Better lake than never

The fish are once again biting out at Miller’s Lake.
The 3,200-acre area has always been a popular spot for both fisherman and duck hunters. In the past decade or so, the lake though has been overwhelmed by Hydrilla and other aquatic weeds. The annual spraying of chemicals kept the weeds at bay around duck blinds, but open water fishing had all but disappeared.
“So many people didn’t come here anymore because it was so grassy that they couldn’t fish,” Miller’s Lake South Landing Caretaker Mike Perron said. “You could cast your rod and you get nothing but weeds on the end of your line. Now people can finally fish again. I hear the fisherman telling their friends that they can fish out here again.”
Lines have been cast from sunrise to sunset at Miller’s Lake in the past month.
Perron estimates an average of 20-30 boats per day have entered the water at the South Landing, but last week that jumped up to 30-60 boats per day. In addition, Perron has sold enormous amount of crickets to the fisherman. Last week alone, Perron had an order of 6,000 crickets delivered on Monday, Thursday and again Saturday and he needed another 6,000 on Monday.
“We normally don’t sell a 1,000 crickets per week,” Perron said. “That is a big jump.”
Fisherman are traveling from hours away to reel in pounds and pounds of bream, bass and white perch.
“Lots of people have been talking about fishing here,” said Troy Menard of Rayne, who reeled in 30 big bream on Monday. “They say there is no trash out here and that the fish are biting. And they wasn’t lying.”
Roy Guidry of Scott on Monday meanwhile made his third trip in two weeks to Miller’s Lake.
“That’s why I came out here,” Guidry said. “We came out here a few weeks back and we had to sit through a rain storm and the fish were still biting afterwards.”
Perron attributes the clear waters as a result of stocking the lake with grass-eating carp a few years ago. Perron said when he first took over at the South Landing a few years back, the hydrilla reached the boat launch and bait shop. The carp have not only cleared out the area surrounding the launch-bait shop but also large acres of clear water for fisherman.
“Last year those carp went to work,” Perron said. “We used to have lily pads in the front of the lake. Last year we didn’t get a lily pad at all. I have had some older folks tell me that it has been 50 years since we saw the lake like this.”
Miller’s Lake allows fisherman from sunrise to sunset, seven days a week. Fisherman have to pay a flat $5 launch fee and it costs $6 for 100 crickets. The bait shop also offers snacks, bottled water and soft drinks. For anyone interested on fishing at Miller’s Lake, feel free to call Perron at (337) 385-8451.
“It is really good to see the people coming back to Miller’s Lake,” Perron said.