Get Your Bass Out There April 6th

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big-bass-rodeo

If people concentrated on the really important things in life,
there’d be a shortage of fishing poles. ~Doug Larson


BigBass
To welcome springtime fishing, New Orleans City Park will host its Big Bass Rodeo and Fishtival, the oldest freshwater rodeo in the country. This 66-year-old event attracts over 600 participants and affords an opportunity for anglers of all ages and backgrounds to catch those elusive lunkers for bragging rights and trophies.

Unlike high caliber bass fishing tournaments, this nonprofessional rodeo encourages families and friends to enjoy a day in the park. This year’s Rodeo will be held on Saturday, April 6th with registration beginning at 6:00 a.m. at the Casino Building (presently Morning Call Café).

Fishing begins at 6:30 a.m. and weigh-in ends at 11:00 a.m. by the Bandstand. The entry fee is only $10 for Adults (13 and older) and $5 for kids (12 years and under). Be sure to visit: www.neworleanscitypark.com/bigbass for details, online registration, registration forms, rules & regulations and a fishing map.

There are 5 fishing categories:
1. Bass by baitcaster, spincast or spinning reel.
2. Bass by fly rod and reel.
3. Team Event-Rio Grande Roundup for the team bringing in the heaviest stringer of cichlids.
4. Junior Anglers for those 12 years and under catching the heaviest single bream or cichlid.
5. Champion’s Challenge for past 1st place winners of the Bass category compete against one another for the largest bass.

Catfish Kids is a bonus for those 16 years and under catching the 3 single heaviest catfish.

The Fishtival complete with music by a DJ begins at 9:00 a.m. (its free!) around the Casino and Bandstand area and offers activities for young and old alike. A special section for children by Wish To Fish La. offers a casting contest for ages 6-15, free casting and cast net throwing lessons and other activities. Wildlife educators from Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries will have demonstrations and exhibits as well as their pellet-shooting trailer. Numerous other exhibitors include local artists, ecology, wildlife, conservation groups, kayak displays, live “critters” to pet and more! And if you are feeling lucky you can participate in the $1 raffle for great fishing and outdoor gear including a fishing kayak or the $5 raffle to win one of 3 charter boat fishing trips with well known Captains C.T. Williams, Dudley Vandenborre or Aaron Gelfand. The popular Mardi Gras toss of fishing tackle during the awards ceremony affords an opportunity to put up your hands and catch baits to fill up your tackle box.

The Big Bass Rodeo was founded in 1946 by Paul Kalman. Paul spent many hours of his childhood fishing the tree-framed waters of City Park. For Paul, it was an angler’s urban heaven. After serving in World War II, Paul conceived the idea of an annual fishing rodeo, planting the seeds of what would become City Park’s Big Bass Rodeo. A reporter for the New Orleans Item at the time, he persuaded his bosses to sponsor the inaugural event. So armed with a meat scale borrowed from Schwegmann’s original grocery store, the Rodeo was launched. Under his guidance, the rodeo grew to where it drew as many as 1,000 participants. Although he passed away in 1987, his legacy lives on today with the Paul Kalman award presented to the angler 12 years old or less who lands the largest bass. The Joe Courcelle award has since been added to rodeo to honor his 30 years plus serving as Weigh Master and is given to the angler 13 years and up landing the largest bass.

Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 6th and try your luck to catch a record-breaking bass. Good Fishing!

Park Island

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GAMBIT
December 6, 2011

http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/hey-blake-what-can-you-tell-me-about-park-island/Content?oid=1920125

The connection of Bayou St. John with Lake Pontchartrain was a major factor when the French chose to settle here because the bayou, with a fairly short and easy trip overland, connected the lake to the Mississippi River.

But when New Orleans founder Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville and company made their way up Bayou St. John, Park Island didn’t even exist. Navigation was difficult, and a sharp curve in the bayou kept filling up with sand and branches. The point acquired the nicknames “the Devil’s Elbow” and “the Devil’s Slough” from the frustrated men who tried to navigate the waterway.

In the mid-1800s, action was taken to make the bayou easier to navigate. On the east side of Park Island is a narrow channel, the original bed of the bayou. Plans were to excavate land on the west side of the bayou, thereby making a deeper channel that would be easier to navigate. Digging began in 1861 but stopped when attention turned to the Civil War. After the war, work started up again, and the bayou was straightened. The island was formed from the soil dug up for the new channel.

In 1859, the island was given to New Orleans surveyor Claude Jules Allou d’Hemecourt for his excellent work, and the island was called Isle d’Hemecourt. Born in France in 1819, d’Hemecourt came to New Orleans with his family in 1831 and acquired a reputation as an outstanding surveyor. In 1866, d’Hemecourt sold the island to James Joseph Demoruelle, whose family maintained ownership until 1905. Called Demoruelle Island during this time, it was used for hunting and later a city dump.

During the first half of the 20th century, Bayou St. John underwent many changes. It was used less as an industrial waterway and became a haven for recreational boathouses, small shipyards and squatters.

In 1952 Demoruelle Island was briefly owned by a law firm of five partners who considered dividing the island into five huge plots on which they would each build a house. Instead they sold it to a corporate buyer.

We first heard about the new project to create an exclusive residential area in 1953 when it was revealed that the island in Bayou St. John would be developed into residential sites selling for $18,000 each. The unique settlement overlooking City Park would have 24 lots facing the water, four interior lots and a bridge to access the properties.

The corporation that subdivided the island was called Park Island Inc., and its officers were Joseph Schiro, Livingston S. Hiern and Jacques Fortier. The lots were 80-by-140 feet, except for one, a triangular lot 290 feet long with a private driveway.

Although the road to the island now begins at St. Bernard Avenue, the original plan was to build a bridge from Wisner Boulevard, which runs between the bayou and New Orleans City Park, but park authorities objected.

The first houses were built in 1957, and the last in 1973. Several of the houses were designed by renowned New Orleans architect Albert Ledner. One in particular is called the “ashtray house” because of an architectural feature that incorporates 1,200 amber ashtrays. This house belongs to former Mayor Ray Nagin, who has put it on the market for $729,000 — and that includes an air-conditioned garage.

Article is from the December 6, 2011 issue of Gambit Weekly.
http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/hey-blake-what-can-you-tell-me-about-park-island/Content?oid=1920125