Keith Lusher 02.20.24
One of many nice issues about being an out of doors journalist is I’m in a position to meet attention-grabbing folks by my work. This previous week, I had the pleasure of climbing on board with a gentleman who is aware of loads about bass fishing the native waters right here in South Louisiana. His title is Paul Paille (pronounced “pie”… it’s French) and he’s considerably of a star within the space being that he has been teaching Excessive College sports activities since he was 22 years previous. Paille is at present an assistant Soccer Coach and Head Golf Coach for Mandeville Excessive College in St. Tammany Parish. As I jumped in his 20-foot razor bass boat this was made clear as two boats handed us and hollered “Coach Paille… Coach Paille.”
After getting a number of ideas from “Coach”, we started to speak about his capability to catch massive bass. Paille at all times appears to have the ability to carry within the massive fish which is one among his strengths when fishing the native bass match scene. After conversing with him for about an hour, it was apparent that Paille was custom-made for fishing bass tournaments by years of aggressive teaching. “Proper from the beginning I cherished the artwork and science of bass fishing. Making an attempt to resolve the each day and even hourly Bass puzzle amazes me,” Paille mentioned. Because the day progressed I observed he began to fish tougher and with a function. Paille was lifeless set on catching a giant bass in order that we might take footage, nonetheless, I’m not so certain it there wasn’t one thing else pushing him. As we talked extra, Paille began telling me about his “Coach Paille Challenges.” These are each day challenges he creates that present the stress and nervousness he experiences throughout tournaments. “After I began fishing bass tournaments I wasn’t ok to persistently win. So the coach in me developed a observe plan to enhance,” Paille mentioned.
He started to clarify to me how he orchestrates the challenges. “I video myself pre-dawn stating a problem on video. I set a sure weight that I’ve to complete with 5 fish. Then I’ve to catch the load or I’ve to pay by doing one thing unpleasurable like consuming liver…..Yuk,” Paille mentioned. This made lots of sense to me and I shook my head in settlement with the lifelong Coach.
Paille then informed me a couple of problem that he just lately issued to himself. “I posted the problem on social media and my pals comply with on-line because the problem progresses. I needed to catch a five-fish stringer that weighed ten kilos, or I must eat a nutria (big swamp rat),” he mentioned. Paille fished exhausting all day catching quite a few high quality fish, however missed his goal by one ounce. “I simply couldn’t improve weight so I needed to reside as much as the problem,” he mentioned.
The following day Paille made a visit to the river and was in a position to wrap up a nutria on the top of a forged and reel it in. After making ready it he videod himself consuming the fried rat and despatched it to all his pals to show that he accomplished the problem. “That’s what’s so motivating in regards to the challenges…I do know I’ve to meet them if I don’t hit my purpose,” he mentioned. Paille glanced at me and smirked, “I’m a center little one of eight.”
As we laughed collectively, Coach Paille manned the trolling motor as he tossed a jig that he made himself. “I can’t ever discover precisely what I need on the shops so I simply make them myself,” he mentioned. When Paille is searching massive bass he enlarges the profile of the jig by including a Magnum trick worm to the hook. Then it’s all about location. “Bass want meals and oxygen so I like to search out junctions the place a smaller tributary is related to the primary river,” he mentioned. In February, water situations are fluctuating due to the weekly chilly fronts that move by dumping a number of inches of rain on South Louisiana.
“In the event you discover these junctions, have a look at the water that’s coming into the primary river,” he mentioned. Paille identified a shoreline in the primary river and mentioned, “Do you see that shoreline? Have a look at the clear water that’s flowing alongside it. These fish are going to be on that shoreline as a result of that’s the place they’ll feed alongside that mixing line. I attempt to goal stickouts (timber that stick out into to river) You’ll be able to rapidly look down the river and spot banks with no lillies. These are the deeper banks and are phenomenal for catching massive bass,” Paille mentioned.
Paille continued to forged franticly because the solar went down after which froze. He slowly turned the deal with tightening up the slack in his line. He bent over and BAM! Coach swung his rod again and related with what he was on the lookout for all day. “There he’s,” he mentioned. Paille makes use of braided mainline with a 17-pound fluorocarbon chief so the struggle didn’t final lengthy. He muscled a 5.2-pound bass close to the boat and lipped it. After elevating the fish up into the air he stood up, eliminated the hook from its mouth, and mentioned, “Mission completed!” On the boat journey again I requested Coach what the penalty for not assembly his problem was. He simply shook his head and mentioned, “You don’t need to know!”
