Lake Pontchartrain these days has been the scene of wall to wall boats, each one filled to the gunwales with fishermen out after the hoardes of big speckled trout that have invaded the bridges between North Shore and South Shore.

And, as is the case every Thursday, Frank Davis was in that number today, catching his share of trout. But he wasn't by himself. In addition to the hundred or so anglers that jockeyed between the Five Mile Bridge, the I-10 Twin Spans, and the railroad trestle, Frank's fishing team on this trip consisted of Capt. Kenny Kreeger, Kreeger's guest Joe Landry, and WWL-TV cameraman John Fritzinger.

The four caught fish at almost every stop they made, using nothing but avocado colored artificials on a full 3/8 ounce unpainted leadhead jig. The baits were cast as close to the bridge structure as possible, allowed to sink slowly to the bottom, and then popped and jerked in bass fashion all the way back to the boat. The trout usually struck the lures on the fall. Most of them averaged anywhere from 2 to 8 pounds!

And that's the kind of action each of you can expect this weekend (and for weeks to come, I might add!). But these fish will not jump in the boat! They're not that easy to catch! You absolutely must obey the commandments!

Commandment #1: Launch at either Cousins' or Tite's on U.S. Hwy 11 right where the bridge reaches the North Shore. This puts you in extremely close proximity to all the bridges (and all the fish).

Commandment #2: Once out of the launch, hang a left and head straight across the lake to the south side, stopping to fish about 100 years off the Irish Bayou shoreline. This is the locale you want to target regardless of whether you plan to fish the Five Mile Bridge, the I-10 Twin Spans, or the railroad trestle.

Commandment #3: Fish the side of the bridge that the tide is falling toward. In other words, if the tide is outgoing, fish the east side; if the tide is incoming, fish the west side. Remember that you want to fish "with the tide," not against it. The fish know the difference and they won't bite if you do it wrong.

Commandment #4: Use big baits--full size Deadly Dudleys, queen-size H&H Cocahoe tails, Supersize Saltwater Assassins, or Mr. Twister Magnum Minnows. Rig them on a full 3/8 ounce unpainted leadhead jig. Quarter ounce jigheads won't get the bait to the bottom of the lake and you won't get any bites. Promise!

Commandment #5: Several colors have been working well, but only those colors have been working. Avocado is Job One. Chartreuse is definitely in the Number Two spot. Glow-in-the-Dark is your third choice. And cream or white brings up a close fourth. You might want to try others, but these colors have a proven track record during the past couple of weeks.

Commandment #6: Make your casts under the bridges, both close to the pilings as well as out in the open. Then allow the lures to settle all the way to the bottom (this usually requires that you make a slow 8 count). Do not even start fishing until you know that you are on the bottom. That's because the trout are on the bottom.

Commandment #7: Now jerk the rod tip really abruptly, once or twice, and hold it upward at the end of the jerk. Wait there! Pause for a moment, keeping the line taut. Listen for a tap. Sense anything happening on the line. If nothing is obvious, lower the rod tip and take up the slack. Then repeat the jerking procedure again. Keep this tactic going until you have the lure back at the boat. Oh, yeah--some of the trout we caught today didn't make the strike until the last moment, almost as the lure was being retrieved under the gunwale (they had followed the lure in pursuit and smacked it only when they felt it was making an escape!).

Commandment #8: If you don't catch fish at the spot you're occupying, move to another spot. It could be a few block down or clear across the lake to the opposite side. In general, I'd give each spot you try about 20 minutes to produce.

Commandment #9: You gotta use the trolling motor! Period! Amen! You won't have much to show for a day fishing if you drop anchor and fish in one spot. Now, you will see a bunch of boats anchored and their occupants will be fishing. But that's because they probably have no trolling motor (or don't know the proper way to use it), or they're fishing market shrimp on the bottom for drum and flounders.

Commandment #10: If in the end you don't catch any trout using the highly-tactical, trolling-motor mobility method, you can also drop a couple of Rat-L-Traps (preferably green and silver or blue and silver) off the back of the boat and drag them on baitcasting reels about 30 yards in the propwash. This method is also producing some really big trout (although it is slightly slower fishing than cast and retrieve). Of course, this creates a "situation" that requires a lot of courtesy on the water. Cast and retrieve anglers need to be tolerant of trollers slowing passing in their casting fields. I recommend you tell each other hi, ask each other whatcha ketchin', and then resume your perferred method of fishing like nothing every happened.

Which reminds me. . .because of the attraction these big fish have caused, you will definitely prepare to park your truck and trailer way away from the launch. Some rigs today had to be parked about a quarter of a mile down Hwy. 11. But consider this as a consolation: if you follow the commandments I've just given you, you won't mind the long walk back to your waiting boat!

Good luck and have fun,
Frank Davis