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Small flies and small bream	29 December 2005
Today's much-anticipated trip to the coast turned bust last night when my partners - and kids - Kevin and Cokie both came down with cold-like symptoms. So instead we slept late and made an early pm trip to the ponds at Waddill here in BR. I started with the commie rod and 4" plastic worm, and in my first 5 casts ended up with 2 bass caught, and 1 lost. From there it was downhill. So I switched to fly rod and a Sqwirm, and on the first cast of the Sqwirm, the fly line made a bee line towards the middle of the pond, and upon setting the hook, the big bass jumped and broke my tippet (note to self: remember to give slack to a jumping fish). Shortly afterwards I joined Cokie and the Coz at the East Pond. She was fishing a jitterbee 2 feet under a vosi and getting 2" green sunfish to bite every cast. Perhaps it's the inner child in me, but watching that cork dance around and sometimes sink was just too much fun. At some point, I noticed a nice little midge hatch taking place, and some slightly bigger bream gulping them down. So I tied a size 16 black adams on, and had fun with that for awhile even catching a hand-sized gobbule. Came home and before dark, hit the neighborhood pond, where there was a bigtime hatch going on and lots of surface feeding. Again, these fish were small, mostly 3"-5". I measured the surface water temps at all locations and they ranged 56 to 60, up a few degrees from last weekend. But still not warm enough for the big bream. Not until February.
Catch	BR
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Coldwater Specs	28 December 2005
My much awaited tuna trip was postponed due to 10' seas offshore Sunday night, so we decided to opt for another frozen morning on Lake Decade (along with the rest of SELA). Air temp was 38 at the marina before daylight, and the water had to be in the 40's. I have caught rainbows from warmer water. To my dismay, we found dozens of boats already waiting for us. At one point, I would estimate there were more than 100 boats piled into one little corner of the lake. It reminded me of the lump, but worse. Literally a boat within 20 ft in any direction. Most folks handled it well though. Due to the crowded conditions in our boat and surrounding us on the lake, I had to degrade myself by slinging commie tackle. The prospect of seeing my back-cast come overhead with someone else's ear attached was just too likely. Anyway, we put 50 specs in the boat, mostly ranging from 14-16". All were caught tightlining blk/chart or tuxedo cockahoes. The bite was very subtle early, like a soft sacalait bite. I think this accounted for the mixed catches. Several folks I spoke to did well, but a surprising number got skunked. Maybe the old 90-10 rule was in effect. Another interesting thing was that once we hooked a couple of nice fish, a couple of jerks in other boats would crawl right on top of us (within 5-10'). The fish would of course disappear. After a couple of rounds of this, I started to drop my outboard, crank it up, and idle to an uncrowded area. It would be slow at first, but then the fish would come thru and we'd have them all to ourselves. Some of those guys were fishing like the specs were on bream beds, failing to realize that they are in massive schools chasing bait.
The Trout Whisperer	Dularge
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Found'm at the Bayou Laurier Bridge	26 December 2005
Donald (Crabby) Craise and I tried our luck at Fourcon Beach (skunked), the T. P. Hole (skunked) and headed for the Bayou Laurier Bridge. We had started with conventional tackle in the surf and wound-up staying with that for the day. We Ran into Mike L and Joe K as they were packing it in. Their experience in the marsh matched ours elsewhere. It may have been the spot or (more likely) something else turned them on, but shortly after Mike and Joe left, Donald started nailing them on a fly-tied crab on a 1/4 oz. jig. I was getting nowhere with soft plastics, so I tried a similar crab jig and got my only red of the day. Donald hammered me with something like a 7:1 ratio of fish brought to the bank. Will add more of these homemade crab-jigs to the tackle box. Jeaux
Jeaux McMahon	South Lafourche
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Winter Pattern	22 December 2005
Randy and I tried a quick trip to Golden Meadow to get out of the office and enjoy the lucky break in the weather. It was cool but with the warm sun and light wind a good day to fly fish. The only negative was very low water levels which left mostly off color water and bare banks everywhere. Things were pretty much in the winter mode now with not much surface action in Catfish Lake, Bayou Blue or the canals and no tattle tale birds to follow. For conventional fishers we found a sheepshead hole on Bayou Blue that will load your ice chest but we kept just a few. In the end chartruese charlies stripped moderately fast along the bank slope of a canal near the public launch paid off for some better fish. I connected first with a nice 14 and lost a larger one before Randy hooked into an 18 and then another. There rest were small and we had two undersize reds and a flounder thrown in. Conventional fishers watching us said that we were the only ones catching fish. I am sure that will warm a lot of flyfisher's hearts! This somewhat validates Catch's earlier report of big trout near the Golden Meadow levee area and boat lauches. Do want to go back when the water levels and clarity increase and chase some of those big trout. They are there.
Dugan Sabins	Golden Meadow
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STILL COLD & WET	19 December 2005
I went back to Lake Decade Sunday pm. The wind was a little better, but still blew at 10-15 from the North. Strangely, the North (lee) side of the lake stayed really muddy, but the windy side on the Southshore cleared up a bit. I caught a nice speck (21") on a pur/chart/white seaducer with sink-tip line near the sunken boat right when I got there, but the wind was just too much to handle after that. My troll motor couldn't even hold its ground, so I tried to anchor (really stupid) and got soaked by waves coming over the bow. Why endure this, you ask? Because I could see the bigger boats that could handle the wind catching several fish in the deeper, unprotected part of the Lake. The one guy I could really see was using live minnow under a cork. Another guy at the marina said he caught his fish on a chart beetle 3' under a cork. That lake is full of specs.Anyway, once again I fled to a canal east of the lake, and caught 2 reds on the seaducer fishing the tailwater of a weir. Water was falling.THOSE SPECKS HAD BETTER PRAY THAT THE WIND NEVER STOPS BLOWING...'CAUSE VENGEANCE WILL BE MINE.Trout.
The Trout Whisperer	Upper Dularge
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COLD & WET	17 December 2005
More out of desperation than common sense, I refused to abort my trip to Lake Decade Saturday am. When I left Houma it was about 45 and drizzling. When I left the Falgout Canal Marina it was about 45, drizzling, and blowing at about 15mph steady from the East. When I got to the Lake it looked like the surf on Hawii's northshore, and the wind was well over 20. I had put some friends on fish there late last week, but today I found the same holes to be too rough and muddy. I then started working the canals around the lake. I caught 2 reds on a #4 white deciever around 8:30, and then the bottom fell out of the sky. I scurried back to the marina at that point.I'm going back in the morning...and hopefully coming back with something more than pneumonia. I'll post a report once I'm done cleaning all those yella-mouths.Trout.
The Trout Whisperer	Upper Dularge
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Slow and steady	16 December 2005
After being literally blown of the water a couple of weeks ago I thought I might be able to get in a decent half day of fishing before the 10 plus mph winds kicked up. Quite a few bank fishermen but no one seemed to be doing much. I paddled over to the pit by the levy and started picking up a few. Even though the weather was cold and windy,I had no luck with the intermediate line but caught everthing on chautreuse clouser under vosi. It was one of those days where you would catch one then just about the time you would pick up your anchor, another one would hit. I moved around to different canals all morning and ended up with a stringer of 14, including a couple in the 18 inch range. I got wind weary about 12:00 and came on in. Not a bad day considering.
JeffM	Golden Meadow
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Son of Pro	11 December 2005
A puddler's dream scenario: the cold weather has the big specks in close. Yesterday I drove down to meet Mike LaFleur at the TPH, but never made it past Golden Meadow. Curiousity caused me to check out the Pipes Pit at the public launch, where I met up with a fellow puddler, Dave Rogers, setting up. Word was out that the fish were in. There were about 25 folks lined up around the pit, hoping to replicate what some kid did on Wednesday afternoon - land a 6 pound trout! We launched there, moved into the center out of everyone's casting range. Used an intermediate line and an LSU Clouser (Purple wing, gold krystal flash center, white belly). Let it go to the bottom and strip back in, and the trout usually hit it five feet under the surface. Every cast resulted in a "gravity trout", so named because you can't lift them without a net. At the time, there was another boat, a bass hunter type. The angler was using a deadly dudley off the bottom, and occasionally catching a fish. He yelled for me to come over, where he offered to give me a couple of dudleys, saying "you'll catch more fish". Which is odd, because I was catching EVERY cast, but I told him "thanks, but I don't have my casting rod with me". Dave left about this time, and after a few more casts - and fish - I decided to leave also as I'd made quite an impression on the commie folks and I didn't want to stick around and find out if it was good or bad. Paddled out to several canals in the upper section, just to explore, and found trout everywhere using a chartreuse clouser under a vosi about 2 feet, and working it slow near the dropoffs. When I hit my "Calcasieu limit" of trout, began releasing everything else, including a couple 20 inchers. Spent most of the afternoon exploring the marshes for reds. Water was real clear, but activity was null. In addition, fish were off the banks and out in the middle, and you needed a real sharp eye and a stretch of flat calm to notice anything. Still managed four reds, largest 7.5 pounds on coma spoon. Got back to the launch, the fish were still biting in the pit. Met up with fellow flyrodder Bill Washington, who had taken a limit of specks in Catfish Lake, but mostly on commie tackle. Suggested he stick with flies, but if conditions warranted commie tackle, I knew a good source for deadly dudleys.
Catch	Golden Meadow
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Thanksgiving	29 November 2005
Went to San Diego area for Turkey Day. Saturday bookeda trip with Peter Piconi owner of San Diego Fly Shop.We fished San Diego Bay at Coronodo. Caught a Corvinawhich is a Speck without the specks,also caught a Bonefish in open water,and several Spotted Bass thatresemble Grouper. Hooked a Bonito but lost it at boatside. Used 6 & 7 wt. rods with sinking lines. Had great day fishing out West.
del Rio	San Diego Bay
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From one extreme to another	23 November 2005
The wind forecast had predicted calm this morning, turning 15-20 in the afternoon. I have to say that for a change, they were right. Hoping to catch the calm period for some topwater action, Kevin and I loaded the "Red Sticker" last night, and then departed for Fourchon in the early hours. We weren't disappointed. Water was like glass, and birds were diving everywhere. In fact, all the pits had specks busting bait across the surface, even the old Rabalais Hole that no one ever fishes anymore. Kevin pitted his commie tackle against my fly rod. While using topwater, his torpedo outdid my pencil popper by a small margin, but later when we converted to submergent presentation, my clouser under a VOSI outdid his beetle under popping cork. The specks bit fast and furious, but not nearly as furious as zillions of those damn gnats! We had doused ourselves in various anti-gnat protection, but that didn't keep them away. Oh no, they'd just form thick clouds around our head, annoying us to no end, and occasionally a few would make a suicide run up our nostrils or into our mouths! When the first light breeze came up, and put the gnats down, we couldn't have been happier. We left the specks hoping to get a shot at a few reds or drum before the wind kicked up too much. Perhaps it was due to the marsh as low as I've ever seen it, or the water being much colder, but the same areas that harbored beaucoup reds, drum and sheepshead two weeks ago were nearly barren. I poled Kevin into the back of one cove and started sighting fish. As luck would have it, our "wind"ow of opportunity was very short-lived. Our beloved wind, subduer of gnats, was now making it difficult for me to spot fish even on a lee shoreline. While Kevin didn't land any reds, we both enjoyed the performance by a few that tried desperately in vain to ingest his popper!
Catch	Fourchon
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The bass are biting here to	20 November 2005
I took an old friend and his daughter to one of my ponds on Sat. The first couple of hours netted only 5 bass. The last two netted 72 bass. This was her first time to catch any, and she caught the biggest. Watching the kids makes you realize what life really about.
Robert	Shreveport
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The "bath" are still biting	19 November 2005
Went to the pond this afternoon with my commie gear and plastic worm. Caught two bass within 15 minutes. A little kid at the lake recognized the fish and told his mommy, "look, a bath". It reminded me of when Master Jake was a toddler and he'd tell everyone he caught "bath" at the "wake".
Catch	the neighborhood lake
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Venice	14 November 2005
Fished out of Venice yesterday with Brent Roy. We used commie tackle for most of our fishing. But after we made our limits, I broke out my flyrod and picked up a nice 2-3 lb. speck. My largest on the fly. On the ride in, we found a school of reds chasing shrimp on the surface. I hooked up with two of them – one being released from long-range and the other making it to the boat. BTW, a special thanks to Alec of Uptown angler for providing me with flies for the trip.
Jeaux	NOLA
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Fly Fishing in Salt Waters	11 November 2005
Pete, thanks for your kind words. I will miss working with you and Mark Rumph and all the other great contributors, but I know we'll stay in touch and hopefully fish together soon - you guys are friends, and that lasts much longer than a job does. The new editor is Ted Lund (not Lunn), and I could write volumes about what's been going on for the last few weeks but I'm trying to look toward the future and be positive. Please be respectful of the women on the water - we're someone's daughter, niece, sister, wife or mother and we're out there because we love it. Food for thought: Today I asked the owner/president of World Pub why he wouldn't consider me for the editor's job on FFSW ... he said it was a position for a guy.
Jess Chapman	Winter Park, FL
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Specks under the birds!!	09 November 2005
Headed out this morning with a good friend of mine to go chase trout under the birds. The fog cleared out early and we were able to catch 12 solid trout. The trout were hitting brown/white & pink/white clousers. The wind picked up and the birds shut down, so we headed back in at 10:30am._________________Capt.Devin Palomino Bayou Fly Guide Service Lake Charles,La
Capt Devin Palomino	Lake Charles
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Fly Fishing in Salt Waters	09 November 2005
Hey Guys!Don't know if this is bad knews for you, but it sure is for me. I chatted with Scott Leon this morning and discovered that the powers that be in World Publications - the owners of Fly Fishing in Salt Waters - decided that Scott, well, "should seek employment elsewhere". His very able assistant, Ms. Jessica Chapman, tendered her resignation shortly thereafter. He will be replaced by Ted Lunn who has been working with the Sport Fishing staff of World Publications for some time now. I hear he also knows something about fly fishing. Scott and Jessica, in my opinion, did wonders for their magazine since Dave Richey left a short time after it was passed on by Van Gytenbeek. Don't know what my future will be with it now, but I'm getting about as tired of editor changes as I am of hurricanes! Whatever, just thought I'd let you know - there will assuredly be some changes in the upcoming issues of the magazine. Have a happy Thanksgiving.Pete
pete cooper, jr.	broussard, la
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If I had a dollar for every mullet and needlefish -	07 November 2005
then I'd have been a very rich man. I spent late Sunday morning into early Sunday afternoon paddling from the BBM-Lacombe put in west for a mile or so. The baitfish were thick, though I saw very little evidence of larger fish working the bait. I did however have the pleasure of a porpoise/dolphin/whatever accompanying me on my journey for about half a mile or so in about 3 feet of water. The water was very clear and the smell has subsided since my last visit to the refuge. I managed to fool one tiny speck into biting my fly, though I'm sure that was a mistake since I've had very little luck up there - maybe this will be the year. I also met a very nice gentleman, Mr. Jacobs, who was testing out a new pontoon getup from Cabelas and wielding a one handed spey outfit - hoping you all had a productive weekend, the weather was gorgeous -
Mark Rumph	Lake Ponchartrain - North Shore
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A redfish kicked my butt	07 November 2005
Did the Catch and Eat thing this Fri-Sat with the Red Stick club. Friday was nothing like the weatherman predicted. Dead calm and overcast, great conditions for topwater action, and to my delight, the fish more than obliged. While working one of many schools of specks busting under birds in Lake Laurier, suddenly what I thought was a dolphin waked thru the school. An instant later, the head of a redfish, the size of a basketball, emerged out the water and it's gargantuan mouth just inhaled my poor little pencil popper! It pulled my canoe into a small cove, where I was able to see him in the clear water. It looked to be 30-40 pounds. At first I was under the illusion that maybe, just maybe, I could land this beast with my 6wt Diamondback. No such luck. The instant he figured out there was someone attached to him, he made a beeline for the lake. I tightened up the tension on the drag, stood up in the canoe, and for almost two hours, constantly put side pressure on him, having him pull the canoe across various parts of Lake Laurier. Just when I thought I might have him worn out (I certainly was!) the doggone reel fell apart on me. I then had to strip line off and handline him. As luck would have it, he decided to make a run, part of the line was around my foot, and he breaks off. My arm and legs were so worn out I didn't seem to care. My Diamondback was worn out too - it's now assumed a permanent bend, having spent so much time in a U position. That night, another guest at Marshland Inn showed up with a 31 pound red he caught in Catfish Lake (on commie tackle). The interior marsh is being invaded by the Mega Elvis!
Catch	Fourchon
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The fish are stacked up with no pressure in Venice	03 November 2005
I went down Tuesday to work on my friend Capt Shawn Laniers shed down in the Boothville/Venice, due to you cannot get into the Parish without ID showing you either live there or have property down there.Tuesday night was nice and cool with no one around and very quiet. Wednesday we fished out of Baptiste Collette. The river was a pretty clear greenish color and so was Baptiste Collette. The first stop we just creamed the redfish from bullreds, to good solid keepers, and the rat reds stacked in the schools. They were just creaming the mullet. I threw a white with red clouser, white and red died commie tackle, and Shawn threw white and red soft plastics. They redfish seemed to hit that color really well, but they would hit anything infront of them. Nice to cream the fish in a place where not to many people are fishing. It seems like the fish even the bigger ones are alot easier to catch than Golden Meadow due to less pressure on them.If you are planning to get a charter please look into booking the guides that stayed in Plaquemines Parish and are trying to stick it out they need the business and the fish are there. My friend Capt Shawn Lanier can be reached at 225-205-5353 or 225-205-2752 if you do not have a guide in mind.
James	Venice Baptiste Collette
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the specks I caught were about the size of Mike's 13 to 14	31 October 2005
I fished Catfish lake the past two weekends and the specks are still small or it is just my luck. This past weekend they were bigger than last weekend. Last weekend they were close to the bottom 3 to 4 ft and you ran into alot of small white trout mixed in with speckled trout around 12" to 14". This weekend the schools were alittle bigger 13"to 14". Mixed it up with commie tackle and flyrod with clouser. Did see more than my share of tailing fish on the banks.
James	Catfish lake
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Test Run	31 October 2005
I preparation for the RSFF Catch and Eat, I took a test run down the Hwy 1 corridor yesterday. I can confirm that the fishing is just as good as before Katrita. Lots of reds, even got an 11 and 13 pounder. Lots of specks, but they were all 13 to 14 inches. Still looking for the 20+ inchers.
Mike LaFleur	Hwy 1
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What the buzz is all about	23 October 2005
Spent most of last week in Clear Lake (TX) on business, where I was tormented by the sight of the lake, and even worse, gulls diving on what was probably specks busting baitfish. The buzz there, as well as back home, was that specks were on. Desperately in need of a saltwater fix - our first since Katrina - Master Jake and I loaded The Red Sticker on the Jeep Friday morning, and made our way down to see Elvis and friends after such a long and unsettling period. Just as Dugan noted, the area around Galliano and Golden Meadow had minor damage, but south of the protection levee it was a whole different story. Many homes, businesses and camps are torn up, or in some cases, completely missing. All the trees are dead. As we approached the TPH around mid morning, I noticed that the broken marsh north of the pilings, formerly known as camps, has further degraded into one big lake. While I was testing out the TPH for specks from the bank, Jake took out a commie rod with a buzz bait and started working the ditch. In about 15 minutes, he had four reds blow up on the lure. I crossed over and spotted two reds lazily cruising the ditch. We moved further down and launched the canoe across from the FAA Gate, and almost immediately the same situation - reds either busting the buzz or creating small tsunamis following the buzz. In fact, this went on all day. The action on topwater was beyond stupid, it was CHICKEN STUPID! Let's see... several dozen reds, several dozen specks, two gafftops, a drum, a flounder on either a Kirk's Popper (fly), Tiny Torpedo (commie) or buzz bait. The crowning achievement was when, after having several sheepshead chase down and even strike a popper or a torpedo, Jake finally hooked and landed one on the buzz bait! That's got to be some sort of record. Late in the pm, the birds started diving all over Lake Palourde, and we got into schools of 11"-15" specks and 10"-12" sand trout, and the occasional gafftop. Again all on topwater. Absolutely one of our most memorable days on the water, somewhat tempered by the loss of so much that we held memorable. One thing is for certain: my infamous "Coma Buzz" fly which has been in hibernation for many years is going back into "production" starting this week!
Catch	Fourchon
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Return to the Coast	20 October 2005
This story is a little late but here it is! Randy Leonpacher and I made our first return trip to the coast last Saturday since the July Grand Isle weekend back in pre-storm Louisiana. We were apprehensive and excited at the same time. The weather was beautiful with no clouds and a high blue sky. We saw our first storm impacts while going over Lake Pontchartrain. There was damage to the adjacent railroad track and we saw one camp laying on its side in the water. We were passed by lots of disaster relief service vehicles going into New Orleans. Once we got to Bayou Lafourche on Hwy 308 things looked quite normal. Saw our first clear evidence of storm damage when we got on the bypass. There were trees laying sideways and on the ground and tarps covering some roofs. The new Days Inn was empty and we saw furniture out in the air under the drive through. Apparently they had some roof leakage. However, we saw a brand new Best Western Isabelle Court hotel that was undamaged and said they were "open". Other than some scattered roof and structure impacts there was not that much damage inside the hurricane levee. On the way home, we went south out of the hurricane leveed area in search of some fresh shrimp and could clearly see the difference. Outside the hurricane levee along LA 1 everything had seen storm surge flooding and it looked really bad in some places. Our favorite Seafood Shed had lost their covered area and had moved south to Leeville to some higher more sturdy docks. We found our fresh shrimp from a road side vendor at Tiffany's inside the hurricane levee. Got some nice jumbo whites for $3 a pound so some determined fishermen have persevered. Now for the fishing. The boat lanuch behind the old Chick's had taken 3 to 4 feet of water but they were back in business. There was a clear trash line in the marsh to 3 feet and greater in some places. The water was a strange looking color that had less than 3 inches visibility in most canals we fished and a little greater clarity closer to the lake. It looked to me like very fine suspended matter was causing the off color and was probably the result of the pounding storm surges. Anyway it made our clousers and charlies hard to see apparenty as we got few strikes and we had to resort to some shrimp and chartruse color larger plastic baits. At first the trout were hard to come by but we had noticed that there were some nice 14 to 16 inchers in some canals near the lake. The wind had kept us on the east side of Catfish Lake but that proved to be an advantage later. Finally after hit and miss with the trout and only finding a few rat reds along the shore, we looked out on Catfish Lake and saw the birds! Schools of shrimp were being driven by the trout right toward the canal we were fishing in! It must have been providence taking pity on us for the fishing drought we went through because of Katrita. We were right off the main access canal on the east side of Catfish Lake. When the shrimp and fish and birds finally died down, we had 27 nice 14 to 16 inch keeper trout in the boat and could have had much more had we kept all the 12 inchers. We finally found the right combination of water color and trout densities to catch some keepers on our clousers near the end. Mixed in with the trout were some gafftop cats which were fun to catch but caused us to miss out on some good trout action. It was quite a day and looks like we might have a better than average fall for speck fishing if it keeps up.
Dugan Sabins	Golden Meadow/Catfish Lake
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Things are looking a little bit better	16 October 2005
This afternoon I went riding around to check out some marsh areas south of Lake Charles and found a few reds tailing in the marsh, lots of bait, and even some big drum in the marsh. The water is clearing up each day with the tides. I have heard great reports of people catching trout and reds these past few days. It looks like Big Lake is going to make it!!
Capt.Devin Palomino	Lake Charles,LA
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Checked out the camp and saw fish feeding in the river	15 October 2005
Went to help my friend clean up around what is left of his camp in Boothville. He needed me to operate his backhoe to clean up his land. I can say after doing hurricane duty in the National Guard in ST Mary Parish during Hurricane Andrew the storm damage in Plaquemines Parish is worse than Andrew. Did look at the Mississippi River when I got to the camp and the river was pretty clear green color. Birds were working a school of baitfish. When I left the area 5 hours later the same birds were working that school of fish. You could see something was busting up the school of baitfish, so I think the fish will be back.Just watch out for snakes they are everywhere it seems like.
James	Boothville/Venice
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prospecting fausse pointe	15 October 2005
Hey guys! Did some puddling in the canals around the Lake Fausse Pointe State Park yesterday. First actual fishing trip there - nice black water, but a bit clear, sunny, and breezy for my taste. Whatever, my first fish was a very nice channel cat - on a size 4 yellow and black Peck's Popper! I also got a little bass and missed a couple of somethings of size, but no gobbules (SP Catch?). I intend to return shortly - if there are popper-eating channel cats in those canals, there's no telling what else might be around!Checked out Joshua's Marina in Buras a week ago yesterday on my first trip back - it ain't there anymore!Enjoy autumn.Pete
pete cooper, jr.	broussard, la
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I Guess They Don't Call it "Hopedale" for Nothin'	12 October 2005
Alec, as I read your post below, I tried to imagine how you must have felt catching that 1st Red after all that has befallen you in the past 5-6 weeks. In my imagination, it was a great feeling, and I celebrate your catch. You're not alone - there are a lot of us out here, champing at the bit, wanting to boat that 1st Red in a symbolic bid to return to normalcy. I guess they don't call it Hopedale for nothin'. God bless ya', Alec. Here's to "tight lines" to come.
Joe Kahler	The Office
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A most wonderful Redfish	12 October 2005
I'll try to make this brief as words, photos or video can not even begin to describe or do justice to the devisation I witnessed in Hopedale yesterday. I was invited to ride along with Captain Gregg Arnold (504-237-6742) as he took a good friend of his to check out his camp in Hopedale. As assumed, there was no camp, just a few pilings and a bed of oyster shells where the camp once sat. Despite the very sobering experience of seeing a COMPLETELY devistated community, we decided to wet a line for a few minutes and I managed to pick up 1 very forgiving Redfish on fly. I have never been as happy to catch a Redfish and it gave me hope for the days ahead. I hope it won't be long 'til this site is full of Redfish reports. Take care guys.Alec
Alec at Uptown Angler	Hopedale
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Bass	10 October 2005
Saturday morning early,pressure below 30" HG,wind lighttemp about 60 deg. and Bass were bitting at favorite pond.All seven were pound and half or less....great sport on #4 rod. Black Wooley Bugger #4 hook.
del Rio	Baton Rouge
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HWY -1 Corridor	10 October 2005
For What It's Worth: Heard from a reliable friend who was down Hwy-1 this w/e that TPH had anglers in it, and that water levels had receeded. No report on catch though.
Joe Kahler	Office
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Conclave fishing report - Part Deux	08 October 2005
Yes it does happen. The White and Norfork Rivers - when conclave's in town, they shut down. Thursday am cold and windy but trout took BWO size 18 below Bull Shoals Dam. When horns blew around noon, moved to White Hole where caught browns in dirty water stirred up by dredging for boat launch. Finished afternoon at Cotters with more dry fly action. Friday was a Chamber of Commerce type day (perfect weather). Did conclave til noon, then hit Norfork handicapped access, again great BWO action for an hour til water came up. Went back to conclave, then around 4pm went to Cotters on White. No units all day and found a honey hole downriver where my "secret technique" absolutely overwhelmed lots of 13"-15" bows and fat as footballs (and willing to jump). Today conclaved most of the day, but by 3pm I needed another fix. Headed to the handicap access and found trout rising everywhere. Too bad they didn't want any of the thirty or so dries I offered, but a few bows did take a yukbugger of all things, biggest a 19 incher in the trophy section that made several line stripping runs and spectacular jumps. And made me regret that this week is coming to an end. Do I have to go home so soon?
Catch	Mt Home, AR
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Mountain Home report	06 October 2005
Up here for conclave, came early for fishing. Yesterday wasn't so good. Unusually hot for early Oct, was 86. Started near Norfork Dam at 8am. Just as hatch was going and fish were hitting 18 Baetis, horns went off. Two units Norfork and 3 on White, so I decided to try Norfork Lake. Did pretty good along the bank until 2pm, four smallmouth 6" to 12" and tons of pumpkinseed with occasional hefty bluegill. Saw some striper action in one cove, awesome site. Lake is lower than I've ever seen - almost 10 feet below last year this time. Today it's chilly and breezy, high is expected to be 22 degrees lower than yesterday.
Catch	Mt Home, AR
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...More Bad News	03 October 2005
I got a report from someone who was doing some work in the area of the Western Extreme of Sabine Refuge. This area is an incredible fishery that doesn't recieve much pressure. The gentleman who was in the area saw evidence of a very large fish kill. The impact of Rita is very wide spread.
Ron Begnaud	Calcasieu
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It Looks Real Bad	01 October 2005
It Doesn't Look Good.I've been back in Lake Charles since Sunday, and have been covered up getting caught up after hurricane Rita. I have moderate damage to my home, mainly from water that came in through fascia board and roofing that got torn away in the storm. I'm thankful that it's all repairable, but it's not liveable right now. I've been camped out at my office, going home for a short while each day to do a little cleaning and take a shower. Today I drove along the South East part of Lake Charles, (the lake, not the city). I was horrified to see huge rafts of dead fish as far as the eye can see. I have also hear reports of big fish kills farther South in Prien Lake. I haven't spoken with anyone who's seen Calcasieu Lake, but I'm sure it's much of the same. This seemed to be an equal opportunity fish kill, with redfish, flounder, specks, sheepshead, mullet, menhaden, hardheads and more all amongst the dead fish. Between Katrina and Rita, I am afraid the "sportsmans paradise" is going to take quite a while to recover. Currently all waterways in Calcasieu and Cameron Parish have been closed to boat traffic, but I am anxious for the opportunity to get out and get a closer look. Tight Lines,Ron
Ron Begnaud	Lake Charles
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Even neighborhood lake not spared	26 September 2005
Spent an hour yesterday afternoon at my favorite haunt, the ol' pond near my house. Thanks to those two gals, Kat and Rita, the lake's up about four feet in the last month. One family chunking worms caught a turtle, that was about it. I did notice some activity where ants were washed out, so tied on an ant pattern. Caught lots of 3 inch bream.
Catch	Baton Rouge
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a new world	19 September 2005
Hey guys. Went out a week ago and prospected the pocket in the northwest corner of Vermilion Bay. All of it but the mouth of one little drain looked like someone's plowed-up soy bean field! Saw some reds, though - after we had blown them out!The following Thursday I got to look around the Rockefeller Refuge. Again, pretty marsh, horrible water. Our host got a drum, a hardhead, and an alligator on shrimp. Some deadends look good for winter, though.There are some saltwater opportunities down here, but I'll tell you all this: I never knew how good I had it in the Delta!Pete
pete cooper, jr.	broussard (!), la
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Bream, Popper, Pond	13 September 2005
I had a few extra minutes late this afternoon, so I grabbed my 4wt and stole away to a pond near my subdivision in lieu of the evening walk I've been training myself to take. I was greeted by a legion of fiesty little bream that absolutely made my day. The bite was early and often on a #8 sneaky pete. I don't know how many I landed, but none of them were even close to keeper size so I threw them all back.It was theraputic to say the least. After meeting the legion of skeeters that greeted me just before dark, I know that the little fellers will have plenty of food to fatten them up by spring.Trout.
Trout	Baton Rouge
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Fishing Reports	13 September 2005
I know that katrina has brought great tradegy to your part of the world...but THE SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN!Look at www.texaskayakfisherman.com/fishing reports/ for some of those west of you that have been catching bull reds from their kayaks. Fishing is very theraputic, so keep in maind that all will return to some degree of normality pretty soon, and laflyfish reports will again become fodder for all of us who enjoy Fly Fishing.
J L Dunn	Kingwood, TX
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Cold Water Therapy	08 September 2005
Hey GuysIn the midst of all the chaos and worry of the past week, I have sought refuge in Western North Carolina Trout streams. There is a part of me that feels almost guilty about getting out and enjoying days on the river, however, it works wonders to ease my mind and make clear my thoughts. I have been on the water 2 days this week and have had 2 very different experiences. We have had beautiful weather all week and it is beginning to feel like fall around here. There are a number of hatches occuring on the rivers, from Blue Wings to Small Craneflies and a variety of Caddis hatches popping off. I spent Monday in a very small tight cover creek fishing with my Dad and a good family friend. This creek is full of nothing but wild Browns (wild, not native). We fished dries all day and had consistent action on a variety of rather large parachutes and Wulff patterns. I showed up armed with a slow action 6 1/2 foot 2wt but when my friend Jim put a Payne 198 taper bamboo in my hands, I couldn't resist. I tell ya' what, you absolutely can not beat bamboo for those small stream "micro-mends". What a wonderful rod and wonderful experience. I spent yesterday floating the whitewater section of the Nantahala with my good friend and fly shop owner, Roger Lowe (www.loweflyshop.com). What a day!!! I have never fished this stretch of water before as it does not lend itself to wading although while floating you can stop and wade the more productive runs. This stretch of river was absolutely full of wild Rainbows and Browns and rather large stocker Brookies. We caught'em on everything (Parachute Adams, Rubber-Legged Prince, Wooley Buggers, Inch Worms and the hot fly of the day, a small pink San Juan Worm - go figure). Roger is one heck of a guy and an absolute pleasure to fish with. He knows Western North Carolina Trout streams like the back of his hand and is a master tyer of traditional Smoky Mountain fly patterns. Roger is one of very few people who fishes this particular stretch of water and he said to me, "The thing about this stretch of river is that it always fishes this good". He said you just don't have a bad day over there. In any event, what a treat. I feel so fortunate to have been able to get in the river this week. I have not forgotten about what's happening at home and I am anxious to come back and be a part of the re-building process, but a couple of days of just not thinking about it has been rather therapeutic. Thanks for letting me ramble. The more I reminisce about it, the happier I'll be. In any event, I am headed out to Denver for the retailer show tomorrow and can't wait to check back in. As always, take care and tight lines.Alec GriffinManager, Uptown Angler
Alec Griffin	Waynesville, NC
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Cooler Weather?	03 September 2005
It was 65 degrees at daylight when I made my first cast on one of my favorite ponds. At 8:30 when I packed it in, the temp was still only mid 70's. I had caught and released about 20 small bass and bream. Much to my surprise, the bass put up a pretty good fight, much better than some I caught a couple of weeks earlier. So maybe the dog days of summer are about over.
Robert Gill	Shreveport
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BS&W	01 September 2005
Hey Guys - I sure don't want to cast any aspersions on a sacred fishing belief, but...Last Saturday AM Barb and I (Mostly I) loaded the Ranger (With odd and end fly fishing stuff and things) and hauled butt to my daughter's home in Broussard, saying good-bye as we always do to our home. The nasty b____ hit early Monday morning, and things for a lot of folks steadily got worse, but you all probably know about that. Well, around the time it was ravaging the middle Delta, I decided to make a few casts with a popper in my daughter's ponds. Lovely conditions here - cool, cloudy, a bit breezy but nothing insurmountable, and with a barometer around 29.40. Isn't low pressure supposed to trigger a bass-bite? Well friends, that's LOW - and I never had a strike!We're fine - displaced and probably homeless, but fine, and I will continue to write for a while longer. But I am not certain now if I will return permanently to the Delta. Twice is enough, and I am a tad bit older than I was when I battled back from Camille. For now, though, you haven't heard the last of me.And for those of you who caught similar hell, have faith - the sun also rises.Best to all of you.Pete
pete cooper, jr.	Once-upon-a-time-Buras
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INFO	31 August 2005
AUGUST 31,2005I HAVE, FOR THE TIME BEING RETURNED TO HOPKINSVILLE, KY. ELEVATION 588'. MY CONTACT NUMBERS ARE 931-320-2722 TEMPORARY CELL 504-237-6742 LA. CELL# 270-885-8488 OFFICEI HAVE CONTACTED SOME CLOTHING MANUFACTURES TO SEE IF I COULD INTEREST THEM IN FURNISHING CLOTHING FOR THIS FALL AND WINTER FOR THE CAPTAINS & THEIR FAMILIES ON THE COAST. IF ANYONE HAS A RECEIVING & STORAGE FACILITY PLEASE CONTACT ME. CAPTAINS CONTACT ME WITH YOUR INFO SO WE CAN GET YOU & YOUR FAMILY TAKEN CARE OF.IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR WORK CALL ME I HAVE INFO FOR YOU TO CONSIDER.THERE ARE BETTER DAYS AHEAD.GREGG
CAPTAIN GREGG ARNOLD	METAIRIE
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