# 54677: Subject: Cocodrie, Louisiana

Submitted by Dougie (ip 70.186.83.22)

• Fished on 11/26/2005

• Report received: 12/2/05

Water Temperature: 62
Water Clarity: 1 foot
Seas: none
Weather: East wind at 10, mild day in the marsh about 70 with overcast clouds and incoming weather/rain system.
Fishing_for: Marsh Reds and Trout
Boat: Tennille
captain: (I'm the captain of)

Report:
The fall/winter pattern for inland reds/trout/sheepshead has been better than usual this year following two ladies visits (namely Katrina and Rita). Destruction in the Cauvin/Cocodrie/Houma area was limited mainly to rising water since it is about 80 miles west of the center of Katrina, and 100 miles east of Rita. Water levels rose to about 7 feet in this area, covering many low lying buildings, etc. The water marks are evident, but all places (motels/marinas/stores/launches) are back in operation.

The storms apparently filled the inland marshes with shrimp and other baitfish, and the fish have followed the groceries. For the day, we fished mostly market-shrimp (fresh but not live) under a speculizer-type popping cork at about 18 inches. For the day we probably caught 12 redfish, 25 speckled trout, 25 sheepshead, a few drum, and mixed other critters. We kept two 14 pound reds for a fishfry. The rest of the reds were undersized,about 15 inches, and were released. Trout ran on the small size being about 11 to 13 inches. The trout hit plastic cocohoes readily, but a dead shrimp hooked on a jighead under the cork was foolproof. The sheepshead are really great fighters, and keep the day lively in between.

The highlight of the day was the three wild porpoises that started follwing our boat as we idled out (about 2 blocks) from the marina area. We were in a 200 foot wide marsh canal, which was about 8 feet deep. These three swam alongside our boat at fishing-rod-length, and would race around us in circles, sometimes racing from stern to bow, and then slapping their tails on the water in front of the boat. On two occasions, their wakes actually rocked the boat a bit as they sped away or alongside of us. They truely were playing with us as we idled for more than 1/4 of a mile with the prop kicked up a bit for safety. On one occasion, one blew his air so close that the spray hit my partner in the face, and he had to clean his glasses. After this, we decided to shake them so we could begin fishing, and had to idle over a mud flat so they couldn't follow us any longer. They just kept on down the canal out of sight, and we bid them a good day.

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