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Catch 'em if you can: Oil slick no worry for sport fishermen



By M.J. Smith
Fri May 7, 2010

The fishing is good, and the giant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has not yet made it here, so Rickey Brouillette saw no reason to cancel his plans to wet a line off Louisiana's coast.

"No problem -- just won't take as much grease when you fry them," the 52-year-old joked on Thursday after stepping into a fishing guide's skiff that would take him and three others out for the afternoon.

Some may argue that it would take an awful event to force Louisiana sport fishermen to stay off the water -- but they would be wrong. That hasn't stopped them either.

With the oil leak forming a frightening slick that is making its way toward the coastline, sport fishermen have taken advantage of areas off Louisiana that remain open for angling, unsure if or when they too will close.

They have returned to the dock with coolers full of catch and encouraging words about the condition of the water, saying they saw no oil and feared no health effects.

Their testimony matches that of local officials, who have repeatedly said that the seafood pulled from waters that have not been closed are completely safe.

But Larry Schweiger of the National Wildlife Federation called for monitoring in places like Venice to ensure what was being caught was safe.

"I haven't seen any at all," fishing guide Allen Welch, 44, said when asked about oil as he unloaded fish from his boat after a trip. "No signs of it."

Fishing is engrained in life here, which is probably to be expected in a place on the edge of the gulf and surrounded by bountiful bayous and marshland.

There are signs, however, that the fishing trips will soon be further limited by the oil slick.

All fishing off Louisiana's coast east of the Mississippi River has been closed since April 30. But in Venice, located near the river's mouth, boats have the option of heading to either side when they depart.

Bad news arrived on Thursday when the state extended the ban into parts of the coast west of the Mississippi, but only for those catching shrimp, which are plentiful off Louisiana and sought by a huge fleet of boats.

Light sheen had also started to wash up on land on one of the remote Chandeleur Islands east of mainland Louisiana.

So for now, catching sea trout or tuna or redfish on the western half remains possible -- or even guaranteed, according to those returning to the dock.

Just ask Thad Mancil, 54, and his 24-year-old son Tyler. They returned on Thursday with about a dozen tuna, all weighing in the range of 40 pounds.

"The fishing is really, really good right now," said Thad Mancil. "If I had the energy and the strength, I'd go tomorrow."

But the oil slick is clearly taking a hit on business for fishing guides, especially those who had clients from out of state lined up for trips.

Many customers are simply not willing to take the risk of traveling to south Louisiana only to find out that their fishing trip has been canceled because the state has decided to extend the ban.

As a result, guides said they have had a significant number of people backing out -- both for trips this week and in the coming months.

"But it's a treat for the guys who are fishing out there because there's very little pressure," said guide Brent Ballay, 34, who added that he had to cancel around 15 days on the water.

"They don't have a whole crew of boats fishing around them."

The commercial fishermen here have largely remained off the water, freeing up further space, since they do not have the option of going to either side of the river to make a living.

"You've got to pretty much have everything open to give yourself a chance," said fishermen Roland Hingle, 48.

For the resident filet man at Venice Marina, Joe Adams, 57, who uses an electric knife to slice up the fish brought to his wooden station at the dock, the sport fishermen have continued to provide work for him.

But quitting time has come earlier lately since there are fewer fishermen on the water.

"My day's over with already," he said at around 1:00 pm on Thursday as he sliced a redfish, scales flying off the table. "Usually I work until seven, eight o'clock at night."


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Yum. Barf.

The good news is that they will fry right up with no need for cooking oil...

I've been looking for that clip of The Simpsons where Lisa serves the one-eyed fish caught in front of Mr. Burns' power plant to him.

On live national TV he tries to choke down a bite, gags and spits it out.