 2004, an immature male was caught in a gill net in the Red River just north of Simmesport, Louisiana. In fact, scientists believe that a large bull shark was responsible for the vicious attacks in a New Jersey creek that inspired the book and movie Jaws.

sheens

 

[Rob Beaux]

YES there are sharks in the lake( caught some myself-blacktips near the Seabrook last summer.)...but there will not be loads of them in the spillway. Its a rare occurance in the river, Your link mentions a handful. I stand by what I said, if they were indeed sharks it was one or two, but I doubt it was more than that.

 

[DavidM]

Sorry, Rob, wanted to add to that, but got momentarily sidetracked.

I'd remembered hearing about sharks finding their way into fresh water and rumors of them in Lake Pontchartrain. I'm not familiar with the configuration of the spillway, or which side llamakc meant, but is it possible that if sharks exist in the lake, they could find their way in or around the spillway, or is there something that prevents that?

 

[DavidM]

Edit, saw your response -- that's what I was wondering.

But I don't think llama meant mounds of sharks -- a couple of sharks and then a bunch of other fish. Or maybe I misunderstood?

 

[Paul]

Rob, what's a good spot to go to in order to cash in on the abundance of crawfish and shrimp? I'm not completely familiar with the areas closer to the spillway, but would love to go and take in a good catch. Also, you mentioned May...... best time to go? I trust your word in this - please advise. Thanks.

 

[Rob Beaux]

Paul...Wait till the river starts falling. If it stays open for 4 weeks, you should start getting them right around 4 to 6 weeks. Lots of factors on that.

IF I were to go looking find any spot with either a flooded grassy field or a ditch with some flow. Dip around the flowing water or set out nets in the flooded grassy field or in the ponds. Its an almost cant miss at the right time, but thats a one day here one day gone timing.

River Shrimp are a bit hit and miss....I let you know what I catch in a few hours. I am going poke around today and see.

 

[Rickysmyhero]

no miracle needed...

Wait till the water drops and then you can scope them up using a dipnet. Right around the middle of May if it stays open for 4 weeks, the water will still be draining towards the Lake. My father and I used to scope crawfish every time it flooded. 3 -4 sacks in a little less than 2 hours and if you get there when there's a glaze of water on the dirt roads...you can walk and hand pick them. Zero work/no money spent while drinking beer.

River shrimp are also going to be there next few weeks...bring your cast net and get your butter beans ready.

Last time the locks were open in 97, there were no crawfish. It appears it was due to a lack of oxygen in the water, as a result of a fertilize release from one of the plants. We will see

 

[llama]

Edit, saw your response -- that's what I was wondering.

But I don't think llama meant mounds of sharks -- a couple of sharks and then a bunch of other fish. Or maybe I misunderstood?

Yep, that is better said than I worded it (drunk) last night. And the locks are by the river, not the lake.

 

[Rob Beaux]

I went today..pics to come soon. I didnt see any sharks ( just messin with you man...)

Last time the locks were open in 97, there were no crawfish. It appears it was due to a lack of oxygen in the water, as a result of a fertilize release from one of the plants. We will see

Nope because it was opened in March and closed in April, the water was too cold. We ( dad and myself)caught crawfish in May of that year. We also caught 1 limit of Trout by Manchac pass that following weekend. ( by the old light house ruins) I remember this because we used live River shrimp for bait. Only time we ever did that.

Heres another tidbit why the lack of oxygen was not a problem for crawfish....Crawfish can get oxygen from the air( as long as their gills are wet) and will crawl up plants and what ever to get air. Thats why crawfish traps are often times hung with some of it exposed to the air. Its a common practice in the Atchafalaya basin. The algae bloom was in the lake and I don't know of a single person to try crawfishing in the Lake itself...EVER.

 

[Saintlady]

Now's the time to go catch you some crawfish. My son and his friends went to the Spillway yesterday and got about 35 pounds. It was an easy catch, crawfish were a good size, and boiled up well.

 

[skymike]

....Crawfish can get oxygen from the air( as long as their gills are wet) and will crawl up plants and what ever to get air. Thats why crawfish traps are often times hung with some of it exposed to the air. Its a common practice in the Atchafalaya basin.

This is the COOLEST thread I've seen in a long time. You just cant tell me enough interesting things about crawfish.... or how Louisiana waterways work--- whats fresh, whats salt/brackish, and why they open that spillway and what it does.

spillway threads > politics threads

Rob, can you get some pics of the spillway opening? I dont see how that couldnt be an interesting sight. How can they do that, and it not be some dramatic gushing event? Why do they do it? How fast does it fill up? Does anyone ever get caught in the flood?

Saintlady, thanks for reviving this. Anyone else catching crawfish?

 

[buzd]

I dont see how that couldnt be an interesting sight. How can they do that, and it not be some dramatic gushing event? Why do they do it? How fast does it fill up? Does anyone ever get caught in the flood?

I believe the spillway gates are louvered, such that they can be partially open (to control the flow). I know they don't have to (and usually don't) open all the gates at once. I think this time it was a third to half of the gates.

When the MS river crests, usually due to melting snow in the spring and, this year, all the storms/flooding in the midwest, they open it to let river water run into the lake. This, of course, messes up the salinity of the lake and a lot of the surrounding wetlands.

Note that the river wanted to shift it's route through the Atchafalaya basin many years ago - the current path isn't its natural course. Of course with the levee system already built, cities/ports where they are, etc allowing the river to move wasn't an option. The spillway is one of the tools used to make that happen.

 

[buzd]

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[CT Saints Fan]

Now's the time to go catch you some crawfish. My son and his friends went to the Spillway yesterday and got about 35 pounds. It was an easy catch, crawfish were a good size, and boiled up well.

I hate the post office. I'm sure my invitation just got slowed down getting forwarded to my new address.

Post Office =