Selling Bait, Renting Kayaks, Fishing And Crabbing Equipment, And Selling Hunting And Camping Supplies All For The Love Of Adventure
Getting married in a bait shop may not be everyone’s ideal wedding, but for Shannon Griffin and new husband Jeff Borderlon the location was perfect. The proprietors of Bayou Adventure in Lacombe, Louisiana, they recently tied the knot in their newly expanded operation, celebrating both their marriage and the next chapter of their successful business venture.
“A wedding in the shop isn’t that unusual,” Shannon tells The Buzz. “I was the local Justice of the Peace for awhile, and had my office in the bait shop. Now I’ve become a minister, so I still do weddings here.”
Lacombe sits on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, between the towns of Mandeville and Slidell, but you may not find it on every map. “We aren’t incorporated,” Shannon explains. “We’re not a town, we’re not a village, just a zip code! But we are definitely a community… everyone comes into the shop to yak!”
Besides selling bait, Shannon and Jeff rent kayaks, fishing and crabbing equipment, and sell hunting and camping supplies. Rentals come with free dropoff and pickup at one of several nearby boat ramps, maps, and advice on the best spots to visit in the area. Bayou Adventure also offers guided paddles through the local bayous, including a popular sunset tour, as well as kayak fishing expeditions that include all the needed tackle and bait.
The expansion of their shop allowed Shannon and Jeff to add hobby items to their inventory, becoming an authorized Traaxas dealer carrying radio controlled drones, cars and boats. “My husband grew up in a hobby shop,” Shannon says, “and he noticed a lot of kids coming in looking for something to do. These things are great for all ages, and are another kind of adventure in the outdoors.” Next up - bike rentals to use on the nearby Tammany Trace, a 31-mile multi-use path that runs from Slidell to Covington, connecting the towns on the North Shore, including Abita Springs, nationally famous for its brewery.
Until about nine years ago, Shannon lived in New Orleans. “I had the whole career thing, corner office and all,” she says. “Then I came up here and bought a house on the bayou. One day, I took a nap on the porch, and that sealed the deal. I put in my notice.”
Looking for a place to rent a kayak, Shannon came across a bait shop for sale. “There wasn’t even a sign on the door,” she recalls. “But there were cars outside so I figured it was open.” Shannon saw the potential and made an offer. “I bought it on a handshake, and the owner just walked out the door. I was in business.”
In the five years since, Shannon has expanded her offerings. She still sells worms and crickets, but now offers fresh bait shrimp pulled from the lake water. “I have my own shrimper,” she says, “and I talk to him a couple of times a day. So I always know where the fish are biting. But you have to come into the shop to find out my secret spots.”
Shannon did share a couple of her favorite adventures with The Buzz. “In my opinion, Cane Bayou is the perfect paddle,” she says. “You put in near the highway and paddle downstream through several eco-systems, from a freshwater swamp to a pine forest to a salt marsh and out into Lake Pontchartrain.”
The Bayou Adventure shop backs up to the wildlife refuge, Shannon says. “We have such a variety of birds and other wildlife,” she says. “Birders tell me they often see 35 to 40 different species here, as opposed to 20 in most places. We have one of the few colonies of the very rare red-cockaded woodpeckers, as well as great blue herons, bald eagles and ospreys, plus otters, wild boar, bobcats, deer, and of course, alligators.”
Part of Shannon’s job is introducing visitors to Big Mama, a gator often seen in the neighboring bayou. Sometimes the wildlife comes even closer. “Jeff left the door open the other day,” she says. “A big alligator snapping turtle walked right in.”
For those interested in catching dinner, Shannon recommends Lake Road in nearby Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge. “You can crab on one side of the road and fish on the other,” she says. “With just a turkey neck on a string, it’s easy to catch the limit of blue crabs… 12 dozen... in no time.”
Bayou Adventure is located in one of the best spots for outdoor adventure in Louisiana. The North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain is a complex of state parks and nature preserves, national and state wildlife refuges. Cane Bayou runs between Fontainebleau State Park and Big Branch Marsh. Nearby, Honey Island Swamp, named for its tupelo cypress forest, is another favorite with eco-tourists, according to Renee Kientz of the St. Tammany Parish Tourist and Convention Commission, otherwise known as the Louisiana North Shore.
“We have over 80,000 acres of wilderness preserve in St. Tammany,” Renee says. “What makes it unique is how very easy it is to get to. You can pull up in your car, put in your kayak, and instantly you’re in the middle of gorgeous scenery.”
Kientz says that the North Shore’s location at the intersection of interstates 10, 12 and 59, make it a convenient base for daytrips. “Downtown New Orleans is 45 minutes away across one of the causeways,” she explains. “The Plantation Country and the Gulf Coast casinos are just a short drive.”
Shannon Griffin Borderlon admits to a burning desire to share her world, often teaching visitors how to clean and cook their catch. “In five minutes, we can have you fishing or crabbing,” she says. “Once I sent a couple of teachers from Kansas out crabbing and they came back with a cardboard box full of blue crabs, but didn’t know how to cook them. We boiled the crabs for them and made jambalaya.
“They shared their bounty with us, and we shared with them. That’s how life is around here.”
Renee Wright
A graduate of Franconia College in Social Psychology, Renee has worked as Travel Editor for Charlotte Magazine and has written three travel guidebooks for Countryman Press among other writing assignments. She enjoys food and camping.
Make Sure To Stay At:
Abita Springs RV Resort; RV Camping Louisiana style! The pine forests, the pure air, the mineral waters, and the many services at Abita Springs RV Camping Resort and vacation rentals, assure visitors of an enjoyable vacation.