home   |  calendar   |  new forum   |  old forum   |  old reports   |  fly patterns   |  retailers   |  guides  

 

maybe you can adopt?	30 December 2004
I'm catching up on fishing posts while my foot heals from surgery..caught Catch's commentsabout Dry Run Creek. I've SEEN Catch assist kids on the creek, and when Jane could fish it, it was worth the trip to Arkansas. So with Cokie over age, I wonder if you should consider adopting, Catch? It might be easier than "adapting"!! It's a sad day when you haven't anyone to "help" on Dry Run Creek. I'm pretty sure my new grandson will be able to cast by the time he's one. I'll be there to help...somebody's got to do it.
paula cannon	baton rouge
Back to top of page

Specks at TPH	30 December 2004
Yesterday the Red Stick "Lunch Bunch puddlers" went down to Fourchon-Grand Isle. My plan was to launch off Hwy 1 across from the TPH and fish the marsh. Like Randy, I had to switch to Plan B, because in my case there was no water in the ditch from which to launch. Hours later, I'd try again with help from Ann Smith. Here's a helpful tip we learned: if there's no water, your boat won't float. Back to Plan B: the TPH itself. Ann said they tore the specks up on Monday. There was a crowd of boats around the cut, so apparently word was out. I stayed on the west end alongside Dave Coignet for awhile, and we each picked up quite a few, in my case, mostly small. An hour later, the crowd disappeared, the bite had ended. I paddled over to the cut, and using a clear intermediate line, floro leader, and a large chartreuse clouser, slowly picked up a keeper speck here and there. Another hour later, a group of boats had collected again, but this time, I was the only one consistently catching trout. When I hit my self-imposed limit of 15 keepers (nearly all 13"-15") called it quits. Back at roadside, did some bank fishing and picked up several on same rigging, incl. 2 more keepers. Ann stopped by again with a couple of friends, they'd "limited out" on sheepshead at the Caminada bridge. The other LBPers stopped by, and they didn't do squat on reds. Decided to give Leeville a shot on the way home (Plan C). Water was crystal clear. No activity at all along the banks. Actually picked up 2 rats blind casting commie topwater. This is why I hate those severe cold fronts.
Catch	Fourchon
Back to top of page

Reds & Boats	28 December 2004
April, boyfriend Josh and I headed down for a (commie fishing) trip to the Point Au Chen Sulfur Mine and while on the drive down decided switch to plan "B" and continue on to Catfish Lake. We went directly to the north end of Catfish Lake where Dugan & I had found the fish 10 days earlier. Nothing - not even a bite. We then tried the eastern shore of Catfish Lake -- nothing - not even a bite. So we headed for Bayou Blue to see if we could pick up a few sheepshead & drum on bait shrip on the bottom. Again, nothing. While fishing Bayou Blue, a couple of nice folks mentioned that everyone was catching reds at the Sulfur Mine. They, having their limit were headed back in... So off we went. We shoulda stuck to plan "A" -- they were right. We limited out on reds, picked up a few drum, a few sheepshead, and a single trout. All of the fish were caught on the bottom on plastic tipped with shrimp. Tried the fly rod for a very short while without success. We did "re-convince" ourselves on the way in that the fish were TRUELY not in Catfish Lake. However, we managed to find one lone trout in the canals on the east side of the lake. By the way, we counted 91 boats at the Sulfur Mine on a Tuesday. I wonder what the Saturday boat count will be????
Randy Leonpacher	Point Au Chen Sulfur Mine
Back to top of page

Oops!	27 December 2004
Man, it looks like every time I have expressed a positive comment lately, it has jumped up and bitten me on the butt! Hope those of you who got the worst of the Great Christmas Blizzard of '04 survived it with little adverse affects. Barb and I had mortal fits trying to get to Lafayette on the Sunday following - I was detoured to places I had never seen in over 55 years of living in Louisiana and hope I never see again! But we made it - and back, with snow still against the gaurd rails on the south side of US 90! Mercy! Ain't life great in paradise? But I doubt the reds, at least, suffered any. We'll see shortly. In the meantime, Happy New Year! Pete
pete cooper jr.	Buras, La
Back to top of page

Christmas Eve Report	24 December 2004
Hey Guys! Living in Buras has its advantages. Sure, we have to run from storms every now and then, but... Around noon today the temperature was 37 degrees, and a light spitting rain was riding a 12 to 15 knot north breeze. The bottom of the bays was pretty close to the top, but the water that was still there was fishable. Even so, I was not about to try to fly fish. So I took a little casting rod and jigged eight reds out of one of my local sweet spots, three of which, while not grill-worthy, were ideal skillet material. Then my toes got cold and I went home. Looks like the great CHristmas Eve gale of 2004 fizzled, at least down here, and I am mighty glad of it. Again, you all have a Merry Christmas. Pete
Pete Cooper, Jr.	Buras, La.
Back to top of page

Finding some trout	22 December 2004
Randy Leonpacher and I managed to fish one of the few "windows" in the weather recently and fished Catfish Lake and surrounding canals and bayous last Saturday. We had been looking for some clearing water since our previous trips to the area found murky and turbid waters even in Catfish Lake. Well this trip we found better water but still with a little murk in it. Seems as if the fronts are still coming too regular and the water does not quite have the time it needs to reach that gin clear color we have been looking for. Never the less we found some nice trout over the oyster beds at the north end of the lake. Chartruse clousers under a vosi worked well but we had to work to keep in the trout. It required making a float over and over again drifting with the light winds to keep in the fish. At the end we put 15 nice keepers from 12-16 inches in the box. Also found some large schools of sheepshead and a few drum in our trusty honey hole along Bayou Blue north of Catfish Lake. This spot has produced a limit of drum and sheepshead in the past so there is something about the bottom at this site. We used shrimp and bait tackle and finished with 13 sheepshead and two drum. Finished the day in Catfish Lake taking advantage of the nice slick water conditions. Also tried the east side canals but found virtually no fish. Maybe the next time will be the charm. But alas there is another brute norther blowing throught the area this week and into the weekend. Maybe January will be a better month.
Dugan Sabins	Catfish Lake/Golden Meadow
Back to top of page

Home sweet home!	22 December 2004
Finally at home and fished with my brother out at Mosquito Lagoon on a mild winter day. Blue skies, light wind, and redfish everywhere.. Saw schools of fish coming from a hundred feet away, unlike the last- second opportunties you get at redfish in Louisiana. Started throwing a black seaducer, fish weren't taking a liking to that, my brother suggested a crab/shrimp pattern that the fish pounced all over. Ended up catching four fish, two each, with the fish being four to five pounds each. On the flip side, the fish were very spooky unlike the fish in Louisiana where you can practically hit them in the head and they won't spook. But I definitely can't wait to come back home and fish in the marsh. Hope everyone is having a great holiday and great fishing trips over the break. P.S. Pop the cherry on my new Lamson Velocity 3.5, it's a great reel, a great suggestion by Alec at Uptown Angler. Tight lines!
Greg Tulane Baseball	mosquito lagoon, fl.
Back to top of page

Missed the "window of opportunity"	19 December 2004
Had high hopes to get to the coast yesterday. The forecast for the next 7 days blows, literally. Unfortunately, the "window of opportunity" fell shut on my head after a flight cancellation on Friday night resulted in lost luggage. There will be many days to fish reds, there will NOT be another Sage LL 4pc rod (it was in one of the check-in bags). After recovering all bags, went over to the lake to satisfy my fix. One bass and two gobbules before wind started picking up. About then, Randy calls to tell me that he and Dugan were having a great day at the Meadow. That's just what I needed... salt in the wound!
Catch	home
Back to top of page

Pete Cooper's Reply	15 December 2004
Pete, thanks for the well wishes - so far, so good. Yes, we did meet, briefly, at a put-in site south of the Leeville bridge I think. Did Mike LeFleur introduce us? Saw your article in a recent periodical distributed through a local fly shop I've been known to visit here in Baton Rouge. Really enjoyed seeing another "local boy make good" in the genre of flyfishwriting. Here's hopin' we can fish side by side sometime. Thanks again for keeping us posted, and your well wishes.
Joe Kahler	Work (sadly) Again
Back to top of page

Best To Joe Kahler	14 December 2004
Hey Joe - I don't believe I know you, but I sincerely appreciate your comments on my relatively negative report on the Buras area. And man, if it seemed tough then, you should - no, you shouldn't - have been down here today! The bottom was higher than the top! Hadn't seen anything like it since the infamous Christmas freeze of 1993! Anyway, now's a great time to recuperate from that operation. Wishing you the best for a speedy and complete recovery. Pete
Pete Cooper, Jr.	Buras, La.
Back to top of page

Reds in the Lakes	14 December 2004
I made a run to the Fourchon marsh last Sunday to take advantage of the predicted light winds and low tides. With the marsh ponds either too shallow to float a canoe or completely drained, I found the reds bunched up in the lakes along the leeward shorelines. Although some were actively chasing bait in the shallows, most were cruising the banks in pods of 3 to 8 fish. In all, it was a great day to be on the water and the fishing was outstanding. My final count was 15 reds boated from 4 to 8 lbs and the fly of choice was a black Lefleur's Charlie.
Steve Lee	Fourchon
Back to top of page

Pete Cooper's Report(s)	14 December 2004
I just wanted to express my gratitude to Pete for takin' the time to give us the straight-up on what's happenin' where he is. Even when I hear conditions are sh..y, I feel better; especially right now that I'm banished from the marsh 'til the hernia repair heals. The hardest reports to hear are the ones about "reds all over the place - backin' and tailin' and generally makin' sittin' ducks of themselves for flyfishers." Moral of the story is: No matter how you did, a report is appreciated by someone.
Joe Kahler	Work (sadly)
Back to top of page

Lower Delta Report	13 December 2004
Well guys, Catch is still looking for reports. Okay, here's one. The wind is howling, it's cold enough to make snow cones in my outside iris starter-box, and all the water that was in the marsh hereabouts yesterday has gone in the general direction of Yucatan. Hey, he wanted reports! Me, I'm discovering by the day that I'm not nearly as mad at those fish as I once was. My advice? Stay home and tie flies - or whatever. Best to all of you (Who are smart enough to stay on the bank for the next few days). Pete
Pete Cooper, Jr.	Buras, La.
Back to top of page

North Georgia report	13 December 2004
Up here in GA for business, arrived weekend early for trout fishing. While wind's been problem in LA, rain has been disaster here. Hootch looked like Choc milk on Sat. Went searching for fishable rivers, and found Rock Creek and Toccoa somewhat clear but high. Saw SNITs on Rock, but only fly even looked at was BH fluff butt. One fish in four hours. Nice vistas, and even snow! made for nice day on the water (with no other anglers for miles)
Catch	Atlanta
Back to top of page

Catch's Request	08 December 2004
All right, guys, Catch wanted a report. During the recent extremely low tides, reds were still in their shallow-water habitat and very happy to strike on the surface. Try the shallow oyster beds and broken marsh around Bay Pomme d'Or and Drake's Bay, and don't hesitate to prospect a Clouser across the oyster beds in mid-bay - and if you get beaten up by a big black drum while doing so, don't blame me! Merry Christmas. Pete
Pete Cooper, Jr.	Buras
Back to top of page

Catfish Lake report	28 November 2004
Fished east side canals off Catfish Lake on Friday, as well as section of Bayou Lafourche off Hwy 1 above Leeville, in pursuit of speckled trout. Kept 12, threwback about four times that number. Also caught four reds 14-19, all released. Half of everything taken on commie plastic, half on clouser under VOSI. Water in canals was milky green, visibility about 8", and still high, very untypical for late November. Got a report at Leeville that specks were still in the lower bays. Colder weather is needed to bring clearer water and push in bigger specks.
Catch	Golden Meadow
Back to top of page

Dry Run Creek	24 November 2004
Took advantage of school being out to take Cokie up to Dry Run Creek for a few days, on what will probably be her last trip up there. This is a kids-or-handicapped-only stream adjacent to the dam on the Norfork River near Mt Home, AR. Age limit is under 16. Note to Moms and Dads - this is a spectator sport for you only! You can't cast or fight the fish, except to help net it. The trout are thick in numbers, with most 14-20 inches, and a few weighing in double-digits. Sowbugs and wooly buggers always seem to work best, and this time was no exception. On Tuesday, she did the most damage, landing about three dozen, including a very large brown. One side note: do make certain your hooks are completely barbless both here and in the barbless sections on the main rivers. We received a warning from the ranger because our pinched barb "wasn't good enough". He suggested using a file to remove any portion that remains.
Catch	Mountain Home, Arkansas
Back to top of page

Oh, those sneaky poisson rouge!	18 November 2004
Prior to my presentation to the Lake Charles club, I arrived at Lake Prien about 4pm, and started fishing around the boat launch. Ron Begnaud showed up with his boat, and right then I hooked and lost what appeared to be a nice speck. Perhaps we should have stayed at the dock. Instead, we motored out to a protected flat.. protected by pine trees I might add.. and poled over a couple dozen fish, but only spotted one along the shore. I hate when reds take the "middle ground". By the time we figured out the pattern, it was time to head in. If you're looking for a terrific guide in the Lake Charles area, I highly recommend Ron. He put me on top of a lot of fish... literally. Just make sure to book longer than a one hour trip. (LOL)
Catch	Prien Lake
Back to top of page

Bait no match for flies	07 November 2004
Fished our annual company saltwater tournament out of Point au Chien yesterday and finished 2nd out of 23 boats in the "heaviest redfish stringer" (5 fish allowed) category with 5 reds totaling 27.6 pounds. The boats had live bait, dead bait, and 3-4 person teams, which allowed a boat to cull and bring more than one 27" fish to the scale. All I had was me, my canoe and fly rod. Commies never stood a chance! Winning boat ran 30 miles to Timbalier Pass and brought in two bull reds. I never left sight of the launch. Absolutely gorgeous day, fish were biting, only problem was duck hunters (stay clear of these guys) and tons of grass that the fish would swim into (a real mess to get them out).
Catch
Back to top of page

Not a bad day	07 November 2004
Greg and I teamed up to chase some reds in the marsh today. The wind was forecasted to be fairly light so we hit it around 10:15. No clouds made for a good day but the wind was blowing a little harder than I would have liked. Started off throwing the go to crab pattern I made up with Greg poling the boat. We spooked a few here and there and the spotted a gar off the side of the boat. I wanted to see if he'd eat, so I dropped it in front of him and the fish spooked. Funny thing, my hook just happened to be in the way and I hooked the thing! A gar on a crab fly, imagine that. We switched up poling and Greg went for the first redfish. We spotted one waking and Greg cast to it, but we kinda lost the fish. Then Gregs line came tight, guess we found him! Turned out to be a nice fish and after a quick photo, we let him swim. My turn. Greg poled me around and we wound up in the back of this cove he said he had seen. I tossed my fly up near the back, pulled it a little and then saw the white fins of a fish. He was swimming towards where I thought my fly was, I saw him stop, and then twitch like he flared on my fly. I stripped a litle to see if he was on and sure enough the fish took off. Turned out to be a nice 4-5 spotted 4 pound fish. Greg was next and found a fish sitting right off the bank who was all too happy to eat a McCrab. Then, we found something awesome. We come around a corner and off to my right is a fish backing and I got excited. This fish just kept on swimming around halfway out of the water and I put the fly out towards him. This was my first time casting to a fish in this shallow of water so I never put the fly close enough and he ended up spooking. No worries, because we found another one. We ended up spooking 3 or 4 fish to get to this one. Greg got me close enough for a cast and I did much better this time. Put the fly 4 inches from his nose, let it sink, stripped once and he jumped on the fly. He didnt realize he was hooked for 10-15 feet as I drug him along and then he saw the boat. Man that was awesome, b/c this fish took off halfway across the pond we were in. I thought for a minute he'd get me into my backing but he slowed before then. After a good fight, I brought him to hand and the fish taped out at 25 inches and 7 pounds. It was a great day on the water, and in the end we just ran out of good light to see the fish.
Casey	Myrtle Grove
Back to top of page

Specks	31 October 2004
Had good day Saturday fishing with Commie tackle.
del Rio	Lake DeCade
Back to top of page

When life gives you lemons...	31 October 2004
I had big plans for Saturday: early trip to False River for schooling bass, midday to see Pete Cooper, LSU game that night. Only to learn that my great aunt passed away and the funeral was yesterday. As with many things in life, I approached this as an opportunity. A chance to visit with many relatives over in Jeanerette and New Iberia. Little did I know they're all are avid readers of my column (which explains a lot). Well, I told them I was fresh out of ideas and needed some suggestions to get those creative juices flowing. My cousin Mark Verrett didn't hesitate to yell out "bass". Just the excuse I needed for a trip today to Bayou Lacombe! The forecast called for 15-20 south winds, which means flood tides and choppy water. Not my favorite conditions during prime "popper season". But again an opportunity... to use the sqwirm worm. The sqwirm not only feels like the plastic variety, but it casts a lot easier and sinks a lot faster than hare worms, or any other worm imitations. It handled the wind quite well. Unfortunately the boat couldn't. About mid pm, it proved too difficult to fly cast and work the trolling motor at the same time. So I switched to commie rod and plastic worm, with pretty much same results. Summary: lots of bites, mostly big bream, did land and release 17 bass, all between 8 and 14 inches. Not bad for fall marsh bassin'... but it does get better. This coming cold front should push water down and chill it off, kicking off topwater action. Need to get my pencil poppers ready!
Catch	Lacombe
Back to top of page

Not Yet	31 October 2004
Randy and I did a one day trip to the Meadow and Catfish Lake area. Yep as the subject line says we found that the trout schools are not this far up, not yet. Got all excited upon hearing the "Marsh Master" extolling the exceptional trout schools that were showing up under birds all over the Leeville area while giving a fishing report on the Don Debuc Saturday morning outdoor radio show. But alas he must be keeping them in the Leeville area for his customers. We found the water in the Catfish Lake and marsh high (no bare shorelines seen all day) and off color almost everywhere we went which included Bayou Blue, Little Gray Duck and Bay Currant. Did trick about 25 trout or so with bright chartruse and white clousers and put 5 in the box including two large sand trout and one 17 inch speck. But they were scattered everywhere we went and not concentrated in schools. Even when we found some birds feeding on shrimp, we found no schooling trout. Suspect the problem was the high water which scattered them, the off color which turned their feeding off and the warm water which made them lazy. The temps did reach into the upper 80's but at least the humidity was down and the wind kept us somewhat comfortable all day. Catch was closer to getting the wind right than the marine weather forcastors as it was S near 10-15 all day. Was supposed to be variable 5 to 10 but you know how that goes. Can hope that the cold front coming Tuesday next week will change all this and move the trout further inland by the Catch and Eat (at least beyond Leeville!) Even the redfish were sluggish on this trip and hardly heard any shoreline activity. So bring on the cold weather! Dugan
Dugan Sabins	Golden Meadow/Catfish Lake
Back to top of page

Island time	28 October 2004
Good news and bad news. The good is that Breton Island is hot for nice specks, et al. Specks to 21 inches or thereabouts still love purple flies there and were eating them nicely this PM. Flounders and grilling-sized reds, too. The bad news is that Grand Gosier is gone. Bars remain that will assuredly rejuvinate into an island of sorts - eventually, if the storms will ever leave us alone, but it won't ever be the same for folks like me. But that's the way it goes - apparently. Really fortunate to have had it like it once was. Pete
Pete Cooper, Jr.	Buras, La
Back to top of page

Saturday results	25 October 2004
After getting a report from Jeff Books on Friday that specks were hitting topwater, borrowed Steve's canoe down to the FAA Gate on Saturday. No topwater action this day. Roger del Rio's law was in effect: whatever the winds are supposed to be, multiply times two, sometimes three. The forecast was 5-10, it turned out to be 15-20, with gusts to 22. It made paddling Steve's little canoe a real bear (I'll have more on that in the Puddlers forum). Water was high and murky, and that didn't favor fly fishing. Even with commie tackle, it was tough setting the hook on small trout under the birds in the lakes. Finally settled on some small cuts, and managed to land 15 keepers using chartreuse clouser under a vosi. Water went down in the afternoon just before I paddled back in; was able to spot and hook up a few of the marsh baskeens (red, drum, sheeps). Better days are still ahead.
Catch	Fourchon
Back to top of page

Custom aerial photography	24 October 2004
Have you ever desired a detailed aerial photo map of your hunting lease or your favorite fishing hole? Check out my site to learn more: http://www.geocities.com/cjrobic/aerial_photos.html
Aerial photo guy	Houma, LA
Back to top of page

Late Report	24 October 2004
Since Catch has made mention of Randy Leonpacher and I and our recent trips to Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, I thought I would go into a little more detail and put some flyfishing into it just in case someone may be interested in seeing what Rockefeller is all about. It is a distance challenge but from Baton Rouge to the Rockefeller Refuge launch on Grand Chenier is about the distance to Grand Isle,140 miles or so. Randy and family have had a camp on Pecan Island for several years so I have benefited from his knowledge of the area and an overnight place to stay. There is a long standing culture of shrimping with cast nets at the weirs there and crabbing with lines and small nets. It is quite something to see and productive for shrimp from late spring for browns and into late October for whites. Crabs can be caught all year. The beauty of the Refuge is that no commercial gear or activity is allowed, only recreational activity so there are no crab traps or trawling. And all activity is limited to sunrise to sunset. No overnight activity is allowed. Fishing for redfish from what I have seen is exceptional all year. Trout are less common due to the water clarity but when the water clears in winter and into early spring, specks can be caught with clousers, charlies and other traditional speck flies. We have most frequently caught the reds on live bait caught with the cast net but we did hit a nice school of reds at a weir a year ago and got our limits on charlies and clousers under a vosi. It was the biggest reds on flies for both Randy and myself, about 7 and 5 pounds respectively. But much bigger reds roam the refuge as illustrated by our last two trips. While fishing in a small bayou just inside the LSU weir, so named because of past LSU research in the area, I witnessed a school of reds of over 100 individuals that had just come in from the Gulf judging by their colors. The Gulf is less than a half mile away. They were mostly over 27 inches and mine was 30 inches and 11 and a half pounds. Twelve to 15 pounders were in the school. In the feeding and catching frenzy that we witnessed just inside the weir they would hit almost anything. So my goal on future trips is to pretend like I am Joe or Steve or Mike or Catch in a puddle craft and hunt one of these brutes down with my charlie and catch one on the fly! Somehow I will do it. The previous trip I was looking them in the eye from the bank but didn't have my fly rod fixed up. Big mistake and I will be ready next time. You can puddle in the refuge but would probably have to tow the puddle craft to the weir site in most cases. There is moderate traffic on the canals and bayous from recreational boats. However the first weired area is an easy paddle through the no wake zone. I will be getting more info here. There is a lot more to Rockefeller for wildlife and bird watchers for it is truly a unique paradise in that respect. I have recorded several life birds as has Randy! And as noted the Refuge is not to shabby for fish,shrimp and crabs either. Either Randy or I can answer questions. Dugan
Dugan Sabins	Rockefeller Refuge
Back to top of page

Creeks	22 October 2004
Hey Guys - Tuesday PM Big Creek was clear, running nicely, and tres inviting! Only caught two spots, though, one good one and both on poppers. Wednesday AM early I went to Kisatchie Bayou, found it up, dingy, and running hard, but still caught three young 'uns and missed a good one - also on poppers. Good colors in the trees, too. Kisatchie should be prime today - rats! Got a fair dose of hills, dirt roads, and creeks, but now I've gotta get back to saltwater stuff - or do I. Enjoy autumn. Pete
Pete Cooper, Jr.	Buras, La.
Back to top of page

Thursday Afternoon Reds	21 October 2004
This afternoon (thur) Danny Williams and I were checking out some new area's I found. Conditions were a little tough, lots of wind that had visibillity low. We saw a lot of great looking water, and caught 5 reds, including at one point a double. Danny cast at 2 fish moving together, one ate his fly and the other didn't really spook, so I grabbed my rod and caught it from the poling platform. We saw a lot more fish, but because of conditions a lot of times we didn't see them until we were on top of them. Nice way to spend an afternoon after work.
Ron Begnaud	Calcasiue Estuary
Back to top of page

Little Mo fishing; Rockefeller report	18 October 2004
As evidence of what Joe mentioned in his report, Randy Leonpacher says he and Dugan "limited out" on shrimp this past weekend at Rockefeller. Throwing cast nets, they quickly caught their 25 lb limits. They also took 4 dozen crabs. All this and plenty enough time to fish redfish. The reds didn't bite too well - only 2 keepers. (I wonder why?). Also this weekend, I attended the organizational meeting for the "Friends of the Little Missouri" in Murfreesboro. Fished my way up on Saturday, then fished the Little Mo on Sunday. Despite no trout in the river, lots of great fishing was there - largemouth, smallmouth, and killer bream. Greeson Lake was pretty good also, non-stop action on bream on olive fluff butt. On the way up, Kincaid and Dubisson each produced a couple bass on commie tackle, despite only fishing an hour at each spot.
Catch
Back to top of page

W/E Fishing	18 October 2004
After a long hiatus from fishing in the LA marsh, Steve Lee and I hit the area south of "The 1st Bridge" on Friday for some much-needed and well-deserved R&R. Steve hadn't fished since late August / early September because of his masochistic practice of attending Law School and working full-time. We saw falling tides, but still relatively high waters, lots of bait-fish and shrimp, and reds all over the marsh - mostly "good eating size" (4-5 pounders), but a few big ones. Flounder were taken as well. Water color / clarity was off for the most part. Winds calm at daybreak, but increasing to practically gale force by 1:00 PM. LOTS of reds taken on a flys - oddly enough, with water color/clarity as it was - Black Charlie was the fly of the day (although I took them on Pink and Chartreuse as well). Saturday I made Court Boullion and cleaned up at "The Ponderosa". Sunday, fished with Mike LaFleur. I got a late start, but by the time I was floating, Mike had already landed several medium-sized Reds and one flounder. Water color and clarity was essentially the same as on Friday, and high (but falling). Wind again increased during the day. Seemed like as the day wore on, the Reds hunkered down farther, to the point where they were tighter than tics on a hound. Frustrating! Lots of reds, spread out in the marsh because of high water, cruising below the surface (but still visible at times), and not at all interested in committing to the fly. Could see them turn and chase it at times, only to refuse at the last moment. Still, Reds were caught, and are clearly all over the place. My analysis: There's so much natural food back in the marsh that these fish are full, and picky. The stomachs I opened were FULL of crab and shrimp remnants. I guess if I were working on digesting crab (shell and all), I'd hold off on eating for a while too. Anyhow, just one or too cold fronts more, and it should get really good in the marsh.
Joe Kahler	Work (sadly)
Back to top of page

Lighted dock trout	15 October 2004
went out to the north shore/eden isles last night with my buddy Casey in search of some speckled trout fishing under the lighted docks. Wind was a little breezy and the temp. was starting to drop due to the front that came in. Fishing started out kinda slow, got a few hits on this epoxy shrimp pattern that Casey ties but the fish seemed to be keying on baitfish. Casey tied on a chartrues and white clouser which instantly got hit and put a nice 14 inch trout in the boat. I tied on a pattern that imitates a pogey but to no evail and after seeing Casey put keeper trout in the boat every other cast I tied on a pink and white clouser which also put fish in the boat. By the end of the night we started to throw everything in out fly boxes at them and Casey caught a couple on a popper which was pretty neat to see the fish come up to the fly and suck it down, the didn't really explode on it which was odd. Ended up putting 20-25 trout in the boat with most of them in the range from 12-14 inch and a few we could have put in a small fish tank. Overall it was a good night and from what I experienced last fall the fish become more plentiful as the fronts keep moving in and the fish tend to get bigger. Tight Lines
Greg Tulane Baseball	North Shore Ponchartrain/Eden Isles
Back to top of page

Better to have hooked and lost...	14 October 2004
...then never to have hooked at all. At least, that's my spin to Cosmos on what happened Tuesday in the marsh with his redfish encounters. Our trip in the "Red Sticker" canoe was a last minute deal. On Sunday, we scheduled a trip on Wednesday with Capt Brandon Carter out of Venice to go chase some big speckled trout on fly rod. It was forecast to be winds 5-10. Then on Monday, the marine forecast had winds increasing to 20-25 on Tuesday night and continuing thru Friday. Since Cosmos is leaving back for Baghdad on Friday, and Capt Brandon was unavailable on Tuesday, we cancelled out, and made a last minute decision to head down to Fourchon with the canoe. I couldn't promise the big specks the good captain had been catching, but at least I knew we'd catch. And catch we did. From the time we hit the bridge at 3am to the time we left the FAA Gate at 3pm, the word was "trout". We ended up putting 31 specks 12-17" and 20 white trout 10-13" in the box. There's a whole lot more that never made the box because they were too small or were "quick released" - a price we paid many times over for not bringing a net. The water was still high and discolored from the storm, and there was little tide movement. Still, the specks ate a clouser under a vosi. The white trout also hit under a vosi, but the clouser had to be deeper - about 3 feet down. As for the redfish... well, they were few and far between in the ponds. Despite that, it was two reds that made Kevin's day. About 10am, he was fishing for specks with commie tackle, and a jig under a cork, near an island in Lake Laurier. Suddenly, there was this huge explosion of water. I yelled "oh great, you've hooked a porpoise". Then the REDFISH busted the surface again, and my jaw fell out. I've seen quite a few bull reds lately, even one Jake caught offshore that went 27 pounds, and this guy was far away the biggest. We never saw him again because seconds later he broke Kevin's line. Then around 2pm, we were fishing in a bayou, Coz had the same rig and lure, when he hooked into something that took off and wouldn't stop. I paddled after it, while Kevin kept tightening his drag. At a point, he turned to me and said "Dad, you can stop paddling". Trouble is, I wasn't paddling. The fish was now pulling the canoe down the bayou. This went on for about 15 minutes. Finally, just as Coz got the fish near the surface, the hook pulled out. A 2/0 stainless hook completely straightened! It appeared to be either a drum or red, of bull size. My guess is red, based on something Dave McDougal told me recently. He said that after Ivan, the bull reds had moved back into the marsh behind Cigars. I also recall watching an angler land a bull red north of Leeville last year in Bayou LaFourche. Whether this invasion of bull reds in the Laurier marsh is a trend, or storm-related, I do know sure of one thing: next time, bigger tackle!
Catch	Fourchon
Back to top of page

Lake Concordia	11 October 2004
Got a report from Randy Leonpacher today on the RSFF club outing this weekend at Lake Concordia. Sunday was a washout thanks to TS Matthew, but Saturday was quite nice, cloudy but fishable. Although "sunfish" don't respond well on cloudy days, most of the attendees caught between 15-25 keeper bream. Low by Concordia standards, but enough to feed the masses for the evening fish fry. Randy says he also caught 18 catfish on yoyos, some up to 5 lbs. I've never heard of a yoyo fly; must learn to tie one of those!
Catch Cormier	Ferriday
Back to top of page

Pushepatapa Creek	08 October 2004
Thanks, Pete, for reminding me. I'll post it to the forum sometime this weekend.
Catch
Back to top of page

Apologies	07 October 2004
Sorry 'bout the typos in the last report. My vision is failing. Pete
Pete Cooper, Jr.	Buras, La.
Back to top of page

Pushepatapa Creek	07 October 2004
Anyone interested in the access situation on the Pushe should contack Mr. Cormier. I sent him copies of a bunch of correspondandce I had with a local landowner and the State Land Department, so the issue is clarified. Don't know why there has been a delay in posting the results. Pete
Pete Cooper, Jr.	Buras, La.
Back to top of page

McCrab for Myrtle Grove Reds	04 October 2004
Went out to Myrtle Grove yesterday morning in search for some good redfishing in the ponds. I went w/ my new fishing buddy Casey who is also a student at Tulane like I am and we were looking to catch catch a good day of redfishing. Weather was perfect, hardly any clouds in the sky and a light breeze. When we got there the fish were all over the place either pushing wake, tailing or just cruisin w/ their buddies. Saw a couple of fish schooled up w/ others but not that many. There were a lot of sheephead in the ponds as well so there was plenty of opprotunity to catch fish. Casey got in the front of the boat for the first hour or so and was throwing a spoon fly at these fish but wasn't getting any takes. Casey was making great shots at these fish and they seemed to refuse the spoon fly he was throwing. We ended up switching and I got in the front of the boat and my plan was to throw a crab pattern that is used a lot down in south Florida for bonefish and permit. The pattern I tied on was the "McCrab" pattern that is a great imitation, im not sure if that is a very well know pattern in Louisiana but on this day it worked great. Within the first 5 minutes of being in the front of the boat put the fly in front of a nice red a he absolutely crushed it,4lbs. Casey got back in the front and tied on a crab patternof his own that cosisted of pieces of his carpet in his appt. The color was great and it was a sweet looking fly, we eneded up naming it "Casey's carpet muncher" crab fly. He caught two nice reds on it one that was eight pounds and charged the fly like a torpeedo. Ended up catching two fish each and having e pretty good day for the two of use fishing for the first time together. Tight lines!
Greg Tulane Baseball	Myrtle Grove
Back to top of page

Southern Conclave fishing	04 October 2004
Arrived at Norfork Dam about 7am Thurs, excited about reports from Pinsel that fish were "tearing up" on Norfork and White. They were running 2 units at Norfork, but I was convinced they'd shut it down, right? Four hours later, still running. It was far from time wasted. Working the intersection of Dry Run at the river led to hookups of a few big trout, including a rainbow 22.5 measured! Found the secret to be a size 18 Copper John fished w/o an indicator or weight. When in front of a fish, slowly lift the CJ to the surface, and the big fish would rise and sip it in. Around noon, drove over to Bull Shoals Dam, only to learn they had just turned on the generators there. Went down to White Hole access. Plenty of fish, but few takers. That is, until the water started rising very slowly. For about an hour, some really nice bows on black bh wooly buggers. (Glad I made that stop at Dale Fultons, had left my wb's back at home). My final stop of the day was at Cotters; some late pm dry fly action on medium-sized cutts. Fri and Sat spent nearly all day at the conclave, but late Fri, fished around the boat docks at Henderson (Norfork Lake). Caught lots of keeper-size gobbules, including a monster greenie and 2 small bass. Then on Sat pm, stopped on the drive home at Salem City Lake and using a black b/h wooly caught several bass up to 12". The last cast on this little lake produced THE fish of the whole trip...a monster redear that weighed in at 2.5 lbs! On the TFO 2wt, it was like battling a big sheepshead. I've caught a couple this size before, but both were on Merritt Mills Pond in Florida, home of several world records, and neither one on fly rod. This might've been a fly rod record, but I revived it and let it swim away.
Catch	Mt Home, AR
Back to top of page

Myrtle Grove Fishing	29 September 2004
Good Morning Everyone I had the pleasure of fishing yesterday with Capt. Barrett Brown and Pete Cooper down in Myrtle Grove. It was a wonderful morning on the water and the wind was almost non-existant. This made for good sight fishing conditions but every rose has it's thorn and the perfectly slick calm water also made for spooky fish. We saw lot's of tails and backs but most were very subtle and brief. That's OK when within casting range but can be a bit frustrating when you see the back of a fish tracking towards you and just as it comes close to being within range it disappears like a ghost. We did manage to boat a good number of fish and it was nice to see a lot of clean water after hearing horror stories of water conditions further down river. Flies of choice were Barrett Brown Spoon flies and a popper that Pete had tied. What a thrill to see a Redfish hammer a popper. I am excited and almost embarrassed to say that yesterday was only the 2nd time I have hooked a Red on a popper. Although poppers may not be the fly for all occassions, if there is such a thing, I am going to make a conscious effort to throw them more often as I would have traded a dozen other fish for that one popper strike. For anyone interested in booking a trip with Barrett, he can be reached at 504-908-3474 or check out www.e-zfly.com. Barrett is a top notch guide and has one of the nicest and most comfortable flats boats I have fished out of. Take care and tight lines. P.S. Hope to see many of you in the shop for Pete's book signing on Oct. 16th. Alec Griffin Manager, Uptown Angler 504-529-3597
Alec at Uptown Angler	Myrtle Grove
Back to top of page

Spotted Bass	22 September 2004
Just came back from the Texas Hill Country fishing with a friend of mine, Alvin Dedeaux a fly fishing guide in Austin. We fished the San Marcos River, we were fortunate in our pursuit of Spotted Bass and Long Ear Perch. Our total creel was about (7) Spotted Bass and (10) Perch. Bass averaged 8 to 14 inches. From there I travel to Glen Rose to fish with another friend, Allen Crise a FFF Master. We fished the Paluxy River south of first crossing. We caught our share of Spotted Bass also.
Ron Allen Thomas	Austin, TX. and Glen Rose, TX.
Back to top of page

Wyoming, Montana, Idaho	21 September 2004
Joe Kahler and I spent a week traveling like gypsies fishing our way from Salt Lake to Yellowstone and back, hitting 12 rivers and 1 lake. Like Brad, we also experienced the elks were hitting the high notes, and the hills alive in colors of changing leaves. It wasn't as good as our summer trips, in fact it was a lot colder and windier than we expected. For 2 days we fly fished in the snow, romantic as it may seem, it was as unappealing to the insects and fish as it was to us. Still, Joe and I were successful on just about every water, fishing parachutes, BWOs, midges, and on the rare occasion when it was warm, hoppers. We even managed a few huge cutthroats on the Yellowstone, in between the occasional buffalo crossing the river behind us.
Catch Cormier
Back to top of page

Colorado	20 September 2004
I just got back from a trip to the Trinadad, Colorado area. The company I work for has a ranch in Stonewall. I fished Whiskey Creek, a small mountain stream on the ranch. Caught a nice rainbow, and a nice brown trout in some beaver ponds. I gave up after losing the fourth wooly bugger, on the back casts to the trees. Fished Bear Lake, a pretty little alpine lake, in the San Isabel National Forest. Caught 6 rainbows on olive wooly bugger. The high country in Colorado is beautiful this time of year. The elk are bugling, the aspens are turning, and the temps range in the upper 30's in the am to low 80's in the afternoon.
Brad Pillaro	Franklin La
Back to top of page

Picking up at the camp and catching reds	14 September 2004
Went down early Monday to get the other boat and clean up around the camp. Just like Pete Cooper said alot of boats leaving. Got to the camp at 1:00 pm and then went fishing to the Wagon Wheel until dark. Birds and baitfish all over. Redfish were in the drians in the main canal hitting top water. Well we left all my topwater except one in the truck. Hit redfish until dark and left to clean up around the camp. Got home today and cleaned the fish all full of minnows in their stomachs. Not bad for a strong East wind.
James Schexnaider	Venice
Back to top of page

Yikes!!!	13 September 2004
Hey Guys. Bay Boats are heading north on LA 23 in droves this PM. We will be too tomorrow. Don't come fishing down here any time soon. Sorry, but that's the local report - trust me! Pete
Pete Cooper, Jr.	Buras, La.
Back to top of page

popping bug bite	11 September 2004
Floated @ 8-9 miles of the river today. Fish were very aggresive on popping bug, bit entire day. By far the fastest bite all summer. Very good weather, and for the first time in my life I saw a bald eagle in the wild.
conky151	Tangipahoa River
Back to top of page

Schooling reds	11 September 2004
Fished this morning (Saturday) with my friend Rusty Dawdy. Rusty wanted to pole first, and I wasn't about to complain. As soon as we got set up in the marsh we spotted a big school of redfish working. Rusty did a great job of getting me in front of them...there were litterally around a hundred tails in the air, this was a huge school. My first cast drew a strike, but when I went to set the hook the fly pulled, I recast, and hooked up again. Several minutes later I boated a beautiful bronze 14 pounder. It was a good omen. We spent the rest of the morning chasing and catching big fish out of big schools. It's a workout because these schools move fast, and it can be tough getting in front of them, but the payoff is huge...litterally. Big fish of the day was an honest to God 20 pounder that Rusty caught in 14 inches of water on 10 pound spinning tackle. The weather was beautiful, the fish were cooperative, and we managed to get it right enough times to put some great fish in the boat. Tight Lines, Ron
Ron Begnaud	Calcasieu Marsh
Back to top of page

Lots of Jacks	09 September 2004
In the morning the water was high and caught some nice flounder accidently. I was walking and the flounder were right there when you walked in the water. Actually shuffled my feet on some also. You could actually just pick them up way too easy. By 10:00am left to eat and to get in cell phone range at the grocery store for a phone conference for work about Florida. Came back around 11:45am and the tide went out alot and was low. From when I got back to when I left at 3:30pm consistent Jacks. They were feeding on the bait fish. Caught alot of little ones bream size, but hung few brutes which ran into my backing. Saw bigger ones alittle furthur out jumping and I was glad I did not get into one of those or my company would not have to fly me to Florida the fish would have dragged me there. Used 8wt,sinking tip and intermediate sinking, with green/white clousers,sea ducers, or green white deceivers when I ran out of clousers. Had to look like the size of the bait fish or little jacks would not hit it as well. The bigger jacks actually were caught on a flexo crab that I made. One warning they have little teeth which hurt when you put your fingers in their mouth, found out the hard way.
James Schexnaider	Grand Isle State Park
Back to top of page

lake pontchartrain tarpon!	07 September 2004
go to nola.com sports more stories..... 208lb tarpon out of lake pontchartrain last week by a 16 year old.... several other tarpon (not that size though) have been caught there recently....
jay boe	baton rouge
Back to top of page

Lake P on Sunday	07 September 2004
Catch: Should have waited until Sunday. 17 to 19 inch Specks. They were delicious.
Mike	Lacombe
Back to top of page

Lake Ponchartrain report	06 September 2004
Fished Sat am over grass beds at Bayou Lacombe. Typical feast or famine. From the bayou east to Goose Point, a few paddlers, waders, and small boats, including myself, caught between 6-12 specks, mostly undersized. But one trio of guys wading near the bayou got into a big school and were catching them left and right. Mostly small, but enough keepers measured for some nice stringers. I did see one guy wading who only had two specks, but they were by far the nicest specks I've seen this year at Lacombe, probably 3-4 pounds. Lots of ladyfish made for spectacular action on 6 wt. I really went for the sand trout, you can usually bring home a few dozen 9-12 inchers. Disappointly, no sandies. No reds and no jacks either. With Frances scheduled to enter the Gulf, it might push more salt and more fish into the lake.
Catch	Lacombe
Back to top of page

top of page

Louisiana Fly Fishing
Copyright 1997-2016. All rights reserved.