Austin Dabdoub tosses a slab into the ice chest as Jim Bates (a.k.a. Paw Paw) reels in another one. (Photo: Keith Lusher)
Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks
by Keith Lusher
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
It insinuates that as humans, we tend to get set in our old ways, making change hard to come by. Perhaps there is no group of people that this applies to more than fishermen.
For Jim Bates of Lacombe, LA, the challenge of learning a new trick came at the age of 66 when he was introduced to crappie fishing.
Bates cut his teeth fishing in Chalmette, LA., about 30 miles east of New Orleans. The area is known for its easy access to numerous saltwater canals and bays. With such fantastic saltwater fishing surrounding Bates’ home, it is no surprise that catching speckled trout and redfish became his weekly routine.
“I would run down to the bayou after work and fish till dark during the week and I fished every Sunday after church. It became a way of life. My family knew if they wanted me to attend an event it could not be on a Sunday afternoon because I would be on the water fishing,” Bates said.
Saltwater fishing not only provided entertainment for Bates, but it also provided food as his freezer was always packed with fillets.
“We caught fish…lots of fish! There was never a trip we didn’t catch fish. Most of the time we targeted speckled trout but after we would limit out on specks, we always would stop a few places and limit out on reds (redfish) and catch some black drum and a few sheepshead too,” Bates said.
But change came for Bates in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina and her 25-foot storm surge leveled his home in Chalmette. Bates recalls a phone call from a neighbor who stayed behind to ride out the storm.
“He said the water came up so fast that the furniture was chasing him up the stairs onto the second floor. He later showed us a video of the water rising so fast that it busted open his front doors and blew out his windows,” Bates said.
After losing everything, Bates, with his wife Dee Dee and three children, were forced to relocate. They settled in Lacombe, LA on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. This was higher ground for the Bate’s, with Lacombe being 30 feet above sea level as opposed to Chalmette where it was only seven feet above sea level.
As life got back to normal for Bates, he started trying to learn how to fish Lake Pontchartrain but soon found out that it was nothing like fishing around Chalmette.
“I made so many trips out in the lake but I never could learn the area enough to put fish in the boat consistently,” he said.
Bates soon gave up on saltwater fishing and started to fish for bass along the waters of the Northshore. He bought a 17-foot Ranger and began to learn how to bass fish. He started fishing the various rivers and bayous that spanned the Northshore and slowly learned his way around. His bass fishing routine changed, however, in 2022.
Bates attended a fishing seminar that brought together fishermen who fished for various types of species. One of those anglers was Tim Bye. Bye is an avid sac-a-lait fisherman who uses Forward-Facing Sonar (FFS).
“My wife and I just so happened to sit next to Tim and his wife and we got to talking. Tim told me he caught sac-a-lait and asked if I have ever used (Forward-Facing Sonar),” Bates said.
Before the seminar was over Bye and Bates exchanged numbers and they were able to make a trip together. The two met at a boat launch on the Tchefuncte River and after a quick ride downriver, they arrived at the first stop. Bye began pointing out structure, vegetation, and most importantly, sac-a-lait!
“I watched in awe as he caught one sac-a-lait after another. He even picked out the bigger ones and avoided the smaller ones when they approached his jig,” Bates said. “I watched him fill his ice chest with 25 slabs and a couple of blue cats before he convinced me to try catching one myself.”
Bates moved to the bow of the boat and lowered his jig down until Bye told him to stop.
and then warned Bates to get ready.
Bye said ‘Here it comes… hold on,’ and KABOOM! It happened.
“I’ll never forget that thump! That one magical thump and I was hooked,” Bates said.
After swinging the fish into the boat Bates knew this was the fish that he wanted to chase from here on out.
“I took pictures of his entire setup in his boat: the batteries, the black box, the poles, and even the color of his favorite jigs,” Bates said.
After returning home Bates experienced what he called the “icing on the cake” after filleting the sac-a-lait and deep frying them in vegetable oil.
“The fried sac-a-lait was better than any other fish I had ever fried, and trust me, I have fried a lot of fish in my lifetime,” Bates said.
Since then, Bates has submerged himself in everything “crappie” and has committed his entire focus to catching them.
“Within a few days of the trip with Tim, I purchased a (Garmin) Livescope, new batteries, two 10-inch Garmin monitors, several new sac-a-lait poles, reels, and jigs,” he said.
Bates’ passion for crappie fishing has bled into his family since then and he frequently fishes with his wife and has formed a bond with his grandson Austin, who has become quite the wingman helping Bates launch the boat and operate the FFS.
Bates has certainly had quite the journey since his saltwater fishing days. But every time he sits down to a plate of fried sac-a-lait filets, he remembers that it is true – you really can teach an old dog new tricks.
Keith Lusher is an award-winning outdoor journalist from Covington, Louisiana. He owns and operates NorthshoreFishingReport.com and writes for the Slidell Independent Newspaper and VisitTheNorthshore.com. Lusher contributes to numerous online and print publications and prides himself on promoting South Louisiana’s unique fishery.
