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Dolphin on 1st day of winter	22 December 2003
Great day with a not so great ending...more on that. Headed offshore for a day off from the usual grind with Darryl, Sonny and Terry Dyer on Terry's brand new go fast boat..had plans to sleep until 7am and head offshore for a couple hours of fun..they for tuna; and me, for anything that would take a fly. Got to a pipelaying vessel about 40 miles to the east and put out some live baits...got a dolphin double right off the bat...Sonny and D went to work while I got out the fly rod and waited for a straggler...Terry meanwhile went to work with the iron, picking up several skipjack tuna while they fought their fish to the gaff...after the dust settles I convinced them to pull hold off on the live bait and make a dead drift, thereby allowing me a decent casting opportunity given the wind and such, it made for difficult casting into the brisk southeast wind...after the second downcurrent drift I hooked up on what I expect was a skipjack tuna, which I fought for 10 minutes before pulling the hook. Lost the fish while we were idling away from the ship's buffer zone...No worries thing were just getting cranked up..On the third drift we started chumming with the skipjacks and were able to pull the dolphin to within casting range...no takers for me until the very end when I got ahold of a nice cow which put on a great show down the side of the pipelay vessel. My South Bend 10 wt and Alutecno 10 wt reel held up great.. After a 20 minute fight we got her to the gaff..she weighed 19.0 pounds on the STAR scale...after I got my fish my trip was made and we put out two more live baits and set out away from the ship...once we cornered the east side of the ship we hooked a double on tuna..Sonny and Darryl had to get untangled twice but we managed to get both fish in the boat with our broken albacore gaff...both weighed about 60 pounds...While we were setting out two more livies a school of 10-40 pound dolphin came into the chum and I broke out the split bamboo again and in came the live baits..managed to release 2 more smaller dolphin about ten pounds each while trying to get a fly to the bigger fish..while I was fighting fish number three, Darryl managed a nice bull of 29.15 pounds (would have missed Dr. Vic's record anyway) on a stand-up rod using a tuna slab..right at the boat..MY FISH!!!..We later joked about it with Darryl winning the argument by telling me that is what I deserved for bringing a knife to a gunfight..didn't matter at the time because the fish were boiling twenty feet behind the boat... there were two large bulls at least forty among the school of twenty..it was exciting for me to cast at twenty feet having to pull the fly away from smaller fish...but here's where the perfect conditions go from spectacular to grave..with two hours of fishing time in before noon, Capt. Terry, who had been chunking his iron into the chum, hooked a barracuda..while trying to release it, he got two deep lacerations across his ring and pinky finger; both to the bone and severing tendons...I am still trying to cast into the melee behind the boat, when I realize why Darryl said we had to head in...packed up quickly and wrapped Terry in a clean towel...(you would expect a new boat to come with some kind of first aid, but I guess they reserve that for the Eddie Bauer package only)...We were able to reach a longline boat on 16 and immediately sped away to get first aid...made a makeshift splint out of a paint stirrer and bandaged up our patient...settled in for the heavy beam sea and the 2 hour run home..about ten miles from South pass we lost a lower unit....about three miles from South Pass we nearly ran out of oil..managed to scrape up enough for the ride home on one engine..made it back just before dark with Terry heading straight for the ER... Goes to show you how things can turn around on you in a moments notice, and we were caught with our drawers down...praying for Terry's speedy recovery and still trying to be thankful for such a great opportunity to have such a great day... If anyone wants to go after them, I am game..your boat or mine...I know exactly where they are!
Scott Avanzino	Pipelay vessel 40 miles SE of S Pass
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Report from Saturday	22 December 2003
Sorry for the belated report everyone. Saturday looked like the day, but coming off a cold with fever, opted to sleep a bit late, with the hopes winds would die down late. Was planning to go near Fourchon, but when I got to Golden Meadow around 10am, the wind was still brisk. I decided to stop there, and fish the protected canals. At the launch area, bait chunkers were lined up all along the pits catching mixed species here and there. Launched the canoe, then tied an LSU Clouser (purple,gold,white) on a sinking line, and picked up a lot of undersized specks in the middle of the Pipes Pit. The wind died a bit, so I then moved to the marsh. Besides I wasn't too fond of getting tangled up with the commie folks. Water in the ponds was way down. Reds were in the middle just mulling. I did manage to find four stupid fish, ranging up to 9lbs, that were active enough (or stupid enough) to fall for the Coma Spoon. All were released. There were plenty reds - saw about 40 altogether - but many I almost ran over while push poling the canoe (I really missed Master Jake at the bow this day). By 3pm, started back to launch, conditions went flat. A few casts with the clouser under vosi for specks produced hits on the vosi. Switched to a popper, and started catching bigger specks for the first time all day. Ended up with 16 keepers. Around sunset, pulled into launch. Walking to the Jeep, I met a fisherman who had a bucket half-filled with sacalait (crappie) he caught in the borrow canal near the levee using a small jig under a tiny cork. Kind of like a clouser under a vosi, right? Spent the last half hour proving that theory...
Catch	Golden Meadow
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underage specs	22 December 2003
After a poor outing at the TPH Friday, I decided to go back to Golden Meadow-public launch. Over the past 2 months I have done well on 8 to 11 7/8 inch specs, fishing the small lakes and open areas with a chautreuse clouser under a vosi. A couple of times it would be non-stop action for hours. Today after the cold spell I started at a deep pit just north of the landind and soon had 12 small specs fishing deep with a double rig, chautreuse on top and black on bottom. Both did about equal. Decided to move around a bit and try to find some bigger fish but no luck after a few hours of going in and around canals all the way to Catfish Lake with a wicked wind tormenting me. Nobody seemed to be doing great. I went back to the pit and probably caught 30 more,a good many under a vosi. The cast fisherman were having no luck at all even though 6 or 7 were around. Ended the day with 3 keepers. Anyway what is it with all the small specks? I'm starting to develop a complex. Nevertheless, Merry Christmas to all!
Jeff Machen	Golden Meadow
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Bluewater.fly.fishing	17 December 2003
All I want for Christmas is a 12 wt. I am getting fired up about the Midnight Lump and the prospect of taming some big fish, winning and losing. Just took off all the outriggers and rebuilt the engines! waiting for the right day! Also wishing a speedy recovery to Delrio
Avanzino	Venice
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Dry Run Creek	02 December 2003
Took my daughter Corinne, aka Cokie, up to Dry Run Creek near Norfork Dam post-Thanksgiving. This small stream is stuffed with trout, but reserved only for youngsters under 16, and mobility impaired adults. Friday pm we arrived (we were listening to the LSU game with the other team's announcers!) Breezy and 44 degrees but it didn't bother Cokie because the fishing was hot. The rest of the weekend was very pleasant, and lots of cuts, bows, and browns up to 22" fell victim to a sowbug, ala Marc Pinsel style, either under a strike indicator or freelined. The highlight of the trip was a 34" rainbow that she caught on a size 6 girdle bug. While trying to get a photo of the monster, it knocked us both down in the water and escaped! Cokie says she'll be back in spring for another photo opportunity.
Catch Cormier	Mt Home, Arkansas
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RED hot action on Calcasieu Lake	02 December 2003
Tuesday at around noon, Capt. Chuck Uzzle called me, he was on Big Lake putting some break in hours on his new outboard. He wanted to let me know that the water was SUPER CLEAR and that they had birds working. Danny and I were already planning on fishing, although our plans were to hit the marsh. We changed plans and took the U.S.S. Redchaser because Danny's trolling motor is in need of repair. When we got on the lake, the water was as Chuck described. You could see the bottom in almost 5 feet of water. There were a lot of birds around, but they were either sitting on the water, or just milling around doing "search and destroy" passes. We knew there had to be schools of fish in the area and that the birds were just waiting for them to surface. Occasionally we would see fish come up and break the surface, but they always went right back down. We finally managed to be in casting range when a school popped up, I hooked up and lost a fish, then Danny caught a nice red, then hooked and lost another. That's right, the schooling fish were reds!. The school we were on sounded again and moved on. We got on another school briefly, and caught 2 more fish, then the birds all seemed to go away and we weren't seeing fish rolling. We ran into a nearby marsh and the water was pristine, but the fish were absent, we only saw one red and a couple of sheepsheads in the marsh. We popped back out into the lake and found the birds working in a more serious manner. The schools of reds were EVERYWHERE and beginning to stay at the surface a while longer so both angler and birds could keep up with them. The fish seemed to be in many small schools scattered over acres and acres of water. We ended up catching 16 reds between 3.5 and 6 pounds, and 1 small speck. The action was fast and furious until dark, whenever we got within casting range of rolling fish, it really didn't matter what we threw. Danny caught several on a Dahlburg Diver, which was real exciting, as well as on a clouser, I was throwing a deceiver and clouser. I kept 3 smaller fish to make blackened redfish with. If you get out there watch the birds. If the birds are circling a lot and cackling but not diving, they can see a school of fish (remember the water is clear) but the fish just aren't at the surface. If you can get to them and get your fly down to them you can probably catch them. Also if birds are sitting on the water, there are probably fish in the area that they are waiting to see surface. When you see birds diving look for fish rolling beneath them, this is where the action is the hottest, and is a great opportunity to catch them on top water flies. Tight Lines, Ron
Ron Begnaud	Calcasieu Lake
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The Return of Master Jake	26 November 2003
As Jake puts it, "Since August, the redfish have had it easy." That's because the lad has been running cross country with his Redemptorist teammates, culminating in last week's Class 4A runnerup honors at the state meet. He was anxious to get back to sight casting flies to the Spottail Elvis in shallow water. Yesterday didn't look like ideal day for this, after all, it was the day after gale force winds had pounded the coast, it was 29 degrees when we loaded the canoe and left Baton Rouge, and the marine forecast called for 15 knot winds. But being a former grad student in meterology, my senses told me that by afternoon we might have a good window of opportunity. We spent the cold and windy morning hours doing some old fashioned bank fishing on Bayou Lafourche using commie tackle and bait shrimp. It was sheepshead by the ton! When it had warmed up good and the wind was down enough, we went south and launched. With the extremely low tide, backs were visible everywhere. It took Jake a short while to get his "marsh eyes" back in sync after a long layoff. I poled the Master along a protected shoreline, and with each sighting, he'd place the Coma Spoon ahead of the target, and begin a fast succession of tiny strips. To watch the reds "wake" on the fly was exciting enough. But after about a dozen were landed, Jake decided it was time for more excitement, and he tied on an Accardo Redfish Special - a popper! What they did to that popper, words can't describe. Most of the time they'd slap at it, knock it around, or try desperately to mouth it. Others would hit like a big bream - they'd make a big "GLOOP" sound and just suck it in. Then Jake would set the hook, and the race was on. Even though most were 20"-24", they had that "fall vitality" that makes them like Energizer Bunnies. Jake did hook into one Godzilla, possibly 15 pounds, that ran off into backing and pulled the canoe about 50 yards before cutting off on oysters. The day ended with a gorgeous sunset, so many great memories forged, and the pleasure of having been in the presence of a master of the fly rod!
Catch	Fourchon
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First Fly-fishing trip	24 November 2003
Fished with Bryan Carter of Voodoo Charters this past Saturday out of Venice in his Hell's Bay Flats boat. My first fly fishing charter. My fly fishing experience prior to this consisted of pond fishing with poppers for bream and small bass. Bryan polled us around for hours on some back flats and ponds all day. We caught and released numerous reds, 15+, 20-24 inches, I honestly didn't keep a count. We did keep two for the grill that evening. Bryan worked really hard, put us on tons of fish, and was quite patient with my less than adept fly casting. Sight casting in less than 18 inches of water was an experince that will be hard to forget. The numbers of fish in the venice march is quite impressive. If redfish were dangerous we would have been in serious trouble. We also saw dozens of sheephead, was able to get one to take my fly. While it was quite a challenge to get them to take a fly, their fight is kinda lame compared to the reds. Like I said, I'm a novice fly caster, but this trip has hooked me on what I'm afraid is going to become a very expensive hobby. Captain Bryan Carter with Voodoo Charters, great guide, great boat, top of the line tackle, highly recommended. -Wyatt New Orleans
Wyatt Hines	Venice
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Bring your compass	22 November 2003
Great day of fishing but I guy could sure get lost out there, bring a map and compass or maybe some bread crumbs. Good fishing but lots of water to learn. No big fish but all good ones. Crabs Crabs Crabs! Hailey's Comet was the only fly I used today.
Tim Aid	Venice
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fall drum	22 November 2003
devin and i hit the south side of prien lake (lake charles area) early sat. morn.wind was bad but the water was flordia clear! guess it must be a fall thing but the big drum are on the flats, around here, in big numbers! managed to blind cast one small one. the big guys were to weary in the clear water... had several chases from reds but no hookups.... great morning...looks like im gonna have to get to the vice and tie some small small finiky drum patterns...! any advice on the best flys for big drum would be greatly apriciated!
ty	prien lake
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A Great afternoon !	20 November 2003
This afternoon (Thursday), my buddy Danny Williams and I decided to do some fishing after I got off work. I met Danny a little before 1pm. We launched Danny’s Whip Ray and headed for the marsh South of Prien Lake looking for redfish. It was a gloriously beautiful day, blue bird skies and comfortable temperatures in the low 70’s. We arrived at the first place we planned on fishing and discovered that the weatherman had been wrong about both the direction and strength of the wind. This spot was blown out. We started to run to a different spot, but on the way we decided to stop and try a little stretch of marsh we hadn’t really fished before. The marsh had some tree-lined banks that offered protection from the wind, and soon after we shut down and started poling, we started spotting fish. The tide was moderately low (which makes it easier to spot fish), and coming in (which makes the fish eat). The water clarity was great, we were able to spot the fish from a long way off, which is great for a few reasons…you won’t run over them and spook them, you have time to set up for your shot, and when you hook a fish on a long cast, you get a much cooler run out of them. Danny was throwing a Shwimp, and I was throwing a kwan but I don't think it matered becuase the fish were frisky and in a mood to eat. The cool water temperatures made the fish run fast and fight hard. It was one of those days when it all seemed to come together. We were spotting fish well, making good cast, and just working great as both individuals and a team. That’s kind of the cool thing about poling a boat and sight fishing, it’s truly a team effort, with both the guy on the poling platform, and the guy casting, responsible for each fish. It didn’t take long for us to bring 7 fish to the boat up to about 8 pounds, and no dinks in the bunch. Out of those 7 fish 6 were just really memorable takes on great cast, plus Danny hooked and lost another that was a really cool take as well. We also saw quite a few BIG black drum in the marsh as well. After we caught our last one, we fished for a while longer, but the tide had gotten high and quit moving, and the fish had quit eating. We called it an early day so we could leave with the impression of having had a truly memorable afternoon, not spoiled by a long dry spell at the end. It was one of those days when you just knew God was smiling down on a couple of lowly fishermen…. Man I love this game!
Ron Begnaud	Calcasieu Estuary
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Fishing with my beautiful bride	17 November 2003
Sunday I took my lovely wife Tina fishing. We went out Sunday morning, the tide was very high and not moving. We saw a decent number of redfish in the marsh but they were being inactive and didn't want to eat. Made the run to the lake to look for specs. We saw a couple of flocks of gulls working, but they were covered up with boats. One flock didn't have quite as many boats on it so I shut down about a half mile away and was working toward them on the trolling motor. Before we got to them, on of the boats in the group on them pushed in too close and apparently put the fish down because the birds went away. The same boat cranked his motor up in the middle of all those boats, not making anyone very happy. Tina and I decided to head home and return to the marsh in the afternoon when the tide would be on the way out. We got back in the marsh at about 2 in the afternoon, the water had dropped several inches and was moving out. The fish were being pretty active. I poled for a while and Tina fished catching 3 nice reds on a gold Johnsons spoon, one was about 3 pounds, the other 2 about 6 pounds. Tina also hooked and broke off her first red fish on fly rod.. another 6 pounder. We were seeing quite a few other fish, but as Tina is a beginner with a fly rod she couldn't quite reach them. After a while Tina poled and I fished for a few minutes, and I caught a nice red on a grizzly shwimp fly. I got back on the poling platform and we came across a big drum working, Tina got him to kind of mouth her spoon twice, but never hooked up, after that the fish seemed to get less active. It was a fun afternoon, and in addition to the fishing I accomplished something VERY important. I taught Tina how to push pole..(she can back a boat down the ramp too...) man am I ever blessed!!
Ron Begnaud	Calcasieu Estuary
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Spec-Tack-U-Lar Fly Fishing 11-16-03	17 November 2003
What an absolutely GORGEOUS day to be on the water. Although strong southerly winds threatened to make fly casting challenging, Capt. Rich Waldner and I lauched his Dolphin flats skiff at noon and headed south. The plan was to target bull reds near the Gulf when suddenly, we happened upon birds dipping on a point a mere 15 minutes from the launch. I tied on one of Rich's creations known as the Mardi Gras Mamma fly, and after a few strips, the first fat speckled thrashed across the top of the water, shaking it's head. We decided to keep a few today, so Capt. Rich put me to work filling his ice chest. The action was consistent, with nice trout in the 1-2 lb. range coming to the boat one after the other. I casted a little too close to the shoreline and an 8-pound redfish crashed the party. We decided to stay inside and forget about the bull reds as we were having too much fun with the speckled trout! We kept a limit of speckled trout plus two redfish for the grill. Also caught and released two small flounder on fly, a croaker and a blue crab that had actually eaten the fly. Two nice agents from LDWF checked us as we were having lunch. They were very courteous and were surprised at the quality of fish we had boated on the flyrod. The only unpleasantry today was the cloud of gnats that suddenly appeared when the wind died at 3 p.m. Since it has been unseasonably warm lately, I actually forgot that it was November and the "flying jaws" would be out and I wore shorts and a short sleeve shirt. The gnats were relentless, covering me from head to toe. We had to pick up and run a few times until the wind increased again just before sundown. I caught and released another nice 9-pound redfish just as the sun dipped below the horizon and called it a day. You have to LOVE fall marsh fishing in Louisiana! Capt. Rich just got a new casting platform for the bow and he wants me to be the first to try it out. Considering my track record of falling overboard this year, I might as well go ahead and get it over with before the temps drop! Congrats to fellow Red-Sticker Roger DelRio on his pending wahoo fly record :) www.reellouisianaadventures.com 504-329-7335
Susan Gros- Reel Louisiana Adventures	West Point-A-La-Hache, LA.
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Great day	16 November 2003
11/15/03 We had a great day our expectation was low water and a North wind what we had was high water and a southeast wind. Hailey and I found plenty of fish we landed 12 and hooked about 6 others. I did get one Sheepshead also on a Crabby Patty. The fish were all around 3 to 6 pounds with just one fish over 8 pounds. We did have more tailers than recently and plenty of cruisers. {fish swimming in water 18" plus but traveling in the upper third of the water colum} All but one fish were sight casts so there were plenty of targets. I would sure like to see the water a little lower.
Tim Aid	Myrtle Grove
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Catch and Eat - Cormier's story	16 November 2003
The best part of the Red Stick club's biannual "Catch and Eat", besides the good food (EAT) and the good fishing (CATCH), is the comradery. Late yesterday afternoon, while fish were being fileted and battered, and the potatos were being sliced for the hot grease that awaited them, we each shared stories of our day on the water. I'm sure Dugan will write about his and Randy's adventures, and perhaps Mike or Steve or others will weigh in with theirs as well. But I'll give my perspective here now on what I consider the best day of fishing so far this fall. First, the weatherman is usually wrong only when he predicts calm weather. This time he predicted 15 knots, and was wrong. In fact, the light breeze was from the south, ideal for speckled trout activity. I headed to Bayou Lafourche north of Leeville right about sunrise. I swear there was a sheepshead along every rock in the revetment. Tried a few casts at them but too many hangups. Launched the canoe and fished the bayou for about 3 hours. It could've been named "Bayou Self" because no one else was fishing it. The water was clear and the clouser under a vosi caught a ton of undersized specks, with about 6 keepers. A guy showed up next to my Jeep just as I was taking out, and in 20 minutes he caught a 20lb drum and 25lb red on shrimp fishing the bottom. Headed south of the Leeville bridge and put into the marsh. Immediately ran into several reds, two of them "picked" at my spoon fly but didn't get a solid bite. Found some specks over reefs, these were nice fish 14-16 inches. Left the marsh at 1pm. BTW...four guys who had been fishing the bayou side of Highway 1 each had a bull red, all 15-25lbs. Went down to Fourchon, found birds diving in one of the pits, and stopped and put in there. Non-stop action on small specks for about 2 hours, with a few nice keepers. Tide was low, so went further down and fished the marsh. Reds were crusing the banks, mostly 18-20 inch fish. Except for one about 10lbs. He was following my spoon fly but I didn't notice him. When I picked up my rod to make the backcast, the doggone Spottail Elvis hit the spoon just as the rod was going back, and the force shattered it in half. Already the rod was 6wt. As a tip-half only rod, it felt like a one weight! It was the only rod I'd put in the canoe, and now since my arm was exhausted, I started poling back to the Jeep. On the way back, saw one very active red in a pocket. My arm begged for me not to cast, but my mind never listens to reason when fish are involved. Using the tip half of the rod, made a cast and hooked him up. If you ever try this, you'll quickly appreciate cork grips. Back at Boudreauxs, spoke to Captain Shawn Carter, who guides the area, and told him I must've caught a couple hundred 11 inch specks. He said his charters have been catching obscene numbers of those fish as of late, and that next year will be a banner year for specks in Barataria and Timbalier zones (please Lord, no freeze!) Ended the day with everyone enjoying great food (thanks to cook Randy) as we watched LSU avenge last year's shutout to Bama. GEAUX TIGERS!
Catch	Golden Meadow
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TPH Rocks	16 November 2003
The fish are in the TPH. Not so big yet, but they are in. Must have caught well over 100 before noon. About 25% of the trout were undersized and all the reds were rats, but a nice fight. Ended up bringing home ten 15 - 18 inchers. Now, all we need is some really cold weather to bring in the big ones.
Mike LaFleur	TPH
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Tuna/Wahoo	16 November 2003
Went fishing with my Company and two customers on Scott Avanzino's 31'Albermarle. Caught 6 Yellowfin 30-40 lbs. Yours truly caught a State record Wahoo on Fly tackle. You will not believe the size of the Wahoo. More to come after certification with LOWA.
del Rio	Gulf MC 243
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Friday Afternoon	14 November 2003
Friday afternoon Danny Williams and I went to the marsh South of Prien Lk. It was a beautiful afternoon. At the first place we stoped the water was exceptionally clear, it was like fishing in a bathtub. We started seeing a LOT of small to medium sized sheepshead and a few scattered reds. The way the sheepshead were acting, really reminded me of the bonefish in Cancun. Kind of skittish and erratic, they would follow a fly and peck at it without really taking it. We decided to move to another spot, and as we were running across a large, deaper flat - about 2 to 2.5 feet deep, we spooked a school of big drum. We stopped and started poling the flat looking for them. I knew the shwimp fly I had on was too slow sinking to get down to the bottom where a drum will eat it, so I pulled out my knife and quickly stripped some of the hackle off of it so it would sink faster. I cast at a couple of big drum that were cruising that didn't eat, then we saw one that wasn't really cruising, he was just rooting around, although not tailing. It was really cool because the water was absolutley clear. I made a cast to him and he tipped down, I tried to set the hook and pulled it away from him. The fish made a turn looking for the fly, I re-cast and with the clear water and all, we got to watch him eat it. The fight didn't last too long. I got him to the boat pretty quick, but once he was at the boat I couldn't get his head turned. I spent more time fighting him at the side of the boat trying to turn him then I did getting him to the boat. Danny boga'd the fish for me and he weighed 22 pounds. We tried to get Danny a drum, and although we saw a bunch more, we were never able to get set up right on one for a good shot. We finally decided to head to another spot and look for redfish. We started working a bank, and quckly started seeing good numbers of nice reds, but they were super spooky. Even with perfect presentation and small flies they would spook. We spent a good while struggling, going through most of the flies in our boxes, unable to get the fish to eat, or even keep them from spooking off of the fly. We finally started working a different stretch of bank, Danny saw one tailing out of range, and before we got to it, I saw a couple of other fish I cast to. It was almost a minute after Danny had seen the tail that I cast to the spot the tail had been in, and a fish ate, I scrappy little 3 pounder. Danny got back on the front of the boat, and again we were encountering spooky fish. It was just about time to leave and we had all but given up and I was poling toward deeper water where we could get up on plane when I spotted a back out of the water. Danny made a fantastic presentation and was rewarded with a beautiful 6 pound red just in the nick of time.
Ron Begnaud	Calcasieu Estuary
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Holy Jack!!!	13 November 2003
Guys and gals, let me tell ya'! If you have never caught a Jack Crevalle on a fly rod, give it a shot. I fished at some of the rigs off of Grand Isle yesterday with Cpt. Gregg Arnold (504-237-6742), John McQueen from Louisiana Sportsman and an old guide buddy from Jackson Hole, WY, Chas Marsh. We were in search of Cobia because the three of those guys had a stellar Cobia day in the latter part of last week. They didn't have the chance to hook up with one on fly, so that was the top priority yesterday. The seas were calm, there was plenty of sunlight and we were all amped to get out there. Chas and John were fishing Monster Minnows around the rigs hoping to bring up a Cobia and I had a Sage RPLXi 12wt in hand hoping that he might have some buddies following. Well, the Cobia fishing was a little slow and we only ended up with one 28 pounder, not on fly. Although the fishing was a little slow it was not because of little effort. We spent the entire day running from rig to rig in search of fish and the only love I got on a fly rod was from a few hard tails. Finally, near the end of the day, we pulled up to where 4 large shrimping boats were anchored together. We stuck our nose in there to see what there was to see and sure enough we found action. Not Cobia, but a school of big Jacks in a feeding frenzy. I have never caught a Jack Crevalle in my life, but I have heard great stories about thier awesome pulling power. I immediately grabbed the 12 wt. with a 2/0 streamer and started throwing at the fish. It didn't take long before one hit, and when I say hit, I mean hit. By the time I looked down at my reel my line was long gone along with a good 75 yards of backing. The first few minutes were pretty hairy as the Jack ran past the shrimp boats and wrapped my backing around a chain, but soon enough we had him in open water. What a thrill! I just can't tell you how exciting this fish was on the fly rod and I can't wait to get after some more. I have wanted to catch a Jack on fly for quite some time and I can definitely say that it was not a disapointment. After 30 minutes of the best bicep workout I have ever gotten, I was soaked with sweat, I could hardly lift my arms and the fish was landed. I strongly suggest you try Jack Crevalle on the fly sometime, if you're up for it. After having that 24 pounder kick my butt for half an hour, I can't imagine what the Yellowfin on fly are like. My hat's off to those guys (and gals...sorry Susan). If you get a chance, check out my Jack pictures on www.lasmag.com under fishing reports. Take care! Alec Griffin Fishing Director, Uptown Angler 601 Julia St. New Orleans, LA 70130 504-529-3597
Alec Griffin at Uptown Angler	New Orleans
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Pontchartrain Basin Fly Fishing Club	11 November 2003
The Pontchartrain Basin Fly Fishers usually meet at Grillots Restaraunt in Mandeville every Wednesday but now there is a change and we must meet at New Orleans Food and Spirits located in downtown Covington. From what I hear, New Orleans Food and Spirits restaraunt has excellent food and excellent service. I believe we will be seated in their porch area. Sounds like it will be very nice, cant wait to find out.Also we meet for fly tying in the Glass Menagerie behind Fazzio's Restaraunt in the strip mall.
Justin	Mandeville
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saltwater barrier	09 November 2003
hit the marsh north of the i-10 bridge in lake charles today. you can see a bunch of cypress stumps in a big marsh, north of the i-10 bridge when your heading west. had never fished it before. a friend of mine from the contraband flycasters told me about this area next to the saltwater barrier. the water was clear, verry pretty area. crabs and shrimp everywhere... saw many reds! tide all the way out... landed one nice red on my gold and red shrimp pattern..... great spot for puddlers...must be 30mi from the gulf up there! guess thats why i live in lake charles. nice to be able to put the boat in for a couple hours , in town, and site cast some reds! gota love it! ps...specs have moved in to town as well. landed 5 or so thursday night around lights on surf candy fly and pink and white clousers...
ty southerland	lake charles
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Don't mention "Afflack" in the marsh!	09 November 2003
Kurt Loup and I were supposed to have fished my company's annual marsh tournament yesterday out of Galliano. Passed by Bason's about 4am, on my way to meet Kurt at Grand Isle, and there was a line of duck hunters, with most of the parking lot already filled up. In fact, the Golden Meadow and Leeville launches were completely filled with a line of traffic back to the highway, and daylight was still 2 hours away! Beyond Leeville, it was like ghost towns. When I mentioned this to Kurt, he agreed: "let's stay down here". I guess it's the nature of fly fishermen to avoid crowds. Or not get shot at. Take your pick. We hit the TPH, the Madison Hole, and the 3rd bridge, and picked up some specks, mostly small but a few keepers including a nice flounder. A strong north wind, and fishing off the road bank, forced us to use the ol' commie tackle for the most part. We parted company around noon. On the way back I stopped at Bayou Lafourche north of Leeville. The action was very good at first, but slowed down as the tide slowed. Next stop: Golden Meadow public launch. By now, most of the hunters had left, there was actually one parking spot within a half-mile of the launch. For about two hours, I tried convincing several reds that a spoon fly was something they should eat, not run away from. Never seen them that spooky. The good news is that according to today's Advocate outdoors section, the Gulf water is still warm (75 degrees) and most of the specks have yet to move to protected waters. In other words, better speck days are ahead for us puddlers.
Catch Cormier	Fourchon
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Bull reds	08 November 2003
Water was emerald green at SW Pass East Jetty yesterday after the customers put 20 or so releases under thier belt, I broke out my 10 wt with 500 grain sinking line and went to work with a chartruese clouser..couldn't get the line down into the zone with the current and the wind was too much to make a decent cast upcurrent..those fishing with 1/2 ox jig heads put it on them...they are there but I might suggest 900 grain to get to them..I got the idea to get into the action with split bamboo and skoal can reel after several fish came in with 3 or 4 other fish with them...leaving this information to you experts..Bring it on Delrio
Capt Scott	SW Pass
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Sabine Trip w/ Capt Chuck Uzzle	06 November 2003
Went out yesterday on a long-awaited charter with Capt Chuck Uzzle of Orange to fish the Sabine system - the lower river, lake, and hundreds of square miles of extensive marshes on the Louisiana side of the lake. Since the Sabine Wildlife Refuge is closed during waterfowl migration period, that left us only, well, maybe just a hundred square miles to fish. Let's put it this way .. it was more than Chuck could pole in a year's time. Met Chuck in Orange - you have to launch on the Texas side or else it's a long, long boat ride. The way out took us through a variety of waters from black water bayous full of bass and bream to the main river with stripers and then into marsh bayous good for specks and flounders, then into the domain of the spottail Elvis. Day started off great: big tails were waving in the calm, flat waters. The heavy fog allowed us to sneak in close, and within 2 hours we had boated 4 reds, none under 6 lbs and absolutely the most beautiful reds I've ever seen. A bright orange.. perhaps because they're from Orange, Texas?? We saw a lot more reds, but for some reason, they were moving around a lot, and very fast. Chuck was getting dizzy trying to pole to these baskeens! By mid-morning, the fog broke and gave me a chance to see how much grass - all kinds of grass - is in those ponds. The water was crystal clear, and even though we spotted reds from afar, they had a knack for disappearing into those grasses. So we started targeting sheepshead. Lots of "nibbles", but no real bites. Caught a bass by surprise. I kinda expected this, typical of full moon blas that these marsh fish have. Chuck said Tuesday the specks in the lake didn't bite until an hour before dark. Time was running short, the lake would have to wait for another time. So we headed back to the river for bass and stripers. Caught a bass at the wiers, and found the stripers feeding near structure. But just my luck it was at the very end of the tide, and within 10 minutes the activity was over. I promised Chuck - in my best Arnold voice - "I be back" from them stripers. These brutes remind me of Florida snook, and in Sabine (unlike Venice) get up to 30 lbs or more! I'll have more on Sabine in an upcoming feature in Louisiana Sportsman.
Catch Cormier	Orange, TX
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To the Casual or Accidental Visitor to laflyfish.com	06 November 2003
I’ve been a member of the Red Stick club for several years, and I’ve learned almost everything I know about saltwater fly fishing from Red Stick-ers, although I fly fished for cold water trout and “commie-tackled” in saltwater before I moved to Baton Rouge in 1993. I have a confession: I’m a knowledge junkie. I love learning new stuff, more than anything else this life has to offer – maybe that’s why I love fly fishing (and the club) the way I do. I just want to mention that after almost 10 years of participation in the Red Stick Fly Fishers (RSFF), I’m still learning from RSFF, and I don’t mean just “where” and “when” to fish for “what” in this area. I just finished reading the November issue of “The Red Letter”, RSFF’s monthly newsletter - available through the internet at rsff.org. There I learned that “no knot breaks until it slips”, and that a proper clinch knot that won’t slip in line 6-lb test or under should have 5 turns (no more/no less) around the standing line. I already knew everything else in that article, but the point is: I learned something new! I also learned when and how to properly clean a flyline. Never read or heard anything about that before today! Listen folks, I’m not an officer of any club and never have been, and I sure have no monetary interest in this, but if your imagination and interest is captured by a pastime/hobby/way of life that is never boring, or if you’ve merely learned something useful by surfing over to laflyfish.com or rsff.org, consider membership in a fly fishing club. Its only $25 or so (for heaven’s sake!), and it keeps newsletters and sites like this going, costs – in terms of time and money. If you can’t afford to pay dues, keep surfing back this way anyway. Attend a meeting of your local club. If you want to learn sumthin’ new, I’ve found these gentlemen and ladies are willing to share generously of their experience.
Joe Kahler	The House
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Ponchartrain Basin Fly Fishers	04 November 2003
Jack, there's a club on the North Shore (St. Tammany Parish). They meet the first Wednesday of each month. Check the forums for contact info. You've come at the right time to this site, November is one of the best months for fly fishing.
Catch
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Fly Fishing club in Covington/Mandeville area??	03 November 2003
Fly fishing for bass and bream is my first passion! I only discovered the Louisiana Fly Fishing website today!! Looked for a Northshore (Lake Ponchartrain) club and found nothing??? Is the Red Stick Fly Fishing Club the closest one to the Covington, Mandeville, Slidell area??
Jack Zenor	Covington, LA. 70433
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Blown Off in Galliano	03 November 2003
Drove down to fish the Hwy 1 corridor Saturday after finishing a few chores and errands, so got a late start. On the way, heard from Jim (Tuna) Thompson, who was already at the Bayou Thunder area. He said the wind was blowing so hard, it was whitecapping in the marsh there. I passed him going back to BR as I drove on down. Jim was sure right about the wind. Heck, it was capping in the gutters! I wanted to baptize my new “Genusa” rod and the Ross Canyon reel I bought to put with it, so I hunkered down to wait for the wind to subside a bit. It was a longer wait than I’d expected, but . . . ahh, Sunday morning! Arrived at Basson’s at sunup. Water was like glass, the air was cool, with a light fog/mist, and it was lit up with that beautiful Kodachrome orange sunrise we get to see every once in a while if we’ve been good boys. Had the area to myself, except for the otters I was lucky enough to watch at play (fishing?) - just the second time I'd seen 'em in the wild (both times had been in the Galliano/Golden Meadow area.) Watched four or five gulls hover and dive as they moved my way, so I snuck up in the ‘yak to intercept their path. Noticed shrimp doing the getaway dance on the surface, and they looked like little jewels in that light. Swirling commotion underneath. Cast a chartreuse Charlie into that soup and “BAM!”: instant hook-up with a 5-1/2 pound red that gave the Genusa/Ross its first workout. This was within 20 minutes of launching the ‘yak. Within an hour of boating Elvis, the wind had blown up into a minor howler. Needless to say, no more help from my airborne spotters (the gulls). Had one more hook-up with what must’ve been a nice red that came unbottoned. I wasn’t sure I’d hooked him at first. Must’ve been swimming at me and when he turned, he surprised me and I tried to set the hook. Gentle reminder: Don’t try to set a circle hook under any circumstances. Fished a couple more hours, but no luck. Hard to sneak up on anything in that wind, and a tough paddle back to the launch. Anyway, I’d do it all again for that first few minutes out there. Guess I’ve still got it bad.
Joe Kahler	The House
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Bogue Falaya report	02 November 2003
Water is low and clear in Florida Parish streams right now, and cool weather over the last 6 weeks has bass and bluegill very active. Yesterday fished upper Jones Creek and caught several nice gobbules, 1 monster redear, and a 2lb bass. This afternoon I'd hoped to paddle down Yellow Creek, but time was limited so I stopped at Covington instead and got 2 hours of canoe time in on the Bogue Falaya. The bite was slow, but lost a big bass that found a handy limb and stole my size 8 Peterson fluff butt. The "killer gobbules" - those riverine sunfish that have twice the fight as their flatwater cousins - preferred a Bead Head Gold Ribbed Hares Ear. They wouldn't even touch the jitterbee. Sorry, Randy.
Catch	Covington
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String	31 October 2003
Avanzino Do you mean "backing"? Does this mean Tuna in the Gulf? I can't WAIT.
del Rio	Red Stick
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Challenging Del Rio	29 October 2003
Bring your fly rod next week Mr. Del Rio..if you dare..I have some ideas...better bring extra "string"...
Avanzino	Offshore
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This time Cormier's 8th Law, fishing tables worked	27 October 2003
Went down to Grand Isle Fri nite, trying to get specks on the south wind before the front, i.e. Cormier's 8th Law. Fished bridge until dawn. Still good numbers of specks under lights, but little action. Ended with 2 specks, 1 white trout, 1 sheepshead, all on clouser. At dawn, fished TPH. Caught several small specks but no keepers. Left at 9am and stopped at Cigars Marina for drink and ice. According to the guy at the register, this day was a '10' on the fishing tables. Someone forgot to tell the fish. On way back to Golden Meadow, birds were diving at the Oklahoma pit. Stopped and launched canoe and within minutes was into non-stop speck action. Action died an hour later, but not until 12 keepers and many throwbacks, mostly on poppers. Decided at this point to head home. As I was peering over the north side of Highway 1, I couldn't help notice how low the marsh was, despite the south wind. "This would've been a good day for reds", I thought. Just then in the ditch in front of me, a redfish appeared along the far bank. Grabbed the rod, tied on a spoon fly, came back and put a cast ahead of his nose, and he lunged out and smacked it. Released a 26" red (was keeping only specks and sheeps on this trip). For the next hour, I was targeting reds in the ditch with fly rod, careful on my back cast not to hitch onto a "wheel tuna". The story doesn't end there. North of Leesville in Bayou Lafourche, the water was clear and moving. Stopped for a few casts. An hour later, I had 8 more keeper specks and about two dozen throwbacks. Fishing tables do work, only adjust the time schedule to add 9 hours.
Catch	Highway 1
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Attempted to violate Cormier's 8th Law	20 October 2003
My 8th Law says to the effect that north wind = reds and drum, south wind = specks. Well, with the wind blowing 10-15 from the north for the 3rd straight day, I still went hunting for specks yesterday. Old Reliable - the TPH - was a bust for me and Mike LaFleur. Lots of small ones, only a pair of keepers. Did much better fishing Bayou LaFourche on the way down using a chartreuse/white clouser 30" under a vosi. Late in the day met up with old friends Ann and Lecta. Heard a horrific story about a mutual friend who suffered the loss of his lower arm back in August due to infection from the vibrio virus. When the water is hot, it's a good idea to take along a spray bottle of bleach and cleanse off hands, arms, or anywhere marine bacteria might penetrate.
Catch Cormier	Grand Isle
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Lake Concordia	17 October 2003
Since none of the RSFF club members were willing to post a Concordia report, guess I'll be the one to bear bad news. The big bream are off the beds. I even tried St. John and Bruin, same results. Lots of small guys up to 6 inches, very few above that. Action was much better before the front, and day of the front, despite cloud cover, than on Sunday. Jitterbee 30" under strike indicator and popping bugs worked best for bream, catfish, and even white bass. Checked at Old River Vidalia, and despite clear water, this live oxbow was also fishing very slow for crappie and white bass. Turnover is evident in these lakes, big bream are probably deep until next spring.
Catch	Ferriday
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still rattlin	13 October 2003
Caught two more reds today, on the grass beds. A 30 inch and a 24. Big one on gold rattle rouser, smaller one one a deicever . After the tide went out went to Rabbit Island and caught a spec on commie tackle.
Brad Pillaro	Bayou Sale Bay
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White and Norfork rivers	08 October 2003
Steve Lee and I went up to the Southern FFF Conclave this past Wed-Sun, and fished Norfork Thur and Fri am, and White Sat am. Generators were off, water was low and trout really spooky. Did manage some on size 20 midges (PA and WD40 emergers), but did best on tan sowbugs under indicator. Best results came on stalking nice fat rainbows (16-20") in grass pools (down on hands and knees!) and casting sowbugs w/ no indicators on 12ft leaders and 6x or 7x tippets. This is where a full flex rod in 2-4 weight can be worth gold. But save your gold. The new TFO 2 & 3 rods we tested at conclave fit the bill for under $140.
Catch	Mountain Home, Arkansas
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rattlin reds	07 October 2003
The water is finally clearing up enough to sight fish, here in St. Mary Parish. I fished the high tide on some grass flats today. I had a couple hook ups on spoon fly, but after a couple refusals I switched to a gold rattle rouser, this is what they wanted. landed two 30 inch fish, with a 25 and a 23 inch thrown in. What a blast!
Brad Pillaro	Bayou Sale Bay
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Golden Meadow	07 October 2003
Fished G.M. on Wed. Caught two rat reds before 7:30 on a clouser under a vosi. At 7:35 wind picked up to about 20 knots and halted the fly fishing. Finished out the day with 3 keeper reds and 1 lonely trout. Went back to G.M. on Sunday and did a little better despite high water. Unfortunately no takers on the fly but finished the day with a dozen keeper trout and 3 reds. A few trout were caught in bayou blue but the majority of the fish were caught in puddler range. Mainly in the deep canal by Chic's boat launch and in the shallow waters by the compression tanks.
Bryan
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Saturday in the marsh	06 October 2003
With very high tides predicted for Sat AM Danny and I fished some marsh that holds a lot of fish, and normally isn't as adversely effected by higher tides. Noramly a very high tide makes it very difficult to see fish until it's too late and your right on top of them, and high water tends to push the fish back into the flooded salt grass. The marsh we decided to fish stays very clear, so you can still see fish, and has a lot of aquatic grass in the water that the fish relate to, so they're not as prone to try moving up into the flooded banks. When we first got there, we spotted a couple of redfish tailing together, I managed to get one of them to eat a shwimp fly and landed a nice 6 pounder. We figured this early start might be a good omen but the fish had other ideas. We fished and fished seeing very few fish in the main body of the ponds. Finally we started poling out and as we entered the area where the boat trail meets the ponds we started seeing fish. Following the boat trail, every place where it widened into a flat held fish.. The tide was comming in and they were enjoying the bounty of the water flowing through this narrower water way. Danny picked up another nice red and I lost a big one. We missed quite a few shots, and pulled the fly out of the mouth of at least 3 others that had bit...the one bad thing about gin clear water is that you tend to hit too quick when you see the fish eat the fly...wait for the line to go tight first.... We also had a bunch of shots at sheepshead, and got many looks and follows but none of them ate...they sure were fun to watch though...
Ron Begnaud	S.W. Louisiana
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big sheephead	06 October 2003
Saturday my daughter and I went out for the afternoon. The water was high and dirty we did see lots of fish and caught a few all on Haileys Comet. My daughter Hailey did catch a sheephead that went 6.5 lbs it was a beautiful fish. She let it go after a few pictures
Tim Aid	Myrtle Grove
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Bayou Specks	28 September 2003
Fished out of Bayou Lacombe today and started wading towards the west once we got out of the mouth of the bayou. We did no good until we reached the pilands that were about a mile down the shoreline. The trout were all over the place there. Most were around ten inches but we caught a few that went 14- 16 inches. Also I caught a rat red about 15 inches. I was using a purple clouser.
Justin	Lacombe
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POINT AUX CHENES	25 September 2003
my cuz and i hit point aux chenes ( south of houma) sunday. got there late sat. night.. the specks were in a frenzy in the canal at the parking lot, behind our truck!... we must have caught 24 or so on 4wt rods. they were all small but fun non the less. most were taken on gurglers and johnathan's invention THE RED DART (surf candy like fly). we hit the marsh in a canoe at daylight and first cast, john caught a nice black drum on a kwan crab fly... we boated 8-10 ave. size reds on rons red chasers, ty's redfish shrimp dish . and kwans. gota love puddling. great, simple and cheap way to get around the marsh site casting..... ty
ty	lake charles
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Bayou Lacombe	20 September 2003
Fished Bayou Lacombe today. We paddled the pirougue out a couple hundred yards down the shoreline then got out and started wading. Wind was blowing pretty good for the first hour and made it tough to throw a floating line. Caught nothing on the banks and points. When we moved out farther we caught trout off and on, most were throw backs. Flies used were pink Lafleur's Charlies and purple Clousers. Wish I had a popper, the trout were hitting baitfish on top of the water most of the time. Anyone else fished there lately or anyone who has any info on fishing Bayou Lacombe?
Justin	Mandeville
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Super Bream	13 September 2003
Recently got another invitation from a friend who has access to some private Mississippi farm ponds and wants to see me catch bream, bass and whatever on a fly rod while he has fun with his lite spin tackle with cricket and plastic worm. I am beholding to him for inviting me to fish his special places. We fished last Sunday from about 8AM to noon and the pond was just east of Woodville and just north of the Louisiana line in the upper Amite watershed. This particular pond was fairly large maybe 2 to 3 acres and was in gently rolling country side with open grassy shores and dense treed shores. Interestingly enough there was no rooted or floating aquatic plants. So I rigged up with the trusty chartruse and black jitterbee under vosi to start and he used crickets. On my first cast I caught a 2 pound yellow bullhead and had some fight! The next cast brought a big bluegill and set the tone for the rest of the morning. When we hit a spot in 2-3 feet of water in a small cove fishing from shore out about 20 yards or so we found some terrific bream action mostly large bluegill but a few nice redears. By the time it was over we had 50 beautiful bream caught equally on the jitterbee and crickets. Once again my friend was impressed that a little bug eyed fly could catch as many as his crickets and you didn't have to bait up all the time. After about 30 bream or so I noticed the bee was unraveling but it kept on catching anyway. Guess Randy is going to have to use some super glue on them when you hit bream this big. I suspect we hit a pocket of stocked "coppernose" bluegill which are of superior size to regular bluegill. Any way they were the biggest bluegill I have seen. Finished the morning catching smaller but fiesty bluegill on an accardo popper and having loads of fun. I think I did have one bass strike. All this gives me pause to think of the passing of Mike Verduin and Tom Nixon who kept reminding us of all the fun we can have freshwater fishing. I am sure the cap spider and Calcasieu Pig Boat would have caught them this day also.
Dugan	Mississippi Farm Pond
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Hailey's First Redfish	09 September 2003
Sunday 9/7/03 My daughter who turn 6 on tuesday caught for reds two on flys that happen to be named for her. We saw lots of fish dispite extremely high water. The fish were not spooky so I could bring the boat close. Theey ate my crab fly Hailey's Comet but that was the only fly they would eat. A Great day I will always remember.
Tim Aid	Myrtle Grove
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Three Rivers Run Through It	08 September 2003
After Steve called Sat pm with a report from Grand Isle about how the tide was so high the grass was barely visible, I decided to return to 3 Rivers area Sunday for more late-summer freshwater action. It's difficult to describe the feeling I get when I see those big rivers - Red, Black, Ouachita, Atchafalaya - this time of year. Instead of high and chocolate muddy, they're low and green clear, and chocked full of hard fighting fish. The pits and live oxbows in this delta area are ideal for puddling (although I did puddle the Red for a little while). Talked to several anglers at the Lock #1 launch, they hadn't done well on white bass (full moon to blame they said). Caught a few whites, a big crappie, a gar, a sauger (aka, southern walleye), and several nice bass. The whites hit so hard, they'll pull the rod out your hand if you're not careful. Went north afterwards. Stopped at Deer Park Lake, Black River, Lake Chicot, and picked up reports. Was tempted to drop canoe in at each of these spots, but only had time to fish one spot, and that had to be those pits. In the last 2 hours of daylight, they really paid off. Probably caught 40 small bass on size 8 popper. A good respite from saltwater.
Catch	Middle of nowhere
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Just when you thought it was safe......	05 September 2003
Just when you thought it was safe to return to Bayou Lacombe, I watched in amazement as another guy fishing out of a kayak caught a 30" shark. He however was not using a clouser under a vosi, but rather a spinning rod with a mullet attached. He had the good sense to go to shore and land the fish on the beach. A shark in a kayak would be risky. I ended up with a handful of barely keepable specks and too many ladyfish. Water was high but calm even though there was a strong north wind. It was a fairly pleasant day and a good respite from the dog days of August.
Jeff M	Bayou Lacombe
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3 Rivers Report	01 September 2003
Cosmos and I were supposed to take his buddy John to the marsh, but Tropical Storm Grace changed our plans. So we went to 3 Rivers area instead. The Red and Atchafalaya rivers are beautiful green clear, and Mississippi is clearing rapidly. The side channels were full of fish, but storms forced us to move from spot to spot and eventually, forced us to come home. Caught bass, white bass, crappie, sunfish, even a gar on fluff butts and commie tackle spinners. Surprised by number of black bass, and disappointed by lack of whites. Later fished Miss River downtown BR at end of Florida St for half hour. Caught one skipjack.
Catch Cormier
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Fish are in	01 September 2003
Went to B. Lacombe this morning. Water was 3 - 6 inches over the road. 3/4 of parking lot under water. Launched at 6 am. Light wind. Birds were diving just beyond the pilings. Lots of small trout. Same over at the mouth of the bayou. Then I saw the tails. Two nice reds. Jacks were out in the middle of the bayou busting mullet for awhile. By nine, the wind kicked up, white caps and a slug of muddy water. Nice way to start Labor Day. At least the fish are finally in.
Mike LaFleur	Bayou Lacombe
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Breaking news.... Kevin's Lake Ponchartrain report	29 August 2003
For you puddlers thinking about going to Mandeville or Lacombe this weekend... just got a call from #1 son Kevin. He and fellow soldier John Pierce took canoe with trolling motor, fly rods and spinning gear, and even some bait shrimp. Said the winds were pretty strong, and they had to fight some waves by afternoon. However, they landed about 25 specks, and each caught a limit of reds. John also hooked a 4 lb bass in the lake. They also ran into some big jacks, literally. BTW, the shrimp caught 1 small red, that's it. All the rest were caught on commie or fly.
Catch Cormier
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