October 25, 2020

Locate Grass Beds In Lake Pontchartrain Using Sonar

Beds of eel grass make for prime speckled trout fishing in Lake Pontchartrain. But how do you know where they are? Here's a few tips.

Fall fishing in Lake Pontchartrain can be really good, and while most people tend to think of the bridges when they think of the lake's legendary fishing, the various grass beds are another hot item as well.

Why are Lake Pontchartrain's grass beds so good?

When speckled trout are spawning during the summer they do so "outside" of the marsh where there's saltier water.

This is why we don't really find a lot of speckled trout in Lake Pontchartrain during the summer months, because her salinity is too low.

Maps like the one produced by Hydrocoast show just how salty she is (or isn't).

lake pontchartrain salinity  grass beds speckled trout

But, once the spawn is over, salinity is no longer a requirement and speckled trout head "inside" the marsh to feed in preparation for winter.

Once they do, you can expect them to populate bait-laden hot spots, with grass beds being one of them.

How good can fishing the grass beds be?

Pretty darned good! See for yourself in this video:

But not just any grass...

There are many types of aquatic grass we find throughout Louisiana's coast, with the more common type being milfoil and widgeon grass.

These types of grass tend to choke out the entire water column like what you see in redfish ponds, but not eel grass.

Eel grass, also called turtle grass or shoal grass, does not grow to the water's surface, leaving plenty of real estate for speckled trout to prowl looking for bait like mullet, mehaden (aka "pogies) and – an absolute favorite – shrimp!

How can we find beds of eel grass in Lake Pontchartrain?

There are more ways than one: First, there's experience, meaning you must get out there and look in the water for yourself.

While this works, it's time consuming and not nearly as effective as other methods.

That and it's difficult to see underwater, even with polarized lenses and good light conditions.

Google Earth Pro is an option, as its historical satellite imagery can you show you where grass beds (of any type) are most likely to be found in the marsh.

Sonar Is An Excellent Tool

Google Earth Pro can get you close, but sonar will zero you in.

After all, any imagery you find on the Internet is old news.

But, if you use sonar while you are fishing you can see exactly where the grass beds are located, revealing where you need to be casting to catch a decent box of speckled trout.

Conventional 2D sonar works to this end, but it's not the best because it only covers a narrow cone directly under your boat.

2d sonar speckled trout grass beds

But, side imaging sonar reveals much more, since it spreads over a wider fan.

side imaging sonar speckled trout grass beds lake pontchartrain

How wide of a fan?

On my Helix 12 I can easily punch out to beyond one hundred feet!

However, side imaging 40-70 feet off each side of the boat is a more practical setting.

Get More Fishing Tips & Know Where To Go

Inside my membership LAFB Elite, inshore anglers learn the process I use to find and catch fish from scratch. You'll find this time-tested practical know-how in the video lessons of Inshore Fishing 101, Fall Fish Location and more.

Additionally, members LAFB Elite get access to the Community, where they can read the latest fishing reports and get feedback on their fishing trips from like-minded anglers.

Game Changer!

I moved here from Wisconsin and have friends that fish inshore very well.

After completing Inshore Fishing 101 I have seen a lot of things that you laid out to try and do that gives them success, but also there were things in here that could even help them.

The insight alone from MODIS and how to use Google Earth Desktop and the NOAA stations changed the game of how I approach my fishing trips.

I found that the way Captain Devin plans his fishing trips to be much more useful or at least much less time consuming than just running around until I got lucky.

Zachary Cripe

New To Inshore Fishing

Thoroughly Enjoyed Inshore Fishing 101

I thoroughly enjoyed the Inshore Fishing 101 experience. The overall knowledge makes me feel more prepared to find fish on a consistent basis. I've been fishing in inshore Louisiana waters my entire life. While some of the knowledge was not new, the way it is presented with new material really seemed to tie everything together for me.

My biggest take away from 101 was the ability to pick (potentially) productive fishing spots. How to appropriately select weight and why was another huge help. I feel much more prepared for hitting the water!

John Fortner

Louisiana Native

LAFB Elite Explains The "Why"

If you’re new to inshore fishing, or just looking to understand the “why” when things happen, LAFB Elite is worth the money and time invested into the courses.

The amount of information in the courses is huge.

Also the community is filled with people who mostly have the same goals in mind, so when you ask a question you get good information, not some dude giving you some generic or wrong answers.

Daniel Giglio

Lake Pontchartrain Basin Angler

Captain Devin

About the Author

Devin is a former fishing guide and lifelong inshore angler. He founded Louisiana Fishing Blog in 2012 to share his ideas as a charter captain and still writes in it today. Since then he's created a fishing university — LAFB Elite — where he teaches inshore anglers how to safely navigate Louisiana's coast and catch more fish.


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  • Yes captain I agree sonar is very important to me I have a Garmin and it helps me a lot to zero in on some awesome spots once I learned how to use it

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    End The Frustration, Start Getting Results!

    see what these members of my paid courses have to say...

    The courses inside LAFB Elite, especially Inshore Fishing 101, are very complete. There's a lot of information in them, so I recommend taking it slow and using what you learn out on the water.

    Otherwise it will leave your brain exploding with knowledge. But it all does make more sense when you get out on water and see it happen before your eyes.

    The difference is that with Devin's courses you'll know what to look for and what to expect. This makes fishing more productive.

     

    Robbie LarsonMississippi Angler

    Captain Devin, I would like to thank for all your hard work. Inshore Fishing 101 is about as thorough as you could get.

    I would like tell you my situation: I live in north Louisiana by Bossier City. I only get to go to fish the coast once or twice a year and have been putting off signing up for LAFB Elite because of that.

    I finally broke down, joined your membership, took Inshore Fishing 101 and am very glad that I did. I will go over it quite often before my next fishing trip.

    Once again, thank you for all your hard work!

    George SmithNorth Louisiana Native

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