Thread: Trouble on the Mermentau

Well guys and gals,
I was hoping to be able to post some pics from my trip today but a little engine trouble kept me from that. Then my help's boat broke down also. So needless to say there was more paddling than fishing today. But it sure was nice to sit back at times and watch the wonderful things that God has created. The water is running about a foot high on the Mermentau right now from all the rain. So hopefuly when all the runoff clears out i can post some nice pics and give a better report on the Mermentau River!

PS: I fish about 20miles north of the Lake Aurthur portion of the Mermentau

Wouldn't it be easier to launch in Jennings behind the old High School? Sounds like somewhere around where you are fishing. I haven't been there in a few years, we used to do good fishing hair jigs around structure, fishing about 18 inches deep. Sorry to hear about your motor problems. Don't bring it to J and J in Jennings, he ripped me off on my motor. Went in for a carb rebuild and he changed all kinds of other things and instead of 50-75 dollars, it cost me about 235 dollars to get my motor back.

i do launch at the Jennings launches...i just wanted to give everyone an idea of where i was.....
Sorry to hear about J&J ripping you off...i have heard that from others as well

Man, sorry to hear about your boat troubles. I was lucky when mine messed up, I had my dad in my other boat so I just had him pulled the broke one back to the trailer and continued on our way in the one that was still working.

I brought mine to Gene's Marine in Lake Charles. I brought it to them on Friday and she told me that it would probably be next friday before she could get to it.......Well by that friday afternoon she was giving me a call letting me know that it was probably something internal and it would be $100 to tear into it and didn't want to do it unless I agreed. I told her to tear into it b/c it wasn't doing me any good like it was. She called me back and said that the pistons were bad and it would be $650 to do all the work. I typed all this just to make a point........They are very good about calling you before they do any work. There number is 337-474-2125 if you need it. Good Luck and hopefully you will be back on the water soon.

I usually launch at the launch under the bridge in Mermantau. How do you get to the launch in Jennings? Also where does it hit the river? Not far North of the bridge, of course the river splits into the two bayous. I won't begin to try to spell Nep. and don't remember the name of the other one. Most of my fishing is between the Hwy. 90 bridge and Lake Authur. I have only been once since Rita and did nothing. Hopefully things will be better this spring.

Tiger, the launch is back behind the old Jennings high school. The two bayous you are talking about is Bayou Nezpique and Bayou De'Cainnes.
If I aint mistaken, the launch in Jennings is in Nez, then you head south to Mermentau, its about 4.5 miles to the Mermentau, the Hwy 90 bridge is about 2 miles from there.

Here are a couple pics that may help you out.

Bayou DeCaines is awesome sac a lait fishing..... you head south at the jennings launch and when you reach the intersection of the Mermentau and Nez. take a left(north). At the Y you stay to the left and that is Decaines.

I have had some great trips fishing the Mermantau in the spring, mostly south of the Hwy. 90 bridge. I went the year after Rita and fished for 7-8 hrs and never had a white perch bite. I would really be interested in any reports, as I am hoping it will be coming back by this spring. My other local spring place, Lacassine Bayou also took a big hit from Rita. I am hoping it will be back soon. I have fished Lake Author a few times with limited success. It looks great, however the most I have ever caught there is 25 or so. I know a lot of factors effect these area bayous, rain, salt water, rice field runoff, but when you have a couple of years of good conditions the white perch strive in these waters.

all i did was clean the plugs on my motor and she started up fine...
i am taking my son Sat. morning...if its not to cold. So i will give you a report on how we did....