Fishing Mississippi River in Ascension

Don't know about Ascension Parish but I do fish the river between Orleans and St. Bernard Parish a lot. There are industrial areas that are off limits and most have fences across the levee, with some running all the way out to the river.

There are lots of spots between these commercial places that are open to fishing in my part of the world and I'm sure yours too. The only thing most Parishes frown upon is driving on, or over the levee, so I park on the roadway side and walk across.

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It’s a levee board thing. The East side doesn’t tolerate it much if they see you, I’ve heard the West Bank is more lenient but can’t say for sure.

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I miss the days when the levee was wide open and you could ride atop it. Me and a buddy of mine use to climb the levee with our Harley's and ride the levee from Arabi all the way down to Plaquemine Parish on the East Bank back in the mid 70's.

Hell, now you can hardly go a few hundred yards walking on the levee before you need to get off because it's fenced off by some refinery or other commercial enterprise.

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The batture is generally private property

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In all the years I've been fishing the Miss. River, I've never been run off any spot I've fished. I can understand if you're trying to fish on commercial property like refineries and such, but there's so much open batture that I have never found anyone to care enough to say go away.

Oh, and I've been fishing the river since I was a kid with my dad back in the late 50's and still do so at least a couple times a month.

Gumbo, what size & type of weight are you generally fishing with?

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Gumbo, what size & type of weight are you generally fishing with?

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I mostly use either the triangular 2 oz. weights or the round ones with the hole through the middle in the same weight.

The amount of weight really depends on the speed of the current. Sometimes I need 3 oz. weights to work for me.

I tie the weight on the end of the line, go up about 3 ft. and tie off a loop about 1 ft. long and slip in my hook and fish tight line. I've been using #3 and #6 hooks, fishing with worms, dead shrimp and bait balls.

Used to fish "the point" in between Donaldsonville and the sunshine bridge. A few podnahs still do. I haven't been back there in forever but many many nights were spent back there getting massacréd and catching big catfish. A farmer owns it and we never got ran off, but don't mess with his cattle or tear shite up.