NorthshoreFishingReport.com was created in 2012 by Keith Lusher. In it's infancy it was a way for anglers on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain to communicate and share fishing reports. Since then it has grown into a brand name. The website now offers viewers a forum, maps, video's, fishing reports, tides, salinity reports, studio interviews, and podcasts. NFR can also be found in the Slidell Independent Newspaper which has a circulation of 20,000. Also NFR can be heard on air on The More Outdoors Show which airs on WWL 105.3 HD2 every last Saturday of the month from 8-9 a.m. Below is a quick overview of what NorthshoreFishingReport.com has to offer.
FORUM: At the top left of the menu on the main page you'll find the link to NFR's Forum. Click the button and you'll be taken to the login screen. If you are not a member you'll be instructed to resister. Registration only takes 15 seconds with no email confirmation necessary.
Once in the forum you'll have access to numerous message boards such a Boat Maintenance, Introductions, and a Split-a-trip board. Start off by introducing yourself to other local members. Communication is the key to learning on NFR.
The bottom half of the forum is where you'll find all of the catch reports. These reports are key to learning how to fish the Northshore. To make a report simply click on the location you went fishing and click "post new topic" then post as much info as possible. It's important to only post fishing reports in these boards. Each post will represent a new fishing report and will be ranked from 1-5 stars. These stars are used to tabulate the better times to fish that specific spot.
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Premium Membership: The next button on the menu is the Premium Membership link. This link will take you to an overview of everything the NFR Premium has to offer. It also has instructions as to how to become a premium member of NFR. Premium members have access to more message boards such as the Captain's Log, Premium Reports, and the NFR Studio where local anglers are interviewed.
Fishing Forecast: The next button on the menu is a link to take you to NFR's Fishing Forecast. This page is a list of fishing spots on the Northshore with a monthly forecast. Local anglers are selected to give their forecasts and rate the area they are reporting from 1-5 fish. The fishing forecast page is updated every month on the 1st.
Northshore Bass Series: The next button is the link to visit the Northshore Bass Series page on NFR. Bass fishing is huge on the Northshore. From Manchac to the Pearl River, there are tons of Bass Fishing Clubs that hold events. Check out this page if you are interested in finding a tournament to fish. There are numerous trails that report to NFR including, Florida Parish Bass Anglers, Pearl River Singles Circuit, Bass Assassins, Lair's and Lunker's, and Pearl River Team Trails. Check out this page for upcoming tournaments and tournament results.
As you scroll down on the main page you'll see the Northshore Fishing Report Publication. Keith Lusher writes a column once a week and posts it here. The same column is also in the Slidell Independent Newspaper which is published every Thursday. The article revolves around all the current conditions on the Northshore and features numerous fishing reports that are posted in the fishing reports section of NFR. The columns revolve around informative subjects that fisherman need to know. Here are a few articles written in the past:
Bream Fishing Basics 4 Tips to catching Summertime bass on Salt Bayou
Finding Bass with Sonar Fun Times and Trot-lines (Tchefuncte River Catfishing)
Carolina Rigged TKO Shrimp Can't Find the Fish? The Marshbass are There!
No Hunting, No Fishing, No Trespassing Catching Sailcats at Sunset Point
Bream Fishing Basics 4 Tips to catching Summertime bass on Salt Bayou
Finding Bass with Sonar Fun Times and Trot-lines (Tchefuncte River Catfishing)
Carolina Rigged TKO Shrimp Can't Find the Fish? The Marshbass are There!
No Hunting, No Fishing, No Trespassing Catching Sailcats at Sunset Point
Adjacent to the Northshore Fishing Report Publication you'll see the Catch Cam. Click on this video to watch the latest fishing video. Keith often plays the "hot hand" and jumps on board with local fisherman that are finding fish on the Northshore. These videos feature Northshore specific spots and are not from areas outside St. Tammany or Tangipahoa Parish.
As you scroll further down the main page of NFR, you'll see an embedded audio player. Click the play button and listen to the latest Northshore Fishing Report that aired on Don Dubuc's More Outdoor Show. The show airs every last Saturday of the month on WWL 105.3 HD2 FM. Keith takes everything thats happening on the website and takes it to Southeast Louisiana. Regular Guests include Captain Andy Jones of Wicked Charters, Sac-a-lait anglers Ray Miller and John Guillot, Chris Basey with Bass Assassins, Jason Pittman with Florida Parish Bass Anglers, and other local anglers that post on NFR.
Keep scrolling down the main page and you'll come across a list of the latest interviews taken from the NFR Studio. Keith interviews anglers that make recent reports in the forum and has them talk about their latest fishing trip. Here you'll find quick samples of those interviews. The NFR Studio of an exclusive feature of the Premium Membership. Premium Members has full access to all studio interviews.
Underneath the latest studio interviews you'll find the hot spot on the Northshore. This area usually changes with every month that goes by. It is swayed by recent reports and has a brief description of whats biting and how to fish the specific species of fish. The Fishing Forecast also comes into play when deciding the "What's Hot" spot.
Further down you'll find more links to other pages. To the left you'll see a list of tides pages. These tidal reports are of the Tchefuncte River, Hwy 433 at Bayou Bonfouca, and Chef Mentuer Pass. To the right of the tides you'll find a link to satellite images taken of every bayou and river on the Northshore. Other spots include the Twin Spans, Trestles Bridge, and Causeway Bridge. Underneath the satellite maps you'll find the "Down the Bayou" video. This is an on board view of Bayou Bonfouca from Heritage Park in Slidell all the way to Lake Pontchartrain.
At the bottom of the main page you'll find numerous links to important data that you'll need to fish on the Northshore. The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation's Hydrocoast Map gives you a monthly report of the salinity in different locations throughout the lake. The Causeway monitors conditions at it's bascule and reports important wind condition to fishing the lake. The MODIS map that NASA operates is an important feature to finding clean water on the Northshore. This is updated daily and allows viewers to zoom into areas in the lake, rivers, and bayous.
At the very bottom of the main page you'll see NFR's Latest Podcasts. "Bassin' Bayou Lacombe" is an interview with Ronald Pierre of Denham Springs and Chris Basey of Covington. Both anglers are lifelong anglers on Bayou Lacombe and give tips to fishing the bayou. Lemo's Reef is another podcast. Keith interviews Lawrence Lemoine and his son about how to fish the reef out of Madisonville.
NorthshoreFishingReport.com is the authority on Northshore fishing and has grown in size over the year. The most important thing to know about this site is it's power to make you a better fisherman. Communication is important. Introduce yourself in the forum and post reports when you make a trip. Join the premium side of the site and take part in seminars, meetings, and studio interviews. You get out of it what you put in to it. Participation is the best way to learn.