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Memorable Memorial Day	28 May 2002
Headed to the marsh Friday morning with the hopes of calm winds anf bright sun. Well I was half right. The first few hours showed no winds but totally clouded. The sun came out about 10:30 , just as the winds picked up to 10+ knots. The fishing was good though,despite only fair water clarity, with black drum literally everywhere and quite a few reds, even in places remarkably close to the launchsite. I managed to land a few each of the reds and drum on a pink charlie in the marsh popnds and along grass beds. Interestingly , I would put the fly right in front of the drum and it was largely ignored, but when I stared stripping it past them many would follow and strike. The Monday weather reports looked even more promising and when I arrived at first light the wind was dead calm and the water as smooth as a newly waxed gym floor. I spent most of my time standing in the kayak and poling, just to enjoy the underwater view. Once again the drum were ubiquitous and reds fairly plentiful. The south wind picked up about 11:00 and I made my way in as the water was getting murky, catching a mixed bag of drum and reds and missing just as many opportunities. Conditions were a neat reminder of how good it can be after a winter and spring of tough conditions.
JeffM	Golden Meadow
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Finally!	28 May 2002
Finally caught a break in work and wind Sunday morning. Went out by myself to a marsh honey hole. While there were a lot of reds in the marsh, they weren't tailing or being very active. I had to just pole around looking for subtle signs of moving fish and make a cast. Unfortunatly, by the time I would hook my pushpole on my belt, ick up my rod and cast, a lot of the fish were long gone. I did manage to pick up 3 nice reds this way...as the sun got higher, the water warmer and the fish quit moving, I ran to a little deaper marsh and found a Big school of reds pushing shrimp. I managed to catch one out of the school but the commotion of catching him put the school down and they never came back up. Monday, returned with Danny Williams, the fish in the shallow marsh were still there, but were refusing everything Danny threw at them. We ran back to the deaper marsh, found the big school again and Danny managed to pull a nice 8.5 pounder out of it. He also caught a nice flounder. Tight Lines, Ron
Ron Begnaud	Calcasieu Estuary
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This Honey Hole Has No Vacancy	27 May 2002
Things didn't look too good daybreak Sunday am when Master Jake and I met up with LaFleur on Hwy 1 near Grand Isle. Sat pm we struggled with dirty water and big tides. A full moon didn't help with speck action Sat night on the bridge. We knew our only hope was to go deep into the isolated marsh where tide effect and dirty water where minimal. There we hit the jackpot. After running into a school of 12"-15" specks under diving birds in a small lake, we worked a series of islands, picking up an occasional red. Then Jake sighted the unbelievable - an open flat full of tailing reds and drum. A couple of hundred fish covering 3 acres. Jake began picking off fish one by one using a Coma Spoon size 1, while I worked the canoe around the perimeter. Then the wind came up, and almost like magic they all disappeared. After that we struggled for a couple hours moving around until we found this one cove full of black drum tailing. Near the entrance of this cove was a small dead end "ditch", where Jake spotted four drum working. I paddled the canoe alongside the bank to this hole, and Jake - crouched up on the front of the canoe - made a short cast to a drum, hooked him up, then worked him out the hole and into the open, where he battled for 5 minutes. We repeated this 6 times on 6 different fish (they were different because we kept all - black drum are GOOD eating!). So if Jake spotted four, where did the other two come from? Jake noticed that as one drum came out the hole, another would move into the hole. Sure enough, after #6 we decided it was time to head home. Jake peeked back into the hole and guess how many drum there were? (Hint: it's a number between 3 and 5). A most memorable day, thanks to subsided winds, clear water, and a great teammate!
Catch	Fourchon
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A River Runs Through The Marsh	27 May 2002
Went down to the Grand Isle area on Saturday. Started on the north side of Hwy. 1. No wind in the early morning and the fish were working, but the water was muddy. Put the fly on the nose of several reds but no takers. I then started to drag the bottom and picked up lots of black drum. Boy, do they fight. The water was getting really muddy from the inside shrimpers and then the tide started rising. And did it rise. Just short of white water kayaking. I would start at one end of a long shoreline and drift to the other end in no time, working the whole bank. But the water just got muddier. Got out and drove over the Grand Isle bridge. The warer was pouring in from the gulf and it was clear, so I put back in on the south side of the highway. The water was a lot better until the tide started falling, and did it fall, and brought all the mud from the north side of the highway. Caught some more black drum and a couple of reds. I checked the NOAA report when I got home and the tide was over +2.0 feet, something I had not seen in some time. A great day in the marsh.
Mike LaFleur	Grand Isle
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Too many jet skis and ski boats	24 May 2002
Went Thursday afterwork to False River. Caught 14 keepers, bream and sacalait in 2 hours. Fish are there, but they shut down each time a ski boat passes, which was every 5 minutes. With summer vacation, will redirect my efforts to calmer waters.
Catch	False River
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Bayou Corne	24 May 2002
We hit several canals off of Grand Bayou with consistent action in the back corners. Landed 100+ bream and 10 sacalait with beadheads and fluffbutts. The water is a little high, but beautiful.
denise fuson	baton rouge
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upper basin	20 May 2002
whew did the wind stop, we struggled to boat mixed bag of sac au lait and bream (about 50). BUT I did see a momma bear and two cubs- RAIDING CRAWFISH TRAPS, coolest thing i have ever seen
jay	baton roooooge
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Lots of active fish	17 May 2002
Fished some small ponds, and a section of the Tickfaw River today before the front moved through. Caught plenty of good bream, a few bass and a real nice catfish on a 3 wt rod. The bream and catfish came on a # 14 firefly, the bass were biting on olive and black wooly buggers, and popping bugs. One acrobatic bass jumped out of the water to inhale the popper on the way down. I love it when that happens. Good action right up till the rain hit.
Dirk	Ponds near Holden, and Tickfaw River
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Break in weather has fish excited!	17 May 2002
Went to False River after work yesterday with canoe. What a difference a little rain and a cool front made! Bigger bream were back, but I also found sacalait along many piers. Hot fly this spring continues to be size 12 black/chartreuse fluff butt, cast and retrieve (no VOSI). Put 20 in the box and released dozens more.
Catch	False River
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Looking good!	16 May 2002
Made a quick run up to the North Shore today. Even though it was WINDY, still put the yak in and puddled around a bit. The grass is awesome, and there was tons of surface activity. Usually don't expect anything when it is that windy, but I pulled out 2 decent specks (not Mike LaFleur size, but keepers none the less) and a rat red. The specks were on a pencil popper, and I picked up the red right off the shore with a little crab pattern. Can't wait to go back when (if) the wind ever lays down. Neal
Neal	Ponch
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Wading	15 May 2002
Could anyone tell me if there are any areas within an hour of New Orleans that I could wade with a 9 weight? I am here for the summer without a boat. Thanks in advance.
Ty
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before the front	13 May 2002
my cuz jon and i hit a couple of baton rouge neighborhood ponds...jon landed several nice bream. site casted at a couple gar. no takes.. front passed, no more action...jitter beez in chartruse worked best... jon caught his first fish on fly today...! cant wait till he hangs a big red! we will keep you posted on the new guys progress!
ty	wedgewood lake , baton rouge
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saltwater smorgie	13 May 2002
We camped on south Breton Is. over the weekend. Water was dirty, but the fun was clean. Oppressively hot at midday. Mixed bag of specks, reds, and hardhead catfish on chartreuse or purple clousers. The bite was late afternoon, on the fall. Wind was moderate but relentless making the surf difficult. Friends found drum at a nearshore platform using dead shrimp on the bottom. Previously--3 weeks ago--we had a nice run at mackerel on Grand Gosier.
Mark Skinner	Breton Is.
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Hwy 51 Saturday	13 May 2002
Late Sat pm, Jake and I launched canoe near Ruddock. Caught 6 gobbules, 4 small bass, 2 nice bass, 1 sacalait. Strong tide movement in canal. Spoke to anglers at North Pass boat launch. Lots of croakers and some specks in Maurepas.
Catch	Ruddock
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surf stuff	12 May 2002
working in gulf shores this weekend. hit beach with my ladder for 1 hour... caught some skip jacks on chartruse clousers. missed a spanish. about 50 feet in front of me on beach, i saw a tarpon, as big as me, come out of water to catch some bait fish... awesome! off to destin flordia next weekend. plan on takeing my kayak. we will see what happens. i wauna hook up with something that can tow me back to louisiana!
ty	gulf shores , al
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Fishing Sat.11th	12 May 2002
Got to TPH about 6:25 AM. Wind was still up about 10-12 mph. No strikes till 9:30 caught one Red on popper about 4# good fight good eating.Wind to much went home before 10:00. Had FUN.
del Rio	Hwy.#1 TPH
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Lots O' Bream	08 May 2002
Went to the Calcasieu river with Danny Williams on Tuesday afternoon. We fished a powerline cut and caught lots of bream (about 150) with a few Goggle Eye and a gar in the mix. We had about 30 that would have been keeper size, but we released everything. We caught them on small poppers with bead head nymphs suspended beneath. The blugill mostly took the dropper, but we caught a lot of Longear on the popper. The longear (which I was mistakenly thinking were pumpkinseed) were the most brightly coloured I have ever seen. Deep red and turquoise. Also the biggest longear I have ever caught. I got strait on the id of them after getting on line this morning and researching. They are so pretty that I think I want to put some in an aquarium. Lots of fun.
Ron Begnaud	Calcasieu River
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surf fishing	07 May 2002
mick, good luck in ft. walton beach... don't know if you know the ladder trick ? ,,,,,, i allways take a 6' ladder to those clear water beaches... i wade out in the surf chest deep, climb on top of the ladder. this will get you above the breaking waves ( no jumping !). it's like standing on the bow of a boat! you can see down in the water and site cast to passing schools etc....works great... because of this i was able to see a tarpon swim under me (trip before last). no take, but i saw him...good luck. excited to hear your report.... ty
ty	emarld coast
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Fishing FL	07 May 2002
Ty: I will be in Ft. Walton next week. Thanks for the info. I will have my long rods out in the surf.
Mickey	Baton Rouge
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white sand green water	07 May 2002
went to panama city this weekend on biz. got monday off... i stoped by a sail boat launch and fished my 6wt for what would bite... man, its like fishing in an aquarium over there! i happend to have a jitter bee on so i said what the heck.... i caught several large pin fish, a speck and a yellow tail...! they tore the only 2 jitter beez i had to shreads. ill make sure i tie some heavy salt jitter beez for my next tropical trip... i then went to the beach... i threw pink charlies till my arm fell off... i laded 3 or so nice skip jacks. one was 20''. no pompano in site... ive got to do some biz in destin , fl week after next. ill let you know how the heavy salt jitter beez do!
ty	panama city , fl
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Black Drum and Specks in the Marsh	06 May 2002
Fished the marsh in Grand Isle area Sunday a.m. Keeping to Cormier's 1st Rule, left BR at 3:30am to be there at 1st light. Beautiful puddler weather: light to non-existent wind, but a little hot because it was so still. Water brown and murky. Caught Black Drum and little Specks on Chartreuse Charlies (guess they couldn't see the Pinks). Lots of feeding activity. Back in BR by 2:00pm - just in time to clean up the gear, fillet the Drum, swim in the pool, and fire up the grill. Life is good!
Joe Kahler	The House
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Strange Days At False River	06 May 2002
I've been fishing False River steadily since 1978, back when grass (hydrilla) ruled the lake, the flats were full of fishermen on weekends pursuing the big redears, and catches of 100 to 200 a day on fly rod were common. Oh...how the mighty have fallen. The grass - and grass shrimp - are all gone. The flats are empty, and jet skis rule the lake. You can still catch 100 gobbules a day on fly rod, but the average size is 4 inches. A 7 inch gobbule is a whopper! Friday after work, I fished the south end from canoe. Yesterday 9am to 1pm, the north end. With the drought, the water is clear to 4 feet. Gobbules chase your fly down in packs and nibble on it. There might be some bigger ones in deep water, but my fly never made it down that far before being snatched. It was fun on a 3 weight. However, if I had more time, would've gone to Lake St. John or Big Alabama where 7 inch gobbules are considered "bait".
Catch Cormier	False River
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Reds in the Marsh Ponds	01 May 2002
Made a run to the coast Monday morning to try my luck with the Spottail Elvis. The promise of favorable weather and a day off from work made a trip to the marsh just too much to resist. Put in at daylight and found good numbers of redfish back in the marsh ponds. Unfortunately, the water was muddy and the fish were not aggressively feeding. Occasionally, I would see, or more often hear, a red crashing baitfish, but by the time I could reach the spot the fish would have moved on. I managed to find one taker so I wasn't completely skunked, just somewhat frustrated. Saw birds diving and specks chasing baitfish in the open water, but I was concentrating on the reds. In hindsight, I should have put on a chartruse clouser with a VOSI and drifted across the lake to try for specks (Hindsight 20/20, as usual). The good news is that the reds are moving back into the shallow marsh ponds (where puddlers definitely have an advantage) and the speck activity seems to be picking up.
Steve Lee	Hwy 1 / Fourchon
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close to home	30 April 2002
"comment ca va" everyone! i think i finaly found some good fishing close to my home in rayne, la... monday i headed down hwy 35 towards pecan island with my ocean kayak... i stoped about 10mi short of the island to try my hand at some fresh water canals on the side of the road... water was black, black... very pretty... i fished 1hr, from noon to 1pm... i caught 1 bass,1 goggle eye and 3 bream... i was excited. all were caught on a chartruse jitter bee. i then headed down to pecan island and put in my kayak in some marsh a couple miles before "rollover landing". i went scouting for reds. the wind was kicking pretty good. i still found a great deal of broken marsh with plenty of grass beds. i saw a couple of reds tailing and a couple swirrling on bait.. not prepaired for the grass. between grass and wind i was not able to get a take... the reds are there and ill be back on a calm morn with weedgarded everthing. ps. i also caught a dozen nice crabs before i headed home.... i would love to fish the same marsh in my flat bottem boat.. any one know of any boat launches around rollover landing that don't go straight to the gulf? ty
ty	pecan island
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After the Bream	30 April 2002
Randy and I hit the Bayou Corne area last Saturday one more time before he leaves for Germany and other commitments. With a lot of good reports in the papers and grapevine and a lot full of trailers at the Sportsmans Paradise boat launch we had big hopes. However, the wind was back as last trip. Was 15-20 with gusts all day. Fortunatly there are lots of canals and bayous to break the big gusts. With our jitterbees, vosis, and poppers, we did alright. But everyone is still picking the big bream off one or two at a time. We got our bakers dozen of keepers, mostly bluegills, and a catfish with many smaller ones (100 or so?) thrown back as usual. Also got one goggle eye, two sacalait and a few redears and Randy had a gar at the boat. From cleaning the fish I think the best is yet to come. The females still had full egg sacks and males were full of milt. I don't think we found a bed all day. May is till the best month for hitting beds of big bream so keep them in your plans in the next few weeks.
Dugan	Bayou Corne
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Help	30 April 2002
I need an update! I have not been on the water for 2 months. Do red fish still swim at Myrtle Grove? Do the still eat crabs?
flybob	?
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Amazing Afternoon	30 April 2002
Monday afternoon, I went fishing at Black Lake lodge in Hackberry. David Authemont was my guide. In 3 hours we boated 67 largemouth (I caught 41) mostly in the 12" range although David did catch a 3 pounder. 38 of my fish came on one fly. David was fishing conventional tackle, I was throwing a black Dahlburg Diver with a heavy weedguard. There were times when it was a fish a cast. Absolutely Awesome. Although the wind was screaming David was able to keep us positioned near tree lined levee's where we were totally protected. If you ever want an exciting outing with tons of fish call these folks at (337)762-3157. While the guides are not fluent in flyfishing, they are proffessional and courteous and can put you where the fish are. The fishing is pretty straitforward. You need a fairly stout (8 or 9wt) rod because there is a TON of vegitation, and you need a surface fly with a heavy weed guard. Honestly there is almost no reason to use anything other than a Dahlburg. I tied my weedguards out of 40lb mono. This is a great trip, if you ever want to catch a lot of fish, check Black Lake Lodge out. Ron
Ron Begnaud	Black Lake Lodge - Hackberry
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gobbules	29 April 2002
fished upper basin near krotz springs, nearly 100 on sat and sunday morn. poppers, jitterbees and cap spider. Cap spider was the deadliest. 1 big cajun caviar fish(choupique) sunday evening
jay	baton rooooooge
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Bayou Lacombe	27 April 2002
Had friday off,so I tried out the northshore at the end of Lake Road. Wind was not too bad,considering today's winds and last few weeks. ENE wind helped keep inshore water clear. There were swells out of the SE that keep you alert. Water was clear for a east wind. Grass beds are best in several years. Weedless flies or poppers will be required this summer. Wade fishing from shore may be difficult due to extent of weeds. Lots of bait close in. Farther out the wind and chop made it difficult to see any activity. Fished between the launch and the duck blind. No other fishermen in parking lot,though I ran into a local with a kayak and fly rod at home. A couple hits on a poppers,one was a needlefish. One possible strike/grassbed hit. Water temp was warm to the touch.
Don Bolstad	Bayou LaCombe
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Birding/Fishing Trip	25 April 2002
Spent the past weekend on Grand Isle for the annual bird migration celebration. Took time to check out some fishing holes also. The neotropical birds had ridden the strong south winds inland but the shorebirds were out in force. Saw the brown pelican rookery on Queen Bess Island from Steve Tomeny's 65 footer, Gulf of Mexico! Was ready to fish for snapper but the water was too shallow around Queen Bess. Fishing report: Water still cool in the lower 70's and the specks have not schooled yet. Caught some schoolies on clouser and vosi on backside of island but very slow. Checked out Blue Dolphin and found it will be ready for us in July. Surf was rough so no fishing there. Caminada Pass looked good from jetty but few fish. LA 1 spots were also slow and wind was a problem. Some reds were caught by others and if Mike was down I assume they were biting in Elmers canal but I didn't have a boat! Chicks has reopened with new owners as the "crab shack". They have food,ice, gas, tackle and bait as before. Will need our business to survive. Also for those that care about such things a new McDonalds has opened on the bypass.
Dugan Sabins	Grand Isle
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Where did they all go?	22 April 2002
After the RSFF Basics Seminar on Sat, Ardes Johnson, Steve Lee and I took our canoes to Hwy 51 for some late pm gobbule action. Fished area between Pass Manchac and Ruddock. Action below par, but still averaged 30 each on poppers. So expectations were fairly high Sunday pm when Lori Nunn, Paula Cannon, Master Jake and I hit 51 again. First stop was north of Pass Manchac - two fish in two hours. So we headed south to a spot just south of the Ruddock exit. From 5:30pm to dark, this group of gobbule veterans picked up 18 combined! Few on popping bug, most on size 12 beadhead cap spider, yellow body, black legs. Worst trip to 51 since the Hurricane George fish kill! Jake suspects "black water". Trip wasn't a complete bust - we enjoyed dinner at Middendorfs.
Catch	Ruddock
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upper basin	22 April 2002
Fished the upper basin (above 190). 4 bass, 100+ gobbules including 2 over a pound.
jay	baton rouge
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Sunday report	22 April 2002
Mr. Del Rio wanted a report on a puddlers trip to Lake Ponchy. -- Ah me hardies the wind she blew from the south at a hellaish turn, the mast was about to crack and the greart white whale was blocked out by the white caps. We wnet home after a short paddle in the marsh.
Marc
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bout time...	17 April 2002
comment ca va, headed out this afternoon to hog island gully with ron begnaud (father of the RED CHASER,which may be posted here soon). the hog island gully boat launch is about 20 min south of sulphur, la on edge of lake cascasieu. wind was killer. broke my rod casting into wind for couple of hours. wind blew fly back at me and hooked myself in arm ( barbless works!!!!!). BUT.... after ron and i pouded the points etc blind casting, i managed to hang my first red of the spring season ( on red chaser ). not a big guy but yet a red.... marsh looked good back there.... once these crazy spring winds settle looks like some great site casting marsh.... great spot for puddlers.... ty
ty	hog island gully, lake calcasieu
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Wanted, a few good redfish	17 April 2002
Made run to the coast Monday morning and put in east of Fourchon with no luck. Like Joe, I saw lots of mullet but no reds. Pulled out about 9 am and went to Golden Meadow where the water was high and clear. Found lots of sheepshead and black drum with a few redfish around moss beds/algae mats. Had a few takes but no hookups before the wind came up and the activity stopped. Didn't see any "backing" redfish along the banks, but saw several "tailing" reds in the algae mats. Last week Catch told me to look for algae to find the reds, it looks like he was right again. Not exactly a banner day fishing, but I did get plenty of exercise.
Steve Lee	Hwy 1
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Elvis Done Lef' Da' Building	16 April 2002
Went down to Grand Isle area this w/e and fished a couple of spots that usually produce good catches of Reds, Specks, etc. Similar experience to Ron's (see below) both Saturday afternoon and Sunday first-light to early afternoon. Fished hard and long too. There were mullet jumpin' around everywhere and smooth, high water, but I caught only one small speck. Hardly even a "bump" otherwise. Spot-tail Elvis made no appearance. I dunno' - maybe there was too much freshwater down there from the rain earlier in the week. Whatever the case, sounds like freshwater was the place to be last w/e.
Joe Kahler	Work
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Awesome Fishing Weekend	15 April 2002
An absolutely gorgeous weekend for freshwater fly fishing. The RSFF club trip to Lake Concordia was one of their best trips ever. Everyone caught lots of fish. Big redears, big bluegill, catfish, carp, and even some decent bass. Paula Cannon earned TOP ANGLER honors as her boat loaded up on Sat and Sun, and provided most of the fish for the Sat nite fry. Most of the fish were caught on jitterbees and popping bugs, but Mike Verduin made us all believers in his CAP SPIDER with an unbelievable stringer of 1 lb redears on Sunday! Fishing with the Jitterbee under a VOSI also accounted for John Landry and I catching 7 catfish on fly rod, including John's pending #2 state fly rod record (2.41 lbs). On my return to BR, Master Jake took me to the neighborhood pond, where he caught a dozen bass Saturday. Between 6pm-7:30pm, we caught 6 bass and 30+ gobbules. Bass hit balsa slider, gobbules an Accardo Spook size 10. On top of great fishing, LSU swept Georgia in baseball. What a weekend!
Catch	Lake Concordia / Wedgewood
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Fish WIth PHD's	15 April 2002
Finally, the weather was perfect this weekend..Little or no wind, partly cloudy to Sunny skies...I knew I was gonna get in the marsh and kick some red butt. Saturday I went out by myself to a little marsh honey hole. The water was a little higher than I like but nothing drastic...Spooked lots of fish but None would tail, show themselves or eat...ran to a second location and it was the same way. Pushed plenty of fish but they were on a hunger strike. Sunday Danny Williams and I went into Cameron Prairie refuge behind the Grand Bayou weirs...The water was absolutely slick, and there were tons of fish in the marsh. But I have never seen redfish act this spooky. We were in Danny's Hells Bay which poles as quietly as anything on the water, but the fish would sense the boat and spook off from such a distance that we wouldn't have been able to reach them with conventional tackle. I was actually hoping for a little wind to put a ripple on the water so the fish wouldn't be so skittish. I am now much balder than before, having pulled all my hair out over the weekend. Ron
Ron Begnaud	Cameron Prairie Marsh//Grand Bayou
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@#$&% Lying Weatherman	12 April 2002
Yesterday (4/11)weather was calling for light 5 - 10 mph winds. Danny Williams and I went to Big Lake to see if we could find a Big Speck on fly (4 - 10plus pounders and numerous 8 - 9 pounders have recently been taken by conventional tackle guys). We get to long point, it's slick...10 minutes later the wind is howling out of the S.E. and we are in a 2' chop, so we run back across the lake and go behind the Grand Bayou weirs looking for reds. Wind has put them down too, I manage to catch one flounder and one 4lb red. Man I can't wait for the weather to get right.
Ron B.	Calcasieu Lake//Cameron Prairie Refuge
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no reds	09 April 2002
comment ca va - everyone, left rayne this afternoon to pick up a new 4 stroke nissian 6 hp outboard. i ordered it for my cajun hells bay... ( i decked out a 14' bateau with poleing platform, casting decks, 18'pushpole etc...) after i picked it up i thought i'd go try it out in lake charles. the motor actually got me on top...weighing only 55lbs put me floting 2x's higher in water than my old 25hp did... poled around looking for any signs of reds. good salinity. no tails? i think the water needs to warm a little more for those prien lake flats... loads of bait fish... mullet mostly... ill go back when weather warms a little. not a mike f. day but great to know my little motor will do the job...dulac here i come!!!! bonswa, ty
ty southerland	lake charles , haymard plant marsh
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Bream Fun	09 April 2002
Randy Leonpacker and I packed up some jitterbees and headed Sunday for Bayou Corne to practice up for the Lake Concordia weekend. Weather was nice in that is was dry but winds that reminded us of a trip to the coast dogged us all day. We perservered and had a good practice. Following on Cormier and Cormier's bream count we figured that we had 24 in the box going on 100! Most were bluegill but Randy added one sac-a-lait and a chinquapin to round out the catch. Figured that water temps are about a couple of weeks from perfect bluegill bedding but chinquapins usually bed earlier so maybe they will show up in force at Lake Concordia. Anyway Randy and I are ready for Concordia. Everyone be sure and bring plenty of "bees" and maybe a popper or two. Dugan
Dugan Sabins	Bayou Corne
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North and Central Parishes Report	08 April 2002
Master Jake and I spent Wed thru Sun fishing all parts of north and central Louisiana. In a nutshell, high and somewhat cloudy water still prevails, except at Caney Creek, Kincaid, Nantachie, Chatam, Grand Bayou reservoirs, and some backwaters off Saline. These are also where we did the most damage, catching lots of bass, bream, sacalait, and even catfish, white bass and chain pickeral. Due to winds, I paddled most of the time while Jake fished. Believe me, it's a thrill to paddle for someone who can cast like Lefty Kreh and read fish like Roland Martin! He made for the two high points of trip: (1) the biggest fly rod bass - 4.2 lb - at Lake Iatt, caught on a black Magnum Wooly Bugger, (2) on commie tackle at Grand Bayou, in 3 hours, 11 bass - biggest over 6 lbs - and losing one MUCH BIGGER than that! Certainly the largest bass I've seen since the heydays of Parker Lake. Master Jake is already planning the return trip...
Catch
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Windy Reds	07 April 2002
On Saturday morning, I got down to the Grand Isle area at first light, about 5:30 (should have wailted until today - it would have been 6:30, I think.) Anyway, the wind was blowing about 15 knots from the east. I launched the kayak and stayed in the lee of the banks. I found a nice north-south canal that the wind was not touching. Backs and tails. Threw out the pink charlie and POW. A big 30" red that got into the backing real fast. The water was raising and getting muddier. No more backs or tails. The pink charlie gave way to the chartreuse charlie, still only the one fish. Switched over to Ed Barron's new spoon fly which he asked me to test. POW. Caught three more over 28", then a 24" for dinner. Then nothing. Went to another canal and caught six black drum on the spoon fly. They sure fight hard for their size, compared to a red. I can now say that Ed's fly works great. It wobbles instead of spins so it does not twist up the leader. And it is durable. I caught 10 fish on the one fly and had to use the pliers to remove it and it still looks good. Thanks Ed.
Mike LaFleur	HWY 1
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Reds in the morning, bass in the evening	03 April 2002
The weatherman is a jokester! He said 5-10 winds on the coast, it was more like 15-20. Still, Master Jake and I managed 9 reds, half on fly half on commie spoons. The tide was VERY high, and like one my laws say, "slack tide favors the fly angler". High water, milky water from the tide movement, wave action, and finally cloud cover, made sight casting almost impossible by 1 pm. So we headed back and stopped at Ruddock so Master J could get a taste of the great freshwater action there right now. Sure enough, he caught 7 bass, mostly on poppers. Also lots of bull bream.
Catch	Fourchon/Ruddock
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Highway (51) to Heaven	01 April 2002
Despite mega-high water, it was a banner day at the Hwy 51 canals. North and south ends produced over 200 fish, mostly bluegills and goggle-eye, some bass and sacalait. All fish were released to fight another day. 90% of fish fell to a size 10 Accardo's Miss Prissy, rest on black/chartreuse beadhead fluff butt size 12. On way back fished Sorrento canals with pretty good success - considering the water was over the banks.
Catch	Ponchatoula / Ruddock
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False River report from Friday 3/29	31 March 2002
Master Jake and I met up with Mike LaFleur at the Morrison Parkway (New Roads seawall area) about 9 am. Each caught several small bass to 1 1/2 lbs, and several small to medium bream on fluff butts. South wind made "catching" difficult, so around noon we grabbed lunch and went down to Bonaventures (south end). Lots of bait fishers working the banks, but we managed to out-catch them combined using jitterbees and fluff butts. Jake and I launched the canoe in search of bigger gobbules towards flats. Around 4 pm, the bream turned on big time, and it was fish every cast. Kept 30 nice size, and released over a hundred after that, before coming in at 6:30. At the launch we continued to catch and release even as it was getting dark. Water is still chilly but action is getting hot!
Catch	False River
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Weekend Update	25 March 2002
My son's basketball tourney kept me from going to the AFR Conclave Saturday, but not from enjoying some late pm fishing on the pond with my daughter Cokie and her friend Kayla. Together they caught and released several dozen gobbules on a size 14 sowbug (Marc Pinsel style). Yesterday, Master Jake and I hit the Sportmans Show in the Dome. We had the canoe with us, so we stopped at Ruddock on our way back. "Bass Master" Jake caught 7 largemouth and 1 white bass on commie tackle, and 2 big sacalait and several large bream on black/chartreuse fluff butt. I took several bream on Accardo's Miss Prissy size 10. We kept the sacalait, 12 bream for dinner and released the others. Water in Hwy 51 canals is clear and ideal for flies!
Catch
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The Joint Was Jumpin'	24 March 2002
Went down to Grand Isle area and fished yesterday from 1st light to about 1:00pm. Conditions were a little windier and lots colder than I'd hoped early in the a.m., but it warmed and settled some as the day wore on. Drum (red and black) all over the place, and beligerent from about 10:00 on. Caught many - even boated a flounder, which I'd never done befor on a fly rod. Only thing I used were Charlies (pink and chartreuse) - water was sandy, so maybe that's why they seemed to prefer the chartreuse (sorry Mike). Had the place where I was kayaking to myself, but when I got back to the car I found LOTS of fishermen (fisherpersons?), catching from the little bridge just after the turn-in to Elemer's Island. Talked to a guy at the "Sportsman's Paradise" (the turn-off to Fourchon) who said they were keeping busy at the pier at the State Park down on Grand Isle too. He showed me many very large black drum he and his crew had taken. ...and a good time was had by all.
Joe Kahler	The House
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jitter bee rules!	20 March 2002
comment ca va!, made a trip to central texas to visit inlaws...hit some farm ponds tonight with the posted "jitter bee"(i tied one before i left cajun country). man, in one hour, i think, i landed 8 small bass and 10 + large keeper bream! i only had one jitter bee. not much left of it! ill be makeing an arsenal when i get home! i made some alterations due to lack of materials. i used bead chain eyes and red yarn as substitutes... bonswa,,, ty
ty southerland	rayne, la
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Windy but fun	19 March 2002
Went to check out fishing at Myrtle Grove (Sunday) but found the wind to be too much. White caps and a small canoe don't mix. I did notice that the water level was considerably higher than the last time I visited this spot (about 3 weeks ago)and the water was a bit clearer. So I headed back to NOLA and stopped by the twin canals at Lafitte on my way back. For the next four hours I cuaght some nice redears and several sizeable bass on size 1 LaFluer's chartruese charlie (its a great fly for just about anything!!!) The water was warm and the fish were hanging around structure. I noticed some large movement aginst banks just as the sun was going down and assumed they were gar or big bass, but I didn't stop to see.... Maybe next time. Over and Out.
Ichthy-man	Myrtle Grove to Lafitte
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The Bass Are Ready	18 March 2002
Went out Sunday morning to Catch's backyard. Lots of 10-14" males along the banks. They are ready. Also, some good sized redears and lots of small blackears (bream). It was fun until the mob came, but it was a great way to recover from St. Patrick's day.
LaFleur	Neighborhood Pond
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Roger loses big BASS	18 March 2002
Well Saturday look like good conditions for fishing at a pond nearby the house. Pressure was not very high, mild temps.,and low wind. I used a flipflop popper to land about ten Bass from one to two an half pounds. But in the middle of all this great action I roll cast in a tight spot to a Cypress tree about 25 feet down the bank.... well after two pops came big strike. I thought it was one of the huge Carp sometimes seen feeding along bank. After setting hook about half of a very large largemouth came up to throw the popper. After seeing it I started chanting"Oh My God". In about ten seconds the Bass jumped straight up and spit the fly out. I was shaking for several minutes. This was the largest Bass I ever hooked on fly tackle at least two feet long. I went back Sunday and didn't catch a fish. Sure glad I went Saturday.
del Rio	Baton Rouge
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Houston Carp, Lake Anacoco Crappie	18 March 2002
Spent Sat at the Shallow Water Expo in Houston. Great show! Met guide Mark Marmon who told Nick Curcione and I about inner city carp fishing. So.. Sunday am I fished the "Mother of all ditches". This culverted clear water "stream" has lots of big carp. Hooked only one, but he ran like a red, breaking off on a a bridge piling. Around 10am took the long detour back home, thru Leesville, looking for a crappie encounter at Lakes Vernon and Anacoco. Water on Vernon was dirty from wind. Launched the canoe at Lake Anacoco, and found clearer water. Back in a cove, met another fly rodder who had success with black/chartreuse streamer. Tied on a Peterson fluff butt of same color, and caught/released several slabs before having to head home.
Catch	Leesville
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Good Day at Ruddock	15 March 2002
Took the kayak out this afternoon, and had good results. Caught a bunch of bull bream on shallow flats near cypress stumps. Topwater was good in the middle of the day, but went to a variant of a jitterbee without a vosi,later on when they slowed down on the popping bugs. My last cast resulted in a 3 1/2 lb. bass. All fish were released . Satisfied, I loaded up the kayak and drove home.
Dirk	I-55 canal
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Like A Good Catholic, I Need To Eat Fish!	14 March 2002
Went to False River yesterday after work to catch Friday's lenten meal - gobbules. Each trip I'm seeing more activity, but it's not prime time yet. Only caught 8 keepers, but one lady had two dozen chikapin (redears) she caught on grass shrimp. I did manage 2 small bass on an olive fluff butt, tied on size 1/100 oz jighead. I'm thinking next week action will really pick up.
Catch	False River
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drop me a line if you're in the area	10 March 2002
I'm here for a month doing a rotation, so if you're in the area email me.... I went to Big Thompson River and the St. Vrain on Wednesday; both were iced over. We got snow on Friday, but by today the sun was out in force and I enjoyed 60 degree highs with clear mountain skies and rainbows from the South Platte River at Deckers (about an hour southwest of Denver). It's still winter (obviously) so the midge patterns were in full effect... #20 bead head hares ear with a #22 RS2 dropper, or the #22 RS2 with a miracle midge dropper in a #22. VERY SMALL. Can I BUY a #22 hook in Baton Rouge? I'm up here for good come July, but when I get home in April, I'm dying for someone to spoil me on redfish... Any takers? (Like a dope, I've been twice and haven't found any on my own).
Ed	Denver, Colorado!
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Another great day in Sportsmen's Paradise	10 March 2002
Like in cooking, they say if you can read, you can cook. I think it is what you read that makes a difference. Since early last week, I was hoping to go fishing on Saturday, but the Marine Forecast kept calling for high winds and the weather men kept saying rain. On Friday night, I looked up the 9:30 pm Marine Forecast and it said that the Saturday winds would be 15 to 20 knots with higher gusts. So I went to the Intllicast Windcast website and it said that the winds would be around 10k from the SE in the morning, swinging around to less than 5k from the SW in the early afternoon, to 15 to 20k from the NE in the evening. They were right, but it happened about 3-4 hours earlier. I got down to the Zee Spot at 6 am. 70 F. The wind was 5-10k from the SE, like predicted, and dropped from there. The reds were on a feeding binge. By 9 am, the water was like glass and the killer gnats came out in force. By 11, the reds and I had had enough. I then went over to the TPH for some speck fishing. It was up to 80F. Fishing was slow but caught some nice 15-18 inchers. By 2 pm, there were white caps, so I packed up. By 3, the monsoons hit, but I was already on my way home. This is about the fourth time in a year that I have hit the wind shift, thanks to Windcast. It is what you read that counts.
Mike LaFleur	HWY 1
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First False River report of 2002	08 March 2002
Went to Bonaventures Wed after work, fished 5pm-7pm, for gobbules and sacalait off the bank. Bad news: Mr Bonaventure has moved dirt and concrete past the seawall extending into what-was water, covering the most productive pilings. Water was cold and dirty, and will be worse after next rain. Yet the gobbules continue to activate. Took home 15 barely keepers using black/yellow jitterbee size 10. Will try again next Weds.
Catch	False River
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big lake	06 March 2002
comment ca va! took ron begnaud up on a trip to the south side of lake calcasieu (south of lake charles.) wind beat us to death! saw a few fish, real skidish...found some real good spots for a little less windy day... we took it in early on cout of the wind...best part of trip was trying out ron's new ORVIS T3 9wt!!! MAN, never should have picked that thing up! now i feal like my rod is 9 foot of rebar with a brick taped to it! thanks for the trip ron... (ps...ron has created a killer redfish pattern called the begnaud RED CHASER. if you hound him he may share.... ty ty
ty southerland	calcasieu lake, south lake charles 3/5/ tu
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Timing was everything	04 March 2002
Friday rain and rising temperatures thoughout the day. Fish actively feeding. Quit at 4:00 p.m. due to water releases from the dam. Saturday morning fishing picked up where it had left off. Caught and released several fish by 9:00 a.m.. Temperature fell thoughout the day due to cold front. Water releases began at 10:00 a.m. and lasted throuhout the day. Majority of fish caught on Olive Wooly Buggers and Black Wooly Buggers. Other anglers had success using various nymphs. A nearly dead drift was best presentation.
Johnny Borden	Little Missouri
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Mama told me Never Trust The Weatherman	04 March 2002
Luckily, I listened to Mama and disregarded the weatherman's dire predictions of rain and 25 knot winds last Saturday. Fished Golden Meadow from mid morning to mid afternoon in unusually calm conditions with occasional sprinkles. The water was clear but VERY high and the redfish were nowhere to be found. Pulled the boat out mid afternoon and went south to the TPH. I managed to fish for an hour and catch 14 specks on a chartruse clouser before the wind shifted to the north and God told me it was time to go home(lightening bolts lit up the sky). Granted, it wasn't a Catch Cormier or Elvis Lafleur "30 redfish day", but it sure beat sitting around wondering if the fish were biting.
Steve Lee
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The T P H has been Located!	25 February 2002
allways reading about the Telephone Pole Hole, i had to try it. my cuzan' johnathan gafford and i headed down la-1... not quite sure which of the many telephone poles it was, at 5am in the dark, my cuz and i put down in a random ditch... saw plenty of reds but no takes... hit the cajun spotsman for lunch and who did we run into but the ELVIS of flyfishing the TPH, mike lafleur in the flesh...mike gave us great advice and a map of all the great spots... we went straight to the TPH and paddled across to an island and wade fished casting into the deephole. we pulling out 5 or 6 specs and 1 red... great day, didn't know it was possible to wade any south louisina marsh! awesome! thanks for all the help mike and we look foward to trying the red stick fly rodder meeting. oh yeah, we took all the fish on a epoxy shrimp i made up and deep clousers..i have been informed by mike of the pink charlie and plan on makeing a few!!!! bonswa
ty southerland	rayne, la
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What Mama didn't teach Catch	24 February 2002
I guess that Mama forgot to teach Catch the first three LaFleur's Laws of Flyfishing for reds: 1. Pink Charlie 2. Pink Charlie 3. Pink Charlie Joe Kahler and I went down to Hwy 1 today and caught lots of good sized reds in the morning. In the afternoon, I fished off the bank along the highway and got some nice specks. February has been a great month for fishing along Hwy 1.
Mike LaFleur	HWY 1
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What a morning!!	24 February 2002
Feb 24,02 I could fish only until noon but by 10:30 I had had enough. "No Mas" I called, those damn fish had bruised me, beat me, and wore me out. At about 6:00AM there was no wind the water was clear but what really counted were the huge tails waving. The fish were very aggresive when the fly was on target. Hailey's Comet was the ticket, It was never refused. Twice fish that were stuck on the strike ate the same fly on the next cast. The wind picked up at about 10:00 so I hauled it in but with mornings like this who needs afternoons.
flybob	Myrtle Grove
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question	21 February 2002
I often read about fishing off LA-1 in Golden Meadow etc. on this page... Everyones allways talking about the TPH (telephone hole). Is this classified info. or no? If i waunted to load up the kayak and head down to Leeville on LA-1, and site cast some reds, where would I launch? Any advice would be greatly apriciated!!!!! Love this site..... Ty
ty southerland	rayne, la
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SIPSEY RIVER TRIP	21 February 2002
As you may note Walt and I went to the Sipsey river to check it out and fish for some trout. We talked to John and Elizabeth before we left and statyedat their place. We took the kayaks wich was a good idea. Okay problem Sipsey is a talewater, guess what, yep the dam ran the whole time. Good news you can not get blown out there. John took care of use and showed us where to fish, Now this was a discovery trip and we did not expect to catch alot of fish and we did not, but we did find places to go. First John had use crappie fishing in the morning, striper fishing in the afternoon, next day a small spring creek in a pasture for spotted bass and bream. Sunday John took us to the Mulberry river (which looks like a western river) to wader for spots, it was great. The deal is this within 45 minutes the the fly shop you can fish for all kinds of stuff and its all wade fishing or kayak/canoe. Was the trip a success - yes, will I go back - yes and John and Elizabeth could not have been nicer. Oh yeh they like my spagetti so that thems dam near perfect people.
Marc Pinsel
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I was there October of 2000	19 February 2002
I was beginning my interview trail for my neurology residency and decided early on to bring my fly rod along. 70 miles northwest of Birmingham I found this little trout stream and this couple that owned the one fly shop near it. It was the first time that I'd actually been connected to a trout (I didn't land them of course because I'd only every caught brim and bass and wasn't used to the 7x tippet you need). The stream was small and slow and the trout were small but when you have to have a fix, you've only got two choices.... The only thing is the generation schedule is more erratic than the Little Mo (was), and the escape route is very steep and not easy to see from the river bed (I needed to hang an extra t-shirt I had as a marker). The husband guided me, but fished while I did. He was very helpful, but after being guided on the San Juan, I've sort of come to expect to have 100% attention when I'm about to drop the money to get guided. The fly shop mainly stocked Fly Logic stuff and ties that she tied. I was so excited about trout fishing, I asked for some helpful flies to get started; representative patterns... She gave me 2 of each white and chartreuse midges, bead dragon flies, some sort of red beaded nymph, etc... After I learned more about fly fishing for trout, it turned out they were completely useless on any other water I fished, and the $70 she convinced me was worth it, was not. I also brought my tent thinking I could sleep for cheap; but after offering me a spot near the river on their property and a shower in the guest trailer I thought I was getting a deal! But when I checked out after the guided trip, an extra $15 for the tent and $2 for the shower showed up on my bill. I probably would have paid them anyway, but she was rather misleading at the beginning. The breakfast was nice, though. Personally, at 7 hours a piece, I'd rather go to Arkansas; there's more water to explore with very easy access and the trout are actually carrying over. I'm pretty sure the Smith Lake Tailwater is still strictly put and take. I may visit there again, when I road trip to see my friend in Birmingham, but otherwise the Little Mo is my preference. Just my 2 cents- Ed
Ed	Smith Lake Tailwater
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Recon: Sipsey Fork Tailwaters - Alabama	19 February 2002
Marc Pinsel and myself fished North Alabama this past weekend (15-18 Feb 02). Elizabeth and John Eisenbarth were our hosts at their Riverside Fly Shop 13 mi N of Jasper, AL. We were blown out for fishing Rainbows on the Sipsey Fork tailwater due to Dam generation all weekend. So we put Plan-B into effect. Having the Kayaks with us afforded the opportunity to fish for Stripers in Lewis Smith Lake. We didn't get into the stripers but managed to snag a few Southern Spotted Bass (Kentucky Strain Largemouth). Then off to the cow pasture (much like McClellans) for some hot bluegill and spotted bass action in a small stream not more than 12 ft wide and 3 feet deep. Non-stop action amidst the mooing cows on #12 beadhead wooly buggers. Then off to the Mulberry River for more bass action. The accomodations were adequate and inexpensive at the trailer on the Eisenbarth's property which bordered the Sipsey....we spent a good deal of time with the Eisenbarth's and they're a delight to be around. Their open and spacious flyshop also doubles as their livingroom and the Eisenbarth's made us feel right at home and part of the family. I recommend this location for those looking to break the routine. Riverside Flyshop is 13 mi north of Jasper on Hwy 69. Its 7.5 hours from Hammond, LA and an easy trip, most of it Interstate. I'd like to revisit the area in the summer. The Sipsey Fork tailwater has stripers, stocked rainbows, skipjack herring, spotted bass, crappie (sac-a-lait), and blugill (bream). A 7-day license for LA residents is $18.95, for MS its $14.95 and you can get your license like we did over the phone, just carry your license number with you. For more information contact Riverside Outfitters & Fly Shop at (256)287-0050 or e-mail: 1flyfish@bellsouth.net There's several good articles on the internet about this area and I had a pretty good feel for what to expect before we arrived. Jasper is a hustlin' little town, similar pace, motel accomodations, and restrauants as Slidell, LA.....All in all it was a good time, filled with activity and low pressured waters to play in. Bring rods ranging from 3 to 8 wt.....the short 6-7 ft 4wts worked well in the small streams with low cover, and the 8-9ft 5 and 6 wts worked well in the larger rivers. Elizabeth and John Eisenbarth will be at the FFF SE Conclave in Gulf Shores this April....stop by and visit, they'll be glad to fill you in on the yet unrealized potential this area has to offer. ><)))'>
Walt	MS Gulf Coast
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Mama was right!	18 February 2002
Took Mama's advise Sunday pm, and went after sacalait with the dynamic duo, Master Jake and Josh Ayo. The boys caught and released 11 crappie, 2 bass, 1 choupique, and lots of gobbules, using black and chartreuse fluff butts, and orange/black jitterbee under a VOSI. Around sunset, Accardo Spooks size 10 took most of the gobbules. Reds will have to wait..I feel the gobbule urge is back!
Catch	Black Lake
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Mama Told Me There Be Days Like These...	18 February 2002
April, 2000: a friend from Oklahoma and I didn't catch a single redfish on a trip to Golden Meadow. That was the last time a Cormier boat or canoe failed to land a red.. until Saturday. Steve Lee and I tried LaFleur's hotspot in the morning but no luck. Poling the cuts off Elmer's Bayou we didn't spot but 3 fish all spooked! That p.m. we tried FAA Gate, hooked one lost, spotted 2 dozen, all spooked. Last spot: bayou off TPH, spotted tailing fish, some followed, others spooked, but no bites. And this is why Mama always told me "In February, fish the Little Mo or sacalait".
Catch	Fourchon
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SPECKS	18 February 2002
Danny Williams and I went to Big Lake (Calcasieu) yesterday. When the tide started to move at around noon thirty Danny had a flurry of activity putting 4 specks in the boat up to 2 pounds on a BIG clouser. Just when I was thinking I was going to go home skunked, I caught a nice 3 pounder on a flatwing. Then we started fishing another drift and Danny Caught and released a 6 and a quarter pounder on a big blue and white deciever... Shortly after he hooked and lost one at the boat that was much bigger. We saw a number of other fish in the 5 pound range caught by people in other boats fishing corky's on conventional tackle. I think things are getting ready to turn on for the big fish. Ron
Ron Begnaud	Calcasieu Lake
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Crappie	15 February 2002
These are not like the crappie I grew up catching in washington state. They must be some giant mutant strain. Lots of fish and lots of fun catching these dinner plates. They liked a size 8 white clouser with a splash of red and lead eyes, on a type II full sinking line.
flybob	Lake Emfred
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Go...Go...Go...Gob-bules!	14 February 2002
Ed's report had me watering at the gills. Stopped at the lake by my house around sunset. Didn't have any bread flies, besides I usually use those while "chumming". But I did catch several small bream on #14 Birds Nest before switching to #10 Jitterbee. The JBee didn't get as many bites, but caught 2 big redears 3/4 lb. My LAS column for March lists best bets for gobbules this Spring. It's like blondes vs brunettes - reds are more fun, but gobbules taste better!
Catch	Wedgewood Lake
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drums on commie	14 February 2002
Went down to the TPH today, I brought My Dad along. We caught several small drum on market shrimp using commie tackle. The wind was strong but I rigged up the fly rod and was rewarded with 3 small specks all caught on chartruese clouser.
Brad Pillaro	TPH
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brrrrimmm!	13 February 2002
I got the afternoon off on Mardi Gras and headed over to some neighborhood lakes. The clouds were really high, and the breezes nil, but the water surface was just bubbling with activity. I guess the little guys are about to start multiplyin' but it was a-fish-a-cast for about 45 straight minutes around 4. They loved a partridge and yellow in a #12, until they got wise to it (20 fish later, or 10 fish twice later), then I switched to a #10 white parachute thing I tied to hopefully simulate bread (which is their indigenous food source) and was more entertained with the surface action until they decided it didn't look like bread anymore. Then I went back down with a black pheasant tail and finished out my day with more bump and run action. It was no 30-pound-red-a-cast day like Mike had, but on a 6 ft 2wt rod and a spare hour or two, it was fun... But I wish I had been fishing with Mike.
Ed	local BR neighborhood lakes
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Jitterbee Makes A Convert	10 February 2002
This week my thoughts were on sacalait. After finishing some yard duties about 2 pm, saddled up the canoe and headed to Black Lake. Water was cold 58 degrees, and bites were real s-l-o-w. Around the boat sheds, caught a few bream on a Peterson butt under a strike indicator (VOSI), so I switched to a jitterbee. A kid in a canoe, also fly fishing, saw me catch several, and asked what I was using. I gave him a jitterbee and a VOSI and he too caught. Just then they started hitting the indicator so I switched to a Miss Prissy, and caught and released about 15 before the mosquitos told me it was time to leave.
Catch
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Fabulous February Fishing	10 February 2002
With the wind scheduled to change from the southeast to the northwest on Saturday morning, I just cauld not resist wetting a line down by Grand Isle. Since the warmer weather has driven most of the specks out of the Telephone Pole Hole, I tried some canals on the south side of Hwy 1. I got there at first light and the water was like glass. I paddled along the canals until I saw some movement. Put a Pink Charlie right in the middle of the disturbed water and POW!! And it never stopped until the wind came up at noon. The reds were so big (lots of 28" to 30") that I had to catch 12 before I had an edible size fish. I finally got my five keepers out of 25 landed. After a leisurely breakfast, to rest my arm, I went back down the canals to a confluence of two canals. I got out and waded on a hard sandy bottom in two feet of water. Again using the Pink Charlie on a circle hook, I caught another 25 or more. I lost count. At noon, the wind came up and the fish stopped biting, thank God. I paddled back and called it a day. But what a day.
Mike LaFleur	Hwy !
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Bream on topwater, already?	04 February 2002
I had a few hours this afternoon and still had the kayak on top of the truck from Red Stick Day so I decided to go to Bayou Rougon to kill some time. I tried jitterbees for a while and only had one strike. Then I tried a white spider in a foot of water in a slough.Surprisingly, I started getting hits on many casts. I must have had about 30 strikes, but sad to say, most were short, as was my time. I caught about a half dozen good sized ones though, with a couple of big bull bream in the mix. They seemed to be in the shallow water sloughs today for some reason. Go figure.
Dirk	Bayou Rougon
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TPH Friday	02 February 2002
Went down to TPH yesterday afternooon after picking up a car I had some work done on in Golden Meadow (just to "shakedown" the car, I told myself). Didn't wet a line - raining, blowing 15-20 knots steady with gusts above that, and 50 degrees. If it's like that today, conclave is the place to be. In any case, that's where I'll be . . . too much to learn; too little time.
Joe Kahler	at the house
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TPH not kind to me.	30 January 2002
Went down to the Telephone Pole Hole on Tuesday. From daylight to noon not one bite. Jay Grimes said Monday night winds Tues from the south at 5 knots. Seemed like 30 mph all day. My 8 wt rig was almost uncastable due to the wind and my limited casting skills. It was no fun at all. The temp was a balmy 79 degrees, so I'm guessing specks took off looking for shallow water. I loaded up my kayak and took off towards Grand Isle. I put in at the bridge at Elmer's Island and paddled south. At the mouth of every canal to the left, I would beach the yak, get out and wade in the muck, and catch one or two bull reds. I caught one in the kayak and got towed for a couple hundred yards. Man, what fun! I ended up having to drop the anchor to land him. I keep a 28" broom stick on my yak with various measurements, and every fish caught, eleven in all, was longer than the stick. All were released to pull another day. I can't wait until Elmer's Island opens for the season.
Mike Z	Hwy 1
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Specks and Sacalait... together at last!	29 January 2002
Like Icthy-man, believed weatherman and made trip to coast on Sunday. Met Mike Hess at Leeville just when squall line moved in. He headed north, I went south to TPH. Met LaFleur, I-M, Coignet, and more rain. Went to get a drink at store and rain stopped. Came back to TPH and fished off bank for 30 minutes, several small specks. Rain again, so went to Golden Meadow. No rain there, but decided to fish freshwater canal. Caught 1 sacalait before rain moved in. Went grabbed lunch, then clouds broke. Moved back south to TPH about 3 pm. For next 2 hours caught almost every cast, but only 9 keepers. Should change my motto to "Have Rod..Will Travel".
Catch	Lost Along Highway 1
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Delacroix...26 Jan 02	28 January 2002
Another "Will Work 4-Fish" kinda day....This trip we armed with baitcasters, purple and chartreus cocahoe minnows. The four of us fished several small bays and found 72 Specks, 1 Red and 2 Flounders. Total time in water: 6 hrs. The nearly Full Moon made fishin' slow, since the trout were obviously feeding during the night. Gravity was present as well.....meaning that when we just started to get the trout willin', then here come 4-5 boats fishin' practically in our back pockets....that didn't sit well with us or the boat skipper and he promptly headed for another Honey Hole.......Found some excellent speckled fare in Oak River before we headed back to the lift...those specks were averaging 3-4 pounds....we didn't stay but 30 minutes there before we had to head back.
Walt Moskal	MS Gulf Coast
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Cold Water Trips	28 January 2002
Mr. Moskal: Have you looked at the Little Red River out of Heber Springs, AR. I have made a couple of very enjoyable trips there.
Mickey	Baton Rouge
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GI a bust, Golden Meadow a blast	28 January 2002
Went to the TPH because the weather report indicated good conditions. But mother nature quickly put an end to the days fishing. Lots of rain and wind was all I found. Paddled around a little and made a few casts until I heard thunder in the distance and decided to go home. Ended up sitting in the car waiting for the storm to blow over. Met and talked with Catch and Mike LaFleur a while and then headed north, back to New Orleans. When I got just south of Golden Meadow the rain stopped. So I turned left and headed to Bason's Marina, paid my four dollars, and paddled out a little ways. Saw a big wake coming toward me and plopped a clouser in front. Hooked a nice redfish that promptly rapped around a post and broke me off. The rest of the day (about 4 hours fishing) produced several black drum, sheepshead, and redfish. All fish were in shallow water and most had tials and backs sticking out of the water. Water was pretty clear and the wind was minimal. Overall it was great fun and it was my maiden-marsh voyage in my new canoe. Cheers.
Ichthy-man	Golden Meadow-Bason's Marina
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Lil MO 18-20 Jan 02: My Take On the Trip	27 January 2002
Like Jodi said, they ran water Fri-Sun from about 7am-9pm, then shut down at night. The trout started rising and slurping soon as the water was turned off. So PLAN-B was executed: Albert Pike. The fishing was fair to good at the Car Wash...and downstream, albeit a bit chilly, caught a couple dozen there over 2-days, again 10-14 inches were the norm. Had to really dress for the weather and the 39 degree water. Some of the guys went to Winding Stair, but thats a hike after you park. Here comes Monday morning and the Dam was kept off.....onward to the "Meat-Hole"....nothing there....the running water from the previous days washed a healthy population down near the weir. So that's where I headed. My line and line guides started to freeze-up every now and again, but as the Sun rose higher that problem faded away. Plenty of trout in the 10-14 inch range. Had an absolute "Ball" with them from 0630-0930, then packed up and headed South. It was great being with everyone again, although Riverside Cabins are not being maintained as they should be in order to attract the "Trout-Fishers", its a shame! But perhaps that worked to our advantage, we ate like "Kings", and fished like "Bandits". I've started R&D on potential new spots for next time....perhaps "up top" to the White and Norfolk...or maybe the Sipsey Fork near Lewis Smith Dam, AL. Mo later....Even though the conditions were marginal, the company and food was GREAT!!!
Walt Moskal	Mississippi Gulf Coast
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Little Mo	25 January 2002
This was my fourth and last time to the Little Mo. There from Friday afternoon to Monday am and didn't wet a line. Could have gone to Albert Pike with the guys but didn't feel like driving another hour for tiny fish out of a few small holes and fishing in 38 degree water. Generated all weekend and shut off Monday. Accommodations at Riverside were poor at best but the fellowship and food was well worth the trip. As much as I enjoy coldwater trout fishing ther will be NO MO MO for me!
Jody Titone
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Little Mo	25 January 2002
So . . . is no one going to post a report on the trip to the Little MO?!!! How was it, guys?
Joe Kahler	the house
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Not too many	13 January 2002
Went down to the TPH on Saturday. My accomplishments are definitely not worthy of posting, but someone else caught something that you guys might get a kick out of. I was in the water about 30 minutes before daylight anchored exactly where a fellow puddler had caught 100 specks three days earlier. I'm starting to think that's the story of fishing career.(3 days earlier) I was ready to wear them out and fished hard from 5:45 till 1:00 with charlies and clousers, every color I had, and only caught two specks all day. Both on chartruse charlies for future reference. Nobody else was doing anything either, but the highlight of the day was when a guy in a nearby boat using commie tackle, popping cork and live cocahoes hooked and landed a largemouth bass. That fish must have been seriously lost.
Mike Z	Telephone Pole Hole
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Bayou Ramah Report	13 January 2002
Master Jake and I fished Bayou Ramah Sat pm. Water too dirty from lots of rain and runoff. Nothing caught on flies. A couple of folks 100 yards from us caught catfish and 1 sacalait on bait (proof again of Cormier's 5th Law).
Catch
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Walt From Mississippi	05 January 2002
Walt - if you were flyfishing for specks at Delacroix with 32 boats around you...I bet you really got some strange looks !
Pescador	Georgia
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Delacroix 29 Dec 01	05 January 2002
I've always heard Delacroix can be "hot" in the winter, well on the 29th I found out just how hot it can be. Four of us headed down and fished Oyster Bay, some 7-miles from the launch and limited-out on specks in four hours. That's 100 fish gentlemen! It was a virtual ZOO getting the boat hoisted into the water, with all the other folks wanting to get in. Once in though the short run was well worth the effort. At one time we counted 32 boats around us, and most everyone was catching fish, except for a few who had no business being on the water. We spent more time driving than we did fishin'.......It was a good time though and a great way to say goodbye to 2001. Best Wishes to All....and I hope I can fish with you soon.....everytime is like a first time, only with a little more knowlege than the time before.....Happy New Year!!!
Walt	Mississippi
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