Sam's Story
When posed with the question: Why do you fish? Answers can often vary amongst anglers from “it’s relaxing” to “it’s my job.” Fishing runs the gamut and spares no sociological boundaries when it comes to the type of people who enjoy the sport.
If you ask Sam Coco Jr. why he fishes He’ll tell you, “Because it’s my medicine!” and Sam’s not being facetious. Sam grew up like any other South Louisiana boy, riding his bicycle to the nearest canal in search of whatever was biting. “Everyday we’d ride our bikes through the woods to some ponds or a canal nearby and catch perch, bass, and catfish,” he says. As a teen, he pushed the limits on how far he would go to catch fish, riding his bike miles down Paris Boulevard in Chalmette to Bayou Bienvenue. From there he and some friends would rent a flatboat for a few hours and catch speckled trout and redfish. Sam’s love for fishing continued throughout his life and was one of the main reasons for moving to a waterfront neighborhood on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain in 1996. Sam had access to his boat when he needed and also had the option to walk down to the water when he felt the need to wet a line.
It was in 2003 that Sam’s attention was diverted from fishing to his health. “I’d sit down with a cup of coffee every morning to read the paper and I would notice the coffee inside the cup vibrating ever so slightly,” Sam says. Another thing he noticed was his left leg stiffening after jogging with his wife. Sam made an appointment with his family doctor and described his symptoms. The doctor referred him to a neurologist which in turn examined Sam and determined that the symptoms indicated Parkinson's disease. Sam was given a prescription for Mirapex which is used during the early stages of Parkinson's. The Mirapex helped to alleviate the symptoms of the Parkinson’s that cause involuntary movements known as Dyskinesia. Sam was told the disease is a progressive degenerative neurological disorder in which there is no cure for, however, by taking the medication he would be able to live a fairly normal life for many years. Sam followed his instructions and got back to his normal routine of fishing. As the years went by, the affects of the diseases were more noticeable. The disease progressed through the years and progressed to the point where Sam sometime struggled to walk. He still managed to get down to the shoreline and fish almost daily although it was a struggle. The symptoms got worse, especially the Dyskinesia. “I’d lose my balance easily and fall down even while fishing on a shoreline that is slanted,” Coco says. In 2017 Sam noticed something on a trip to the shoreline near his home. He was fishing for speckled trout and was having a good day.
He set the hook on a fish and as he was reeling it in, he noticed that the Dyskinesia disappeared. As he started paying more attention he confirmed that indeed while catching fish his symptoms seemed to fade away. At Sam’s next appointment with his doctor he inquired about this phenomenon and was informed that it was the releasing of dopamine that was the cause of his momentary cure. So Sam did what any man would do. “I went home and told my wife. ‘The doctor says I need to fish more!” he jokes. Now Sam makes a special effort to keep active and fish more and what started out years ago as simply something to do for fun has turned into an important therapeutic routine. To Sam though, the medicinal benefits he gets from fishing are just an added bonus now. “Dopamine or no dopamine, I’m still fishing just like I did when I was a kid!” Says Sam. Tournament Results The Liar's and Lunker's kicked off their 2020 Spring and Summer Series at the East Pearl River. It was the team of Shane Pope and Joel Lee that finished in first place with a 5-fish bag weighing 15.33 lbs. Second place went to Mark Mohr and Charles Dauzat with 12.65 lbs. Mohr and Dauzat also won the big fish division with a largemouth bass that weighed 4.88 lbs. Third place went to David Howell Jr. And Hunter DeJean with 10.59 lbs. Upcoming Tournaments The 9th Annual Ayden’s Foundation of Hope Fishing Tournament will be held on Saturday, March 7th. Blast-off will be at the East Pearl River with the weigh-in being held at the Blind Tiger Restaurant in Slidell. All proceeds go to Ayden’s Foundation of Hope. For more information please contact Lee Hillman at 985-774-3121 or Darryl Phillips at 601-832-9175. FPBA is holding its next tournament at the Tickfaw River on Saturday, March 14. Weigh-in will be at the public boat lunch under the Hwy 22 Bridge. For more information please visit FPBassAnglers.com PRTT is holding its next tournament at the East Pear River on Saturday, March 14. For more information please contact Charles Duazat at 985-960-6936. Liar's and Lunker's is holding its next tournament at Crawford's Landing on March 29th. For more information please contact Chad Hartzog at 985-502-3217. |
I created NFR.com in the spring of 2012. Since then it has helped link Northshore fishermen to valuable information and has filled the void of absent information on the web about fishing on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain. Northshore Fishing Report has morphed into a brand name and can be found not only on the web, but on radio and newspaper. As NFR grows I will continue to work hard at keeping NFR local focusing on local anglers, reports, seminars, and fishing tournaments in St. Tammany and Tangipahoa Parish. I hope you enjoy the website and If you have any questions please email me at: Keith@NorthshoreFishingReport.com
Look for the Northshore Fishing Report publication every Thursday in The Slidell Independent Weekly Newspaper!
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