On the Bayou

[Riley Smith]

Get ready.

That means ice chests to clean, hitch the boat and get it out of the shop, and a host of other items to locate and put to use. Sunglasses, don't forget those. Maybe I need a checklist. Which doesn't help if you forget something on the counter despite getting it ready. Luckily it wasn't the sunglasses I forgot but the small ice chest sitting next to them on a barstool. The Joe Cool sunglasses were definitely included. There's a ladder to load and the motor too. Check tie downs and trailer chains. Man, I was almost tuckered out by the time I got ready to leave. Got fuel? Got rods and lures? Got this and that? If you don't it's too late.

The ice chest had liquid in it. Cold liquid and I was by-now sweating, so I stopped in a C-store and got a Big Gulp for the water adventure to come. On to rig, which went as well as you might imagine. I've once refused to go because it just wasn't right but I powered through on this one. Despite letting go of the mast and letting it roll.....and tangle everything and its brother into one big knot.

Bayou Casotte. The port of Pascagoula, which at one time had ship traffic on the Pascagoula River with a cold storage facility, shipyards, and a grain elevator, has relocated to the bayou east of town. After all, a tanker is always on the move there, and tugs too. The only thing left in East River is the military boats from the shipyard, after the cold storage burned and was demolished, and the grain elevator shut down. Boats as in ships, some even air craft carrier sized; there are still recreation and working boats there too, as in less than ships. And I see cypress logs coming out of Louisiana being loaded too.

So you have to be tuned in to the big boy's movements in the bayou. I launched and headed south into the wind. I'd waited until it changed to a sea breeze, after being from the north earlier. The tactic was to run into the wind on the Honda and come back under sail. The Honda still isn't properly broken in and did very well. The bayou can get constricted with ships and tugs and I felt confident with the motor. Ahead was a tug and barge CARRYING a tug boat, and I gave him plenty of room. And let the motor purr me south toward the LPG plant at the end of Point Aux Chenes. Past the shipyard on the west bank and the refinery docks on the east bank, to the point out near the end. There were tugs and ships everywhere but thankfully most were docked and no heavy lifting barges were operating. In places, where a tug is holding a barge against a dock with it's engine running and in gear, the wake can disturb the water across the whole bayou.

The Bayou traps saltwater and it is one tactic I use to fish when the river gets high. As you might surmise, I love to fish. Besides, it about a ten minute run to Petit Bois island in a power boat. It's gets choppy out there on that point, and can get very bad very quickly. The sea breeze that I had waited on had created a lumpy ride. I kept an eye out and spotted some gulls diving so I headed to check them out. They were at the south end of 6 Berth, where a tanker was unloading. I nosed quietly ahead, the Honda barely turning over aft of the tanker, watching the birds dive, and discovered there were ducks too, ahead of the birds. All of a sudden the centerboard bumped and I realized it was SHALLOW, so I reversed course to deeper water. Those pilots and tug boats sure know how to maneuver those ships because the shallows were very close to that tanker.

The decision to use the motor to beat into the wind played on the strength of the boat. It was a good idea because beating into a wind in a catboat is not the best tactic. Instead the motor purred us south as the thriving bayou showed us docks everywhere. I'd seen some huge fish come from this place. And tacking isn't a good idea in that channel.

My preferred destination had a dredge there, and I didn't want to go a mile around just to fish those docks. Besides, it was rough out here and the water had more brown in it.  I could probably do as well across the bayou where the shore was lined with rip-rap and a small ditch allows the marsh near the yacht club to drain. Perfect ambush point and green salty water. And maybe calmer. So I putted over there, which itself had dredging gear anchored about and found the place and anchored up near a channel marker. Tasted the water. Yep, salty. Very.

There was activity all about. Glass minnows were jumping everywhere and there were billions in the water. I saw several strikes as I got the rod, and I got a couple of bumps, but they weren't having the VooDoo shrimp I had on. So I switched to a smoke purple and glitter paddle tail and hooked a redfish shortly. Nice little red and it ripped some drag. But not legal, so it got a pass, but the craving was sated.

 Whatever was eating the glass minnows I couldn't get to bite until finally I had a decent bite just to have the line go limp? Hmmm...something with teeth.  Possibly even Spanish mackerel. Maybe sheepshead too, as I hear they're prevalent right now. They prefer live bait and are hard to catch with anything you use because of their dental work. And they can cut your line easily. I rarely fish for anything with razors in their mouth.

I finally had enough of bouncing in the chop, after fishing for an hour or so. I couldn't consistently stand without holding something. And I had bites and a catch with the redfish, but it was getting later in the evening and I wanted to sail. So I motored north, got in clear water, and hoisted away. And then adjusted. And adjusted again. New rope. Gotta get all the stretch out, but after the second time the sail looked great and I rode the downwind home. S R Cat will GO on a downwind but it was just a nice ride. Very nice and quiet and even saw some dolphins following the local live bait boat.

The Bayou has changed so much in my lifetime. There are still monsters from the Deep come to visit. I saw an alligator gar there once that was GIGANTIC. Up close and personal. No monsters encountered today but they're there. Big sharks too on occasion. Deep green water. Yep, monsters.

I was glad I powered through. The docking and retrieval went fine but after striking the mast and dismounting the boat, I slipped and SMACKED the pavement on my back, dropping the mast in the process. The mast rolled ( ANOTHER big knot) off the boat and smacked the trailer light. I'm a dumb ass because the flip-flops I had changed into after getting my feet wet slipped and dumped me right on my butt. One of the black guys fishing came running and helped me up, and I thanked him profusely, only shaken and with a bruise or two.

So all is well that ends well and I'm still alive, the boat is fine, and the trailer almost so. Got repair parts and will put a new light on. Trailer license is due this week.  School will be out soon and I'll have to find a young'un to help me out this summer. And best of all, that catch in my back, that I didn't realize had gotten so bad, went away and I feel better than I have in six months!!!

Hallelujah!

[Norm L.]

Riley, I loved that tale.

Having to do stuff in heavy commercial traffic is something in my memory, although not on my sailboat on the Lake. Since we moved away from the lake there is no more fishing except a trip to Delacroix with daughter and son-in-law.
What is more common is trying not to compete with a number of you and landing on body parts. It's a development of new skills.

[Riley Smith]

I could have fished a couple of other docks but one thing about all that is you really need to be visible to all the barges around you and I'm addicted to staying away from them. Since Bolinger bought Halter there is a LOT of activity in that shipyard too. I don't get to close there either. After all, I used to throw welding rods MYSELF  .