# Louisiana Redfish Trip.... Fly Suggestions



## paint it black

In the late 50's, when my mother left Cuba at 6 years of age, she was sent to live with a relative in Eunice Louisiana. Being that my mother is the one responsible for my fishing addiction, I have always wanted to go fish Louisiana, as she has always spoken highly of it. 
For some odd reason, my travels have never led that way, until now. This time next week, I should be in a marsh somewhere near Venice hopefully casting at fish. Which leads me to the reason for this thread..... What flies should I tie? 

A few buddies have told me "whatever they see" is the best fly. Well, what exactly does that mean? There has to be a general consensus as to what flies should work best. Bait fish? Shrimpy / crabby? Natural colors? Bright loud colors? 

Any recommendation on hooks? 

Thanks!


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## ifsteve

This time of year I would have two general patterns.
1. Baitfish.....I like Puglisi fiber streamers. Black and purple, brown and olive.
2. Crab patterns.

More important is to get on the water and put the fly in front of the fish. Make sure you post up your results....good luck!!!!


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## K3anderson

It really doesnt matter there. Cigarette butt with hook = double digit redfish


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## pete_paschall

Poppas!


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## KurtActual

LSU Tiger colors. Purple rabbit zonkers palmered with a gold maribou tail.


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## Finn Maccumhail

Redfish crack, size 2. If it's super clear & calm I'll throw one with bead chain eyes rather than lead eyes.


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## CurtisWright

Watch the Youtube video for the Zsa Zsa Gabor fly. Tie it in LSU colors. Some with eyes and some without depending on the depth. 2/0 tarpon hooks with no barb and 30lb tipit are my favorite. I use this fly 95% of the time.







If they reject it then I go for something natural like a crab or shrimp fly that lands light. Majority of zsa zsa rejections happen on an incoming or nip tide. For some reason they are more suspicious on an incoming and will study the fly harder, or spook off the louder thud from a rabbit hair fly.


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## texasag07

In my opinion pick your normal redfish patterns and just up size it 2-3 hook sizes. #1-2/0 are fine depending on hook and profile. I would have some light and some dark flies. One of the most important things is having various weighted flies from lightly weighted to large dumbbell eyes. If the water is muddy fish are going to pop up really close and if the fly isn’t heavy enough for them to see it it’s not going to happen. You might be looking for fish in shallow water at one point of the day and 3’ later.


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## Rick hambric

In my travels over to slidell and into the bayous, ive found that a little oversized flies have worked best. love the daiichi 3111 #1 for over there. bunny sliders with chartreuse tail, olive **** or fox, then black ep head with med beadchain is one of my go to for there. also an orange critter (rust silky tail, orange dub brush with some gold flash)bring some flies that resemble a white shrimp and make sure it has a dab of chartreuse at the tail. most importantly don't forget to drink a few too many beers and perfect the Cajun flop while over there!!!


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## Tx_Whipray

Last year I fished with two flies. Redfish Crack in tan body/pink craft fur tail, and a redfish kwan tan and orange yarn body with a tan tail with lots of red and gold krystal flash. Both tied on gamakatsu 82511-12 1/0 hooks. Both got eaten if the fish saw it. I will say the big black drum would eat the kwan, but not the Redfish Crack. The Sheepies also seemed more interested in the kwan, so that's something to consider, because you will see some big sheepies and massive black drum. 

Same trip my fishing partner fished a thickly tied black over white Clouser with heavy eyes and caught two fish over 40". 

I think the answer is "anything you can get in front of the fish".


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## crboggs

From what I've been told...if you are used to chasing spooky Florida reds then your Louisiana experience may feel a bit like cheating.


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## Smackdaddy53

K3anderson said:


> It really doesnt matter there. Cigarette butt with hook = double digit redfish


Bwahaha...that’s what everyone told me too but fishing here on the middle coast of good ol’ Tejas is better right now. It was a cool trip though.


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## Caleb.Esparza

Put 26 in the boat the other day, I threw one of these the entire time and never changed flies. Just re-rigged my leader a few times. Either #2 or 1/0 with heavy lead eyes. Presentation is much more important than the fly in my book, and the weed guard is totally unnecessary, I won't tie them in on my next batch.


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## dgt2012

Acrylic spoon, check out http://www.fishwithrich.com/
I have never seen a redfish turn down one of his spoons. It's one of my go to lures. He guides there.


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## CedarCreek

Here is what worked best for me during my one and only DIY trip to LA. It was a wintertime trip (Feb).


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## Limp Shrimp

I just got back from Louisiana, it's a very easy fishing over there... I was using a brown shrimp looking fly from SS flies https://www.ssflies.com/product.php?p=28 ... The thing I noticed about there is it's a lot about the short game.. The water is clean enough to sight fish but you get a lot of fish that just pop up close to the boat.. Every once in a while one would slip up and you would get a push or the tip of a tail, but it wasn't very often for us. think something you can make fast short shots that will sink quick..


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## lsunoe

Limp Shrimp said:


> The thing I noticed about there is it's a lot about the short game.. The water is clean enough to sight fish but you get a lot of fish that just pop up close to the boat.. Every once in a while one would slip up and you would get a push or the tip of a tail, but it wasn't very often for us. think something you can make fast short shots that will sink quick..


Yes, this. You need a fly that can get down quick. We like to throw little crabs or shrimp on #1 or #2 hooks with medium dumbbell eyes. Natural colors (think blue crab or olive) always work but we also throw hot pink and chartreuse often and that also works. For big bulls I'm a fan of a 2/0 hook with a variation of redfish crack and xlarge dumbbell eyes. I really like purple/pink and purple/black but any color should work as long as you can put it in front of the fish.


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## kenb

texasag07 said:


> In my opinion pick your normal redfish patterns and just up size it 2-3 hook sizes. #1-2/0 are fine depending on hook and profile. I would have some light and some dark flies. One of the most important things is having various weighted flies from lightly weighted to large dumbbell eyes. If the water is muddy fish are going to pop up really close and if the fly isn’t heavy enough for them to see it it’s not going to happen. You might be looking for fish in shallow water at one point of the day and 3’ later.


Totally agree with having varied weighted flies. Also light and dark colors. We do well with browns, golds, etc.


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## paint it black

Sounds great, everyone! I'll whip up some bugs and report back!

Thanks!


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## papapogey

Just be aware that duck season opens up next saturday the 11th on the coast so there will be a LOT of mud boats launching and running around


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## Smackdaddy53

papapogey said:


> Just be aware that duck season opens up next saturday the 11th on the coast so there will be a LOT of mud boats launching and running around


Gotta love duck season


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## E-money

Lots of great advise already but just to add, Saturday they were getting violent with a purple and chart slider. Deer hair on the head, chart bunny strip tail and XL bead chain. 1/0 SL12S + XL bead was a good weight for a slow sink in 1-2 ft. Tie some in small lead as well for a little deeper water. Later in the day the bite slowed and we swapped over to tan crabs about the size of a quarter on #2 SL12S with small lead eyes. Everything wants to eat crabs! Good luck and feel free to reach out to me while you're down!


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## paint it black

E-money said:


> Lots of great advise already but just to add, Saturday they were getting violent with a purple and chart slider. Deer hair on the head, chart bunny strip tail and XL bead chain. 1/0 SL12S + XL bead was a good weight for a slow sink in 1-2 ft. Tie some in small lead as well for a little deeper water. Later in the day the bite slowed and we swapped over to tan crabs about the size of a quarter on #2 SL12S with small lead eyes. Everything wants to eat crabs! Good luck and feel free to reach out to me while you're down!
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Thanks for the report! I'm going to DM you now! haha.


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## jmrodandgun

Fished the outside marsh over the weekend with the same fly I tied on a few weeks ago. 1/0 cheapo mustad with some pink and blue feathers haphazardly tied onto the hook. The result was multiple fish over 20 pounds. I ran out of lead eyes and being the lazy pos that I am I crimped on a small split shot to the loop knot when I needed to get down a little faster. 

Wish I could say purple didn't work but my buddy put fish in the boat on what looked like a giant purple and chartreuse wooly bugger. We think one of those fish went north of 30 pounds but I don't own a scale so it was probably smaller than we think.


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## perrymcfly

E-money said:


> Lots of great advise already but just to add, Saturday they were getting violent with a purple and chart slider. Deer hair on the head, chart bunny strip tail and XL bead chain. 1/0 SL12S + XL bead was a good weight for a slow sink in 1-2 ft. Tie some in small lead as well for a little deeper water. Later in the day the bite slowed and we swapped over to tan crabs about the size of a quarter on #2 SL12S with small lead eyes. Everything wants to eat crabs! Good luck and feel free to reach out to me while you're down!
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might need to get a couple of them there sliders before I head out! Glad to hear y'all did well!


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## K3anderson

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Bwahaha...that’s what everyone told me too but fishing here on the middle coast of good ol’ Tejas is better right now. It was a cool trip though.


I just got back. Its not even fair there. Its was blowing double digits and we still caught double digit reds. If you can catch reds here, you annihilate them there. Its not really even fly fishing to be honest. I dont even know how you have a tournament? Everyone wins?? Place is crazy.


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## ifsteve

Before y'all flock to the marsh since the fishing is "not really even fly fishing" and similar platitudes. There are loads of days when even the best of us get skunked. Is it easier than say FL? Sure. Of course it is. But some of you make it sound like just launch your boat and drive around and they redfish will jump in your boat for you.....lol


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## E-money

ifsteve said:


> Before y'all flock to the marsh since the fishing is "not really even fly fishing" and similar platitudes. There are loads of days when even the best of us get skunked. Is it easier than say FL? Sure. Of course it is. But some of you make it sound like just launch your boat and drive around and they redfish will jump in your boat for you.....lol


It's only fly fishing if you get rejected! lol


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## DeepSouthFly

ifsteve said:


> Before y'all flock to the marsh since the fishing is "not really even fly fishing" and similar platitudes. There are loads of days when even the best of us get skunked. Is it easier than say FL? Sure. Of course it is. But some of you make it sound like just launch your boat and drive around and they redfish will jump in your boat for you.....lol



Not really even fly fishing? How so please elaborate.


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## ifsteve

DeepSouthFly said:


> Not really even fly fishing? How so please elaborate.


Go read the post before mine and its why I put that phrase in quotes. Not my words.


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## paint it black

One of my buddy's grew up in Louisiana.... He told me a story of when he was younger, with his grandpa. They were in the marsh and seen a bobber floating, then noticed it was moving along. They crept up on it and he grabbed the line and hand lined the fish in, and it was a bull red.


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## lsunoe

paint it black said:


> One of my buddy's grew up in Louisiana.... He told me a story of when he was younger, with his grandpa. They were in the marsh and seen a bobber floating, then noticed it was moving along. They crept up on it and he grabbed the line and hand lined the fish in, and it was a bull red.


Ive done that several times over the last decade or so


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## DeepSouthFly

I'll be back next weekend 16th thru 19th. Launching out of the dale. Either Pips or Hopedale marina. Guide green HB pro with a white suburban pulling her. If you see me holla. I might need a partner if I can't find anybody to make the trip with me.


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## lsunoe

DeepSouthFly said:


> I'll be back next weekend 16th thru 19th. Launching out of the dale. Either Pips or Hopedale marina. Guide green HB pro with a white suburban pulling her. If you see me holla. I might need a partner if I can't find anybody to make the trip with me.


I'll be there hopefully all three days.


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## paint it black

We are leaving Miami tomorrow, making our way to Venice. We will be in a brand new black f150 pulling a brand new gray Maverick HPX. Heading over there with forum member Really Shallow with his brand new skiff. We will be in town until Monday.


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## perrymcfly

DeepSouthFly said:


> I'll be back next weekend 16th thru 19th. Launching out of the dale. Either Pips or Hopedale marina. Guide green HB pro with a white suburban pulling her. If you see me holla. I might need a partner if I can't find anybody to make the trip with me.


Be down in Delacroix over those dates, might end up heading to Hopedale depending on water/weather. Maybe we'll see you out there.


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## Smackdaddy53

paint it black said:


> We are leaving Miami tomorrow, making our way to Venice. We will be in a brand new black f150 pulling a brand new gray Maverick HPX. Heading over there with forum member Really Shallow with his brand new skiff. We will be in town until Monday.


You might have some brand new blowouts if you don’t watch for potholes. It’s pretty rough over there! Lift your motor too or you might have a brand new skeg welded on!


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## coconutgroves

paint it black said:


> We are leaving Miami tomorrow, making our way to Venice. We will be in a brand new black f150 pulling a brand new gray Maverick HPX. Heading over there with forum member Really Shallow with his brand new skiff. We will be in town until Monday.


Post pics on your instagram man! I am there in 2 weeks, but not out of the normal spots. Trying something new, at least to me...


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## jmrodandgun

coconutgroves said:


> I am there in 2 weeks, but not out of the normal spots. Trying something new, at least to me...


Bravo! Waiting in line to launch your skiff is for nerds.


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## redchaser

jmrodandgun said:


> Bravo! Waiting in line to launch your skiff is for nerds.


But SO worth it at Hopedale. Why move when you know all them big fish are there....


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## K3anderson

ifsteve said:


> But some of you make it sound like just launch your boat and drive around and they redfish will jump in your boat for you.....lol


Ummm....Yes it pretty much is like that. There is no freaking way you are throwing a fly in the water (by hand) and a redfish is eating it here. Its easier in other areas of FL, but, I can tell you double digit reds on fly in Tampa area is simply not happening. I have literally never caught a redfish on fly under 25' away and that probably the closest. I have caught several in LA with a rod length of fly line out and only fished there a few times.


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## K3anderson

BTW. Not bagging, its straight up jealousy.


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## crboggs

K3anderson said:


> I can tell you double digit reds on fly in Tampa area is simply not happening.


Yup...we play from the pro tees here. There's an element of masochism to it for sure. If you can sight cast them here, you should be able to do it anywhere. And I say that without trying to be boastful.

I bet freshwater guys who are better at roll casting than double hauling find the LA reds tricky when they venture off their streams and rivers. (I can't roll cast or mend line for shite...)

I worry that a day in the marsh might ruin me for my home waters.


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## coconutgroves

LA is great when it is on and you have legit chances at double digit fish, 20 to 30 pounds. You don't get those big boys in the flats down here in TX either (well, not that often, but they do come in certain areas), and we do get spooky fish too.

But fishing in LA can be tough too. Spots can get murky quick based on the wind. Fish do move, so where they are one day will not hold them the next. And most areas are fed by from a river to the north, so if there is a algae bloom, or high run off, it can have a negative affect as well.

The pics make it seem unreal, but they are pics of the best of the best. Reality is different - it is great fishing when it is on, but you can be handed a bad hand as well.


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## DeepSouthFly

crboggs said:


> Yup...we play from the pro tees here. There's an element of masochism to it for sure. If you can sight cast them here, you should be able to do it anywhere. And I say that without trying to be boastful.
> 
> I bet freshwater guys who are better at roll casting than double hauling find the LA reds tricky when they venture off their streams and rivers. (I can't roll cast or mend line for shite...)
> 
> I worry that a day in the marsh might ruin me for my home waters.


You should do it. It will spoil you but it's a lot of fun man. A lot of nice people down there too. I feel like the locals do somewhat appreciate people coming to fish. Spoke with Bart at the Dogwood Lodge and they are awesome folks.


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## redchaser

K3anderson said:


> Ummm....Yes it pretty much is like that. There is no freaking way you are throwing a fly in the water (by hand) and a redfish is eating it here. Its easier in other areas of FL, but, I can tell you double digit reds on fly in Tampa area is simply not happening. I have literally never caught a redfish on fly under 25' away and that probably the closest. I have caught several in LA with a rod length of fly line out and only fished there a few times.


So you've only fished here a few times and think you have a better assessment of our fishery than IFSteve who has a ton of experience on Louisiana waters? Truth is, our fishing certainly can be lights out, but there are plenty times when our fish get lock jaw, add to that muddy water days where it's tough to see them and yes our fish can be challenging.


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## sjrobin

E-money said:


> Lots of great advise already but just to add, Saturday they were getting violent with a purple and chart slider. Deer hair on the head, chart bunny strip tail and XL bead chain. 1/0 SL12S + XL bead was a good weight for a slow sink in 1-2 ft. Tie some in small lead as well for a little deeper water. Later in the day the bite slowed and we swapped over to tan crabs about the size of a quarter on #2 SL12S with small lead eyes. Everything wants to eat crabs! Good luck and feel free to reach out to me while you're down!
> View attachment 18377
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How long is the 20 lb fish? 38"?


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## sjrobin

jmrodandgun said:


> Fished the outside marsh over the weekend with the same fly I tied on a few weeks ago. 1/0 cheapo mustad with some pink and blue feathers haphazardly tied onto the hook. The result was multiple fish over 20 pounds. I ran out of lead eyes and being the lazy pos that I am I crimped on a small split shot to the loop knot when I needed to get down a little faster.
> 
> Wish I could say purple didn't work but my buddy put fish in the boat on what looked like a giant purple and chartreuse wooly bugger. We think one of those fish went north of 30 pounds but I don't own a scale so it was probably smaller than we think.


Length measurement is easy and quick not hard on the red fish jaw. So a typical 40" female red would weigh? 30 lbs?


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## coconutgroves

40" would be 25 lbs. A 20lb would be 37".


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## redchaser

coconutgroves said:


> 40" would be 25 lbs. A 20lb would be 37".


That chart's a pretty good guideline, maybe overestimating weights a little on the upper end, but It can vary quite a bit too depending on season and fish condition. One year a buddy and I got on a bunch of really big redfish that were running 44 inches but they were weighing in at only 28-29 pounds, they were skinny and all head, I think they had just come in from spawning. Sometimes they are full and fat and weigh more ymmv.


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## ifsteve

First let me say that I am by no means an expert. At anything let alone redfishing. But I do get to go a fair bit so I have a bit of a pulse on the fishing. So I went back over my log so far this year and here are my results.
Epic - 2
Excellent - 5
Good - 10
Fair - 12
Slow - 10
Abysmal - 2

So no the fish don't jump in the boat and like any place else the fishing has its tough days...and plenty of them.


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## coconutgroves

ifsteve said:


> First let me say that I am by no means an expert. At anything let alone redfishing. But I do get to go a fair bit so I have a bit of a pulse on the fishing. So I went back over my log so far this year and here are my results.
> Epic - 2
> Excellent - 5
> Good - 10
> Fair - 12
> Slow - 10
> Abysmal - 2
> 
> So no the fish don't jump in the boat and like any place else the fishing has its tough days...and plenty of them.


This.

Pictures, ads and videos always show the best of the best and it can be misleading. Full disclosure - I've been to LA a few times and never have broken 20 lbs on a fish.

I could tell you a story or post pics from by best day for bonefish in Belize. You'd book a trip if I only talked about this trip and didn't contrast it with others. 22 bonefish in 2 hours. All nice size fish, sight casted, cruisers and tailers. And I was primarily tarpon fishing only to give up to chase bones at the end of the day. But I've also gone out just for bones and got skunked.

I've also had an epic day of tarpon. 16 tarpon, all 30 to 70 pound fish. Video of this would have been insane. But I've spent full days searching for them without a fish in sight.

I've seen permit tails non-stop with numerous shots, only to see them completely shut down for the next 4 days with barely any shots. And this was with one of the best guides in Belize who I fish with each year. Never seen him frustrated until this trip.


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## No Bait / Lures Only

Smackdaddy53 said:


> You might have some brand new blowouts if you don’t watch for potholes. It’s pretty rough over there! Lift your motor too or you might have a brand new skeg welded on!


Repaving and raising the elevation of the highway from Hopedale/Delacroix junction to end of road in Delacroix. Smooth as the interstate..............One side was nearly completed this Tuesday evening, should be done by weekend.


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## Smackdaddy53

No Bait / Lures Only said:


> Repaving and raising the elevation of the highway from junction to end of road to Delacroix. Smooth as the interstate..............


I was just there last month, drove to Delacroix then Buras then Venice and it was horrible. They were re-paving the road between our cabin and Sweetwater but only had sections done on one side. Looked like at their pace it might be done by spring! The road was so rough that I lost a guide on pole light between our cabin and the launch on the second day...


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## No Bait / Lures Only

Smackdaddy53 said:


> I was just there last month, drove to Delacroix then Buras then Venice and it was horrible. They were re-paving the road between our cabin and Sweetwater but only had sections done on one side. Looked like at their pace it might be done by spring! The road was so rough that I lost a guide on pole light between our cabin and the launch on the second day...


Lots better now, maybe a little anxious but looking better. 3 Years ago I started renting slip/hoist and without that I probably would quit fishing for the aggravation of launching. This year purchased a Casita 16' wana be camper, its ok for 1/2 nights at a time. Since retiring I can now fish weekly and go 1/2/3 days depending how the fish are biting.


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## paint it black

The roads have been great, actually. Freshly paved, it appears. 

Here’s a little update. We loaded up the truck and left Miami Wednesday afternoon at around 4pm. Made it to camp at 4am. It took us about 13 hours, with the time zone change. We got checked in, unloaded our gear and hit the water, with zero sleep. It was a weird day. Partially cause the lack of sleep, (probably mostly) but it was overcast, high winds, and cold. So we checked out an area near camp and saw a bunch of small guys and managed one little fish, about 18”. We started to look around some more but went back in for lunch. Got back on the water and ventured a little further and got into some better fishing. Way up the creeks, fishing mud banks, we caught a few more, with one being 27” and another 30”. 

We called it a day, due to exhaustion and came back to camp. I was on the phone, on the balcony and spotted some reds tailing in the marsh behind camp. So i went down and got three more, but those were really little. 

This morning, we woke up to cold, windy, overcast conditions. We decided to go get breakfast and figure out a game plan. We decided to try out a different area completely, and went back to camp to grab the skiff. But when we got back to camp, it was super sunny, the clouds had moved to the are we had decided to go to, so we made the call and fished here near camp again. 

The winds were even harder today (20-30mph) but we had great vis. We get out there and find some nice big schools of bulls. My buddy Damian got one, then I️ picked one off, but our other buddy lost three big bulls. We came across about 7 schools of big fish tailing. You can see some of the action on my story on Instagram (@estrada_art) 

I’ve had a blast so far. We’ve got about 17 reds in the skiff so far in two days, with two being big bulls. We are kind of getting an idea of what to look for. Let’s hope for a good day tomorrow. 

I somehow left my card reader at home, so no good pics until i get back to Miami.


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## Smackdaddy53

I thought you were fishing around Buras/Venice?


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## paint it black

Smackdaddy53 said:


> I thought you were fishing around Buras/Venice?


We are fishing Buras. Staying at Joshua’s Marina as you suggested.


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## Smackdaddy53

paint it black said:


> We are fishing Buras. Staying at Joshua’s Marina as you suggested.


Oh ok, you threw me off because the only road to Delacroix was being re-paved while we were there. 
Get on those fish bro! I can’t wait to go back and explore more.


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## coconutgroves

@paint it black - Dope man. Congrats on the pig.


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## Pbertell

Great when all the planning and effort results in FISH!!!
Way to BE!!


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## sjrobin

redchaser said:


> That chart's a pretty good guideline, maybe overestimating weights a little on the upper end, but It can vary quite a bit too depending on season and fish condition. One year a buddy and I got on a bunch of really big redfish that were running 44 inches but they were weighing in at only 28-29 pounds, they were skinny and all head, I think they had just come in from spawning. Sometimes they are full and fat and weigh more ymmv.


They were more likely male fish


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## paint it black

We had an EPIC trip. 

On the road home, now; a day early. The weather wasn’t the greatest today, but we had such a great day 3 that we were content with cutting the trip short a day. 

I’ll post pics and video in the am! 

Tied a bunch of flies, and ended up using two. One on each rod.


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## K3anderson

redchaser said:


> So you've only fished here a few times and think you have a better assessment of our fishery than IFSteve who has a ton of experience on Louisiana waters?


Nope. I've blanked once in LA. On a super high. Couldn't see anything and I wasnt blind casting. 

Invite open to both of you to fish here with me anytime. I'll pole you on our redfish. You will see them in clear water. When you get sick of spooking, we can go grab some snook because I know you guys dont get to do that much. The catch is: IF you agree with my original post, I get to fish with you guys on your home water.


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## K3anderson

ifsteve said:


> But I do get to go a fair bit so I have a bit of a pulse on the fishing. So I went back over my log so far this year and here are my results.
> Epic - 2
> Excellent - 5
> Good - 10
> Fair - 12
> Slow - 10
> Abysmal - 2


What is a slow day? How many redfish caught?


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## paint it black

Well, just getting settled back in Miami.

This trip was nothing short of EPIC.

We roll into town, windy, cloudy, cold, rainy.

Day 1: Getting our feet wet.
Day one we poked around different areas just to experience the fishery, we ran around a lot. Fished creeks, fished open flats / bays, fished marshes. We ended the day with 15 Reds that made it to our hands, with the biggest being 30" and a couple just smaller ones.

Day 2: Did some more exploring, this time specifically trying to target big fish. We took what we saw from Day 1 and tried to figure out where, and how to find the big fish. We ended the day with 2 bulls that posed for photos, and lost 3 others, and a couple small guys.

Day 3: We got the Meat!
We took what we learned from the first two days, came up with a game plan and now it was time to execute it, and that we did!

First up, Ramiro (forum member: Really Shallow) was up to get redemption for the day before. Within minutes we find a big school of fish tailing like it's their last meal. Ram get's up, first cast comes tight!

Immediate redemption, get's this big fish to his hands and then we were off!
School after school, double up, triple up, big fish tailing so hard!
After a couple hours of nonstop action, we decided to run offshore in search of big jacks. We came tight on two huge jacks, but they busted us off, one after a crazy run, the other broke me off boatside.
My buddy Damian was fighting a big fish and some porpoise showed up, so he tried horsing it in on the 9wt and it snapped the rod in half, but he still managed to get the fish in.

We are going to be doing this trip every year, and to be honest I might be heading back up before the end of season! 

We used a chartreuse and purple fly, and a black and purple fly. 
One on each rod and that's all it took. 

Here are a few pics, I'm going to put together a short video about the trip, too.


----------



## el9surf

That last picture is epic!


----------



## Financekid1

Sweet PIB!!! Im actually planning a trip there in 2 weeks. What do I need to know about tides and such. Ive never been out there. Is there any concern about being stuck high and dry? Any tips regarding the water would be appreciated.


----------



## sjrobin

Great trip. Which 9wt snapped in half?


----------



## paint it black

sjrobin said:


> Great trip. Which 9wt snapped in half?


It was an old 9wt BVK. It's crazy, as I've caught many 80-90lb tarpon on it without it ever breaking. My 8wt BVK broke a few times just from looking at it the wrong way, but this 9wt has been bullet proof until now.


----------



## paint it black

Financekid1 said:


> Sweet PIB!!! Im actually planning a trip there in 2 weeks. What do I need to know about tides and such. Ive never been out there. Is there any concern about being stuck high and dry? Any tips regarding the water would be appreciated.


We kind of just looked at aerial maps and tried to figure out where we could and couldn't run. Utilizing Navionics app on the iPhone, and Google Maps. 
My buddy has a nice SIMRAD unit on his skiff, but it was pretty much useless out there. He only has the florida and east coast chip in it and we didn't even think about that, so the GPS said we were on dry land the whole time. lol 

However, it did come in handy, as to being able to follow our track back to camp at the end of the day. 

What I didn't understand, and I hope some can help shed some light is why on earth is there millions of PVC pipes and bamboo poles EVERYWHERE across the bay? What does it mean? There were times we had no choice but to run between some of the poles, we never hit bottom. We finally found a path that we were able to navigate without having to cross in between any poles. 

As for the tide, it was strange. It seemed to be going out all day in areas, while coming in all day in other areas. It never seemed too shallow. There were some marshes that were too shallow to get into in the HPX-V and we could see fish waking and backing in, but we were still able to get in a lot of places.


----------



## Financekid1

Awesome thanks man! When I was looking at tide charts over there, the swing is sometimes only like 4 inches, so it appears to be very wind dependent (just a guess)

Yeah if someone could weigh in on pvc that would be cool.


----------



## jmrodandgun

paint it black said:


> There were times we had no choice but to run between some of the poles


I guess between the poles is better than hitting the poles. Those are oyster markers.


----------



## ifsteve

K3anderson said:


> What is a slow day? How many redfish caught?


I don't necessarily rate the day by how many fish landed. Too many factors such as water clarity, weather, type of fishing we are doing (targeting bulls vs numbers).

So its not a simple answer. But in general if I land a fish on fly that rates at least fair. If I land several then that probably rates good or better. But I also could not land a fish and rate it good (shots but just not eats for instance).

But to get an epic rating it means we were in fish all day and they ate.

PS- I have fished FL for reds a fair bit (Mosquito Lagoon, Port Charlotte, Keys backcounty). I picked where I chose to buy my retirement home for a reason. LA is better than FL for catching fish. FL has nicer water and better weather.


----------



## coconutgroves

@paint it black - great post man, glad the trip turned out to be epic. Can't wait to see the video. Next time you go through, stop at Peche seafood in downtown NOLA. Greg Dini recommended that place to me a few years back - it is a must stop for me each time I go through there.


----------



## Limp Shrimp

We stayed at Joshua's Marina as well and pretty much had the same trip you guys did.. We caught reds in the parking lot of the place and managed to find reds every where we stopped, even had some crazy looking carp jump in the boat (so fish do jump in the boat there).. I don't think by any degree of imagination you could down play that fishery, the place is infested with redfish.. Navigating that amount of PVC poles gets dicey, especially if its blowing 20 and raining... It's just a long ride home to S. Florida from there..


----------



## Bonecracker

I asked Greg Moon about all the PVC poles and he said it marks oyster leases! (In my area they mark shallow oyster bars to avoid, so after running over a few I had to ask) From what I have seen on the water most of the oyster harvesting is from dredging these bars and most are in 3/4/5 ft of water. I am headed over 11/24-28 and will update you on my trip!


----------



## jmrodandgun

Bonecracker said:


> From what I have seen on the water most of the oyster harvesting is from dredging these bars and most are in 3/4/5 ft of water.


Go slow through them the first time. It varies from location to location. Most are in plenty deep enough water, but some are not.


----------



## K3anderson

F'ing ridiculous. Just wow.


----------



## crboggs

Ridiculous results for a DIY trip in new water, sight unseen. (I guess the rumors are true?)


----------



## Smackdaddy53

The plethora of PVC poles was very intimidating when we went, I steered clear of them and stayed in the main channel on the way out then hugged the shoreline on the way in. Now I know what to do next trip! I’m heading the other way next time now I now I’m not going to be leaving a lower unit there.


----------



## sjrobin

It is called "hot" rouge drum along the river right now.


----------



## Caleb.Esparza

Looks like an epic trip and smart exit based on the weather. It's been terrible the past few days and that east wind really kept the water high.. 

I'm past at least the 40th fish on my little purple and chartreuse slider thing over he past two weeks so I see no reason to change what works for now. Probably stick with it until I start getting honest refusals. 

Also the pvc/bamboo stakes mark commercial oyster leases as others have said. Most of the ones I've ran between seem like they are in more than 3ft of water but I'm always a little skeptical either way being a Floridian.


----------



## Ruddy Duck LA

PVC poles encourage the shrimp trawlers to drag bottom elsewhere. They mark and protect the oyster beds.


----------



## Smackdaddy53

That’s funny because down here oyster boats scrape the reefs flat, shoot at people and run fisherman off. Shrimpers trawl the deeper open bay. No poles anywhere but obstructions and back lake channel markers.


----------



## coconutgroves

We need more PVC poles here on the TX coast to mark oyster beds. There are some spots with high tides that put the beds just under the water.

I was wade fishing an area one day - had the boat staked off. There is an inlet from a back cut where you can cut across this area, but the water has to be HIGH to do it. Well, here comes a new Hells Bay around the corner and the next thing you hear is scraping and the boat coming to a complete stop. The 3 guys on it had to do the walk of shame, but that was after I heard the owner cursing at the top of his lungs.


----------



## Smackdaddy53

coconutgroves said:


> We need more PVC poles here on the TX coast to mark oyster beds. There are some spots with high tides that put the beds just under the water.
> 
> I was wade fishing an area one day - had the boat staked off. There is an inlet from a back cut where you can cut across this area, but the water has to be HIGH to do it. Well, here comes a new Hells Bay around the corner and the next thing you hear is scraping and the boat coming to a complete stop. The 3 guys on it had to do the walk of shame, but that was after I heard the owner cursing at the top of his lungs.


That’s why scouting and knowing your water is very important! I ran over some shell a while back but only hit one piece with my skeg because I knew it was there but didn’t realize the tide fell out as much as it did. I was fully jacked and puckered up as I went over it.


----------



## crboggs

Around here you're not doing it right if you haven't scraped at least a little paint off your skeg.


----------



## coconutgroves

crboggs said:


> Around here you're not doing it right if you haven't scraped at least a little paint off your skeg.


My skeg needs to be redone! There is no paint on it and a few chips.


----------



## Tx_Whipray

coconutgroves said:


> @paint it black - great post man, glad the trip turned out to be epic. Can't wait to see the video. Next time you go through, stop at Peche seafood in downtown NOLA. Greg Dini recommended that place to me a few years back - it is a must stop for me each time I go through there.


Peche is amazing. 2 time James Beard award winner. Eating there with the wife this weekend. 
Going to Cocodrie Thanksgiving weekend. Bringing my 10 year old for his first shot at LA Bulls. He's so excited it's all he's talked about for 2 weeks.


----------



## Ruddy Duck LA

Good to know that poles mark some shallow beds in certain areas. Where I am seeing them, the beds generally have a good bit of water over them. The boats that harvest the oysters draft more than I do. This is taking into account tides and wind influence as well.


----------



## marshhen

Lots of egos in this thread. Louisiana just just like anywhere else in that when it's on, it's on, and when it's off, it's off. You can come here and get skunked just like anywhere else. The weather can shut you down here like anywhere else, and during the fall/winter, the weather is very unpredictable. Moreso than anywhere I've ever fished. The fish can be there one day then gone the next. Do not come here without knowing the area without good boat insurance.

The difference between Louisiana and elsewhere is that when it is on, it's the best redfishery (and one of the best inshore fisheries in general) in the world. Cool photos @estrada. Glad you guys had a good time and caught some fish.


----------



## Smackdaddy53

marshhen said:


> Lots of egos in this thread. Louisiana just just like anywhere else in that when it's on, it's on, and when it's off, it's off. You can come here and get skunked just like anywhere else. The weather can shut you down here like anywhere else, and during the fall/winter, the weather is very unpredictable. Moreso than anywhere I've ever fished. The fish can be there one day then gone the next. Do not come here without knowing the area without good boat insurance.
> 
> The difference between Louisiana and elsewhere is that when it is on, it's the best redfishery (and one of the best inshore fisheries in general) in the world. Cool photos @estrada. Glad you guys had a good time and caught some fish.


Egos?


----------



## CurtisWright

Great report. Not sure which is better. Schools of 15lb fish in November or 40lb loners in February.


----------



## Caleb.Esparza

Totally agree with @marshhen. Weather is the deciding factor here for sure.. We ran all over the earth Saturday just to put one redfish in the boat. High water, crap wind and cloud cover makes for a tough day no matter how good the fishery is.


----------



## Geuax Deep

Caleb.Esparza said:


> Totally agree with @marshhen. Weather is the deciding factor here for sure.. We ran all over the earth Saturday just to put one redfish in the boat. High water, crap wind and cloud cover makes for a tough day no matter how good the fishery is.


Headed to Hopedale in a couple of weeks. I guess December is dicey for weather conditions, but we should have good conditions for at least some of the trip.


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## marshhen

Yall should be fine. Dealing with crap weather is easier when the water is low, and the water has been abnormally high pretty consistently since Nate. Crap conditions and bad weather are exaggerated x15 when the water is high. We've got a couple fronts with good winds that'll push water out of the marsh coming through over the next couple weeks. Couple that with a negative tide and yall will be good.


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## Financekid1

man, I was supposed to head over the week after thanksgiving. The weather forecast is completely shot....bummed


----------



## paint it black

Financekid1 said:


> man, I was supposed to head over the week after thanksgiving. The weather forecast is completely shot....bummed


We were faced with a similar situation. The forecast had changed for the worst a few days before we hit the road for our trip. The conditions were trash. It's hard to tell from the pics, but it was blowing 20+ knots all three days. First day was overcast, plus high winds, it made fishing for big fish almost impossible. Day 2, higher winds, but some sun and light clouds. It made it tough to pole and what not, but luckily the fish were feeding hard it was easy to spot them. Day 3 the winds were down a little to about 15 knots, and zero clouds. It made it much better for us to execute a game plan. We are used to fishing in high winds, we just looked for fish on shorelines that were sheltered from the wind.

I'm glad we decided to make the trip, despite the weather forecast being horrid.


----------



## coconutgroves

Here's a good example that it isn't a gold mine there - Meredith McCord posted on her instagram that yesterday they had an epic day - 25 fish. Today, only one. Similar conditions, but less wind today.


----------



## Limp Shrimp

I think y'all need to come to S. FL and fish some... I think you would have a completely different perspective on your fishery...


----------



## paint it black

Limp Shrimp said:


> I think y'all need to come to S. FL and fish some... I think you would have a completely different perspective on your fishery...


Seriously, we were able to catch fish everywhere we went. Granted, they weren't all big, some dinks, but we literally caught redfish everywhere we went. I haven't caught a redfish in the everglades in months.


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## Bonecracker

Worst bed I ever slept in but we r locked & loaded in Delacroix‼


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## Bonecracker

Great day on the water boys! Delacroix was jumping!


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## Caleb.Esparza

Weather has been all time the last few days!


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## Tx_Whipray

I just got home from Cocodrie. We actually stayed in Houma, because I have 700,000 Marriott points and there are a handful of Marriott properties in Houma, and it's only a 30 minute drive to the ramp. We fished in the Point Aux Chene WMA on Friday, then fished out of Cocodrie on Saturday. Friday, my son caught redfish on his first three casts, then asked me if he could try my fly rod. He's played around with my 6wt in the stock ponds at our ranch, but the biggest fish he's ever caught is about a 1 lb bass. I told him he could try my 8wt if he wanted, thinking that there would be no better place for him to luck into a fish than where we were, because it was literally swarming with fish. He flailed around for a few minutes and with a little coaching he finally got where he could make a pretty good roll cast. I positioned us just off a grassy point between two coves, and pretty soon pods of fish started streaming by between the boat and the shoreline. After a few episodes of "buck fever" he calmed down and remembered the things I'd taught him. The next pod that came by, he made a good roll cast and the first fish that saw it swarmed it. He totally goofed the hook set. Instead of strip setting, he tried to reel tight like with a baitcaster. By the time he got the line tight, the fish had spit the hook, but it only took a few minutes for him to get another shot. This time he strip set the fish and it was game on. It wasn't a huge fish, but it made a nice little run. He started working it back to the boat, and it made a second run and found an oyster to cut himself free. I think I was more bummed than he was, but we were covered up in fish, so rather than stopping to tie on another fly, I told him to grab my 10wt and see if he could cast it. It took him a few tries, but he got proficient enough to get another one to eat. This was a little bigger fish, but no match for a 10wt. It ran him through the oysters, and tried to wrap around a piling from a duck blind, but he stayed on and pretty soon my son had his first ever fly caught red at hand.








He ended up sticking six fish Friday and landing three, which is pretty darn good for a 10 year old, if I do say so myself. I don't think I hooked 6 redfish the first full year I was fly fishing.

Saturday, we launched out of Cocodrie and ran south hoping to find bigger fish closer to the GOM. It didn't take us long to find big pods of small fish again, but I decided to move to deeper water hoping to find some larger fish. I was poling us through a cut between two grass islands when I spotted two large drum laying on the bottom. I pointed my son at them, and he said "Those aren't fish, daddy...that's two rocks or something" No buddy, those are fish...drop a fly in there. He dropped a fly in front of the smaller "rock" and it inhaled it. He made a short run and then gave up, as drum are prone to doing and my son had a 33" drum in the boat.









We got some pictures and released the fish, then poled back into the middle of the channel and spotted a Redfish chasing shrimp up against the sandbar on the opposite side of the cut. Again C made a short but accurate cast, and the fish never even broke stride...just sucked the fly up and kept swimming. Once it figured out it was hooked, it made a good run...right under the bow of the boat. I thought my rod was done for, but my son stuck the rod tip in he water and walked it around the bow like a pro...I guess the hours of fishing videos he watches on youtube actually paid off. Pretty soon, we had a fat 32" at hand.









We stopped to eat some lunch and watch a pair of porpoises playing around in the deeper water bayou next to us for a while, then got back at it. We moved a half mile and again found all the slot fish you could ever hope for. We played around with them for a bit and my son was obviously running out of gas by 2:00. I told him we would finish poling the shoreline we were on, then go find our friends and head in. We were on the very last point of the shoreline, and my son was trying to get a shot at some smaller fish in a little cove, when I spotted a big fish coming around the point. I called it out, he turned around and saw the fish and made the best cast he'd made all day...probably 25', and the fish inhaled it. It turned out that was the smaller of two fish and we didn't see the second one until the first one had already eaten. The second fish must have been 38" or so, because the fish he fed went 34". He got two good runs out of it before we got it to hand for the CPR, then we called it a trip.
























The weather was fantastic all weekend, and if you wanted to get a kid started I could think of no better place. You could take an 8wt with a spoon fly and probably catch fish until you got bored with it. I bet you could have a 100 fish day in that marsh, if you didn't get bored of 22" fish first. Fly selection was pretty simple...I had pink and tan Redfish Crack on the 8wt, and I fished the same tan Redfish Kwan all weekend on the 10wt. At the end of the trip I cut that fly off and gave it to my son, who put it in his keepsake box as soon as we got home. He wants to go back over Christmas break, and on the drive home he asked if he could have a fly rod for Christmas instead of an Xbox One. #winning.


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## TidewateR

love seeing young guys tearing it up! glad y’all enjoyed the awesome weather and fishing conditions


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## lsunoe

So awesome man. Way to go!


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## ifsteve

Awesome Whipray. Way cool to get your son on to fish with the long rod!!!


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## eightwt

Any chance of getting adopted .. LOL


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## jmrodandgun

Congrats man, that's very cool. I don't think it's possible to have picked a better weekend to be fishing. That was cool to see. Good job.


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## coconutgroves

Weather was pretty damn awesome over the weekend. I was in Louisiana as well, but I haven't processed my pics yet since I just got back today. Will post some to my Instgram account over the next few days.


----------



## lsunoe

coconutgroves said:


> Weather was pretty damn awesome over the weekend. I was in Louisiana as well, but I haven't processed my pics yet since I just got back today. Will post some to my Instgram account over the next few days.


I think I just followed you. Did you go out with Capt. Ron?


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## crboggs

Just found out I'll be in New Orleans for work the last week of January...all these pics have me thinking about extending my stay a few days...


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## jmrodandgun

Tx_Whipray said:


> You could take an 8wt with a spoon fly and probably catch fish until you got bored with it. I bet you could have a 100 fish day in that marsh, if you didn't get bored of 22" fish first.


On perfect days, maybe. 

This reminds me of speaking with people who book trips every year to Alaska for the Salmon runs. It creates an illusion of year round abundance.


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## Tx_Whipray

oh sure, you can have bad days there...you can have bad days anywhere. My dad's side of the family are from Houma. My dad owns a share of undivided interest on some marsh land around Dulac. I cover the state of La for work, and I've gotten to be pretty good friends with a VP at Terrebonne General Hospital. I've fished around there off and on, in one form or another since I was a kid. If you told me my life depended on catching 50 redfish in one day on a fly, I don't know if there's any other place I'd want to try.


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## ifsteve

Tx_Whipray said:


> oh sure, you can have bad days there...you can have bad days anywhere. My dad's side of the family are from Houma. My dad owns a share of undivided interest on some marsh land around Dulac. I cover the state of La for work, and I've gotten to be pretty good friends with a VP at Terrebonne General Hospital. I've fished around there off and on, in one form or another since I was a kid. If you told me my life depended on catching 50 redfish in one day on a fly, I don't know if there's any other place I'd want to try.


Back to my original comment. You can NOT just drive your boat around and have the redfish just jump in for a ride. I have spent several hundred days on the water down here the last six years. The best day I have seen on mine or one of my buddies skiffs is 26 redfish landed on fly in a day. And I have duplicated that twice.

50 fish days? 100 fish days? Yeah they can happen. But you are going to get skunked way more than you are going to put those kinds of numbers in the boat on fly in a day.


----------



## Tx_Whipray

okay fine, maybe there's some hyperbole in those numbers. Can we agree it's an amazing fishery? (I still think 50+ would have been doable last weekend )


----------



## EdK13

Tx_Whipray said:


> okay fine, maybe there's some hyperbole in those numbers. Can we agree it's an amazing fishery? (I still think 50+ would have been doable last weekend )


Good Job Dude. You kicked Xbox's ass.


----------



## K3anderson

ifsteve said:


> The best day I have seen on mine or one of my buddies skiffs is 26 redfish landed on fly in a day. .


HA. I've never heard of anyone ever landing even 10 redfish on any skiff in a day here on fly. And certainly not at a distance of 9'. I threw a fly with my hand at a redfish in NO and it ate it!!!! WTH!?!?!?! I love that place. No ego here....Pure jealousy.


----------



## Bonecracker

Well I am back and some thoughts after the long drive to drop the skiff off in Carrabelle and then head home back to Thomasville, UGA. We fished out of Delacroix on short notice and while we hit a good window of weather, the accommodations sucked and I truly mean they sucked!! I can rough-it with the best of them but they should have paid me $50.00 to sleep in the old trailer up on stilts with short beds! Ok back to fishing, we took my 18 HPX and it worked well for the long runs out to the fishing grounds but overall it was 2 big of a boat to access the real skinny stuff which most of the reds were in!




Day one (Saturday) when the winds were light and the HPX was perfect as we fished deeper/bigger water areas and I have never seen such sea life (sheepshead, drum, and big reds). Long run was easy and the first small cove we pulled into my buddy Trevor caught 4 nice reds on 6 casts in some cabbage in bout 12" of water. I was like it can't be this easy Trev!! We stopped counting after 20 fish and after looking at the pics on my phone at the end of the day I obviously took more pictures of Trevor than he did of me!!




Day 2 (Sunday) was colder in the AM and much windier! That being said we still ran out to our big water spots but it was inaccessible due to 2-4ft waves. Ran back inside and found a few ponds that held fish but things where much more difficult on Sunday. We saw no Big Fish at all and ended up catching 11 reds on fly and a few trashfish! That being said, a bad day in LA is much, much better than a good day around Carrabelle.


Day 3 (Monday) we picked up a local guide (Adam Hudson) that had the day off and he went fishing with us for the hell of it! Of course he took us to some areas we had not fished and we saw a lot more fish than Sunday and we all got into the action. Had a few double hook ups and it was great day of fellowship and Bsing each other. At the end of the day we saved one of the reds to eat as appetizers for dinner later that nite. Cold beers, good cigar, and a nice fire pit ended a great day on the water.


Side note: Some of the fish were picky on the fly we used but all of them ate the ole Dupree Spoon fly in a darker color! (I know its not a fly but just sayin!) Poling in the mud is not easy but it was especially hard when poling into the wind. I found the key was not to sink the fork deep into the mud and start your push off easily and you were off & moving. If you pushed hard it was hard to get the folk out of the mud at the end of your push. Speaking of moving, it was some of the slowest poling I have ever done and nobody was in a big hurry to alert the fish in the area as long as we stayed in a straight line! Turn the skiff and it was game over! If you have not gone you need to go as we only saw two flats boats in three days of fishing (inside) but on the other hand we saw more 30 bay boats a day!

Oh ya forgot one other thing, bring CASH or check as most places down there do not accept plastic but there was an ATM floating around somewhere that my buddy used!!


----------



## E-money

Bonecracker said:


> View attachment 19378
> View attachment 19379
> View attachment 19380
> View attachment 19381
> View attachment 19382
> Well I am back and some thoughts after the long drive to drop the skiff off in Carrabelle and then head home back to Thomasville, UGA. We fished out of Delacroix on short notice and while we hit a good window of weather, the accommodations sucked and I truly mean they sucked!! I can rough-it with the best of them but they should have paid me $50.00 to sleep in the old trailer up on stilts with short beds! Ok back to fishing, we took my 18 HPX and it worked well for the long runs out to the fishing grounds but overall it was 2 big of a boat to access the real skinny stuff which most of the reds were in!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Day one (Saturday) when the winds were light and the HPX was perfect as we fished deeper/bigger water areas and I have never seen such sea life (sheepshead, drum, and big reds). Long run was easy and the first small cove we pulled into my buddy Trevor caught 4 nice reds on 6 casts in some cabbage in bout 12" of water. I was like it can't be this easy Trev!! We stopped counting after 20 fish and after looking at the pics on my phone at the end of the day I obviously took more pictures of Trevor than he did of me!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Day 2 (Sunday) was colder in the AM and much windier! That being said we still ran out to our big water spots but it was inaccessible due to 2-4ft waves. Ran back inside and found a few ponds that held fish but things where much more difficult on Sunday. We saw no Big Fish at all and ended up catching 11 reds on fly and a few trashfish! That being said, a bad day in LA is much, much better than a good day around Carrabelle.
> 
> 
> Day 3 (Monday) we picked up a local guide (Adam Hudson) that had the day off and he went fishing with us for the hell of it! Of course he took us to some areas we had not fished and we saw a lot more fish than Sunday and we all got into the action. Had a few double hook ups and it was great day of fellowship and Bsing each other. At the end of the day we saved one of the reds to eat as appetizers for dinner later that nite. Cold beers, good cigar, and a nice fire pit ended a great day on the water.
> 
> 
> Side note: Some of the fish were picky on the fly we used but all of them ate the ole Dupree Spoon fly in a darker color! (I know its not a fly but just sayin!) Poling in the mud is not easy but it was especially hard when poling into the wind. I found the key was not to sink the fork deep into the mud and start your push off easily and you were off & moving. If you pushed hard it was hard to get the folk out of the mud at the end of your push. Speaking of moving, it was some of the slowest poling I have ever done and nobody was in a big hurry to alert the fish in the area as long as we stayed in a straight line! Turn the skiff and it was game over! If you have not gone you need to go as we only saw two flats boats in three days of fishing (inside) but on the other hand we saw more 30 bay boats a day!


I think I passed you guys as you were picking up on Saturday. I was in a blue tiller Fury and passed Sweetwater around 4 pm. Glad to see ya'll got on them. Sorry to hear about the poor accommodations.


----------



## No Bait / Lures Only

Bonecracker said:


> View attachment 19383
> View attachment 19384
> Worst bed I ever slept in but we r locked & loaded in Delacroix‼


I rented that trailer and a slip for over 2 years, when safety became an issue I decided to move on. Be aware.....Adam is a great guy I fished with him once...


----------



## ifsteve

I think you have hit on one of the major downside of fishing the LA marsh. There are a number of jump off points but several of the main ones talked about on here have very limited accomodations. There is just nothing to do in the Delacroix or Hopedale spots besides the fishing. No good places to eat. Not many places to stay. So if you are bringing the wife or family then there are other considerations. 

And as for staying in NOLA. Well then there are tons of places to stay (albeit pricey) and the food.....well I don't think there is any better. But I would be very careful where I went after dark!


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## crc01

I need to get to LA one of these days. We have the numbers here in TX, but not the size you guys have over there.


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## crboggs

So...I can pole and call out fish. Anyone need someone to ride bitch the first weekend in February? *lol*


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## coconutgroves

@Bonecracker - saw Adam in your pics and recognized him immediately. Cool guy.

@lsunoe - yes, I was fishing with Ron Ratliff. Really liked fishing with him. Recommended to him from @scissorhands 

I am not going to outright brag on numbers, but we had double digit bulls (quantity, not pounds) and lots of slots. Double digit fish per day, but I also spend a lot of time doing this and know the game well. I pulled off some long shots to get some of the fish that otherwise could have been missed. The water was clear and we had low winds the first two days, so conditions were a bit more technical than normal.



















More to be posted on my Instagram - easier posting pics there - https://www.instagram.com/coconutgrovesfly


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## Bonecracker

No Bait / Lures Only said:


> I rented that trailer and a slip for over 2 years, when safety became an issue I decided to move on. Be aware.....Adam is a great guy I fished with him once...


Would you care to expound upon the "Safety" issues No Bait??

Oh ya, I saw your Fury E-Money & hope you had as good a day as we did!


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## E-money

Bonecracker said:


> Would you care to expound upon the "Safety" issues No Bait??
> 
> Oh ya, I saw your Fury E-Money & hope you had as good a day as we did!


Yea we sure did. It was a great day on the water, plenty plenty of fish. Got my buddy his first few reds on fly which is always a big bonus.


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## Mountolive

paint it black said:


> In the late 50's, when my mother left Cuba at 6 years of age, she was sent to live with a relative in Eunice Louisiana. Being that my mother is the one responsible for my fishing addiction, I have always wanted to go fish Louisiana, as she has always spoken highly of it.
> For some odd reason, my travels have never led that way, until now. This time next week, I should be in a marsh somewhere near Venice hopefully casting at fish. Which leads me to the reason for this thread..... What flies should I tie?
> 
> A few buddies have told me "whatever they see" is the best fly. Well, what exactly does that mean? There has to be a general consensus as to what flies should work best. Bait fish? Shrimpy / crabby? Natural colors? Bright loud colors?
> 
> Any recommendation on hooks?
> 
> Thanks!


Did you share your trip pictures and stories with your Mom?


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## No Bait / Lures Only

Bonecracker said:


> Would you care to expound upon the "Safety" issues No Bait??
> 
> Oh ya, I saw your Fury E-Money & hope you had as good a day as we did!





ifsteve said:


> I think you have hit on one of the major downside of fishing the LA marsh. There are a number of jump off points but several of the main ones talked about on here have very limited accomodations. There is just nothing to do in the Delacroix or Hopedale spots besides the fishing. No good places to eat. Not many places to stay. So if you are bringing the wife or family then there are other considerations.
> 
> And as for staying in NOLA. Well then there are tons of places to stay (albeit pricey) and the food.....well I don't think there is any better. But I would be very careful where I went after dark!


Try Charlies in Violet for food, very good $$, highway is nearly completed now...


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## ifsteve

Charlies is our go to place when we stay down there. But its still the better part of a half hour from either Hopedale or Delacroix. Which isn't bad but after a long day on the water another drive is not my favorite thing to do.


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## Bonecracker

ifsteve said:


> Charlies is our go to place when we stay down there. But its still the better part of a half hour from either Hopedale or Delacroix. Which isn't bad but after a long day on the water another drive is not my favorite thing to do.


We ate dinner there twice and it was good. Our best dinner was the fried Redfish fingers and Adams homemade spaghetti! Thanks again for taking good care of us Adam!


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## No Bait / Lures Only

Bonecracker said:


> Would you care to expound upon the "Safety" issues No Bait??
> 
> Oh ya, I saw your Fury E-Money & hope you had as good a day as we did!


be glad to tell you about safety issues, don't know how to send personal message
send me a cell number


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## coconutgroves

No Bait / Lures Only said:


> be glad to tell you about safety issues, don't know how to send personal message
> send me a cell number


Click on the person's name in a post. A pop up should appear. Click "Start a Conversation"


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## No Bait / Lures Only

No Bait / Lures Only said:


> be glad to tell you about safety issues, don't know how to send personal message





coconutgroves said:


> Click on the person's name in a post. A pop up should appear. Click "Start a Conversation"


The conversation will only be seen by the selected person?


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## Tx_Whipray

No Bait / Lures Only said:


> The conversation will only be seen by the selected person?


Correct


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## No Bait / Lures Only

Tx_Whipray said:


> Correct


Thanks for the help/info...


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## paint it black

I am itchin' right now...... Since my LA trip, I've only fished Everglades National Park twice...... First day, jumped and lost 4 or 5 juvenile tarpon, landed one jack, sight fished in shallow water..... Second trip, caught one 20" seatrout, and a couple early 20" snook..... I wish I was in LA catching reds.....

So I went ahead and drew a redfish from our trip. Sold the sketch within the hour of when I posted it to a client in Spring Texas; he's headed to LA to fish in a couple weeks. 









I am finally going to put together a video from our trip.


-Eric


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## Mountolive

paint it black said:


> I am itchin' right now...... Since my LA trip, I've only fished Everglades National Park twice...... First day, jumped and lost 4 or 5 juvenile tarpon, landed one jack, sight fished in shallow water..... Second trip, caught one 20" seatrout, and a couple early 20" snook..... I wish I was in LA catching reds.....
> 
> So I went ahead and drew a redfish from our trip. Sold the sketch within the hour of when I posted it to a client in Spring Texas; he's headed to LA to fish in a couple weeks.
> 
> View attachment 19982
> 
> I am finally going to put together a video from our trip.
> 
> 
> -Eric


I was there two weeks ago. That place is amazing!


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## ifsteve

Just spent the last two days on the water. Fished entirely different areas both days. Never touched a fish. Boat got blanked on Friday and we got one on fly yesterday. Water temps have dropped over 15 degrees since last Sunday. Fish have disappeared for a bit and another even worse cold front coming tomorrow. 

Yup they be jumping in the skiff.....lol


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## Smackdaddy53

ifsteve said:


> Just spent the last two days on the water. Fished entirely different areas both days. Never touched a fish. Boat got blanked on Friday and we got one on fly yesterday. Water temps have dropped over 15 degrees since last Sunday. Fish have disappeared for a bit and another even worse cold front coming tomorrow.
> 
> Yup they be jumping in the skiff.....lol


Hit them on the flats when the sun pops out a few days from now and they are basking in the shallows. You know the drill.


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## No Bait / Lures Only

Don't feel toooo bad not catching in Louisiana, the locals didn't fare any better.......Water below 50 not much biting....


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## Smackdaddy53

No Bait / Lures Only said:


> Don't feel toooo bad not catching in Louisiana, the locals didn't fare any better.......Water below 50 not much biting....


They are still eating you just have to find where they are holed up. Fish have to eat. My buddy and I caught these two 26 1/2 and 27 1/4” trout back to back casts in less than 5 feet of water last winter and the water temperature was 42 degrees. Not surface temperature, actual water temperature. We proceeded to catch trout and redfish for the next several hours on fatboys.


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## flysalt060

They are still eating on forgotten coast. Unless you miss the hookset.


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## CoolRunnings

Smackdaddy53 said:


> They are still eating you just have to find where they are holed up. Fish have to eat. My buddy and I caught these two 26 1/2 and 27 1/4” trout back to back casts in less than 5 feet of water last winter and the water temperature was 42 degrees. Not surface temperature, actual water temperature. We proceeded to catch trout and redfish for the next several hours on fatboys.
> View attachment 20661
> View attachment 20660


I think he's trying to catch them on a fly rod, not a corky. Overcast and cold nasty conditions have probably sent the fish for deeper water or dead end canals. Sunlight and warming flats should bring the reds back into sight casting situation.


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## Smackdaddy53

Austin_Boudreaux said:


> I think he's trying to catch them on a fly rod, not a corky. Overcast and cold nasty conditions have probably sent the fish for deeper water or dead end canals. Sunlight and warming flats should bring the reds back into sight casting situation.


Yes I was referring to this post right before mine.


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## sjrobin

Smackdaddy53 said:


> They are still eating you just have to find where they are holed up. Fish have to eat. My buddy and I caught these two 26 1/2 and 27 1/4” trout back to back casts in less than 5 feet of water last winter and the water temperature was 42 degrees. Not surface temperature, actual water temperature. We proceeded to catch trout and redfish for the next several hours on fatboys.
> View attachment 20661
> View attachment 20660


I like the full moon in the back ground.


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## Smackdaddy53

sjrobin said:


> I like the full moon in the back ground.


Yessir, this patch of shell out in the middle of the bay is a year round honey hole of mine not many know about. There’s no depth changes or structure other than some clumps of toehead oysters scattered on the bottom. The big girls lay belly down in that mud and thump soft plastics and fatboys like crazy when it’s cold and hang around the shell most of the year as well. I had it marked from the winter before and we got out there right before sunrise and when we drifted over my mark we both got thumped. I found the area several years ago when I used to kayak a lot. Three diving brown pelicans and one flipping mullet gave the area away. I bet in the last 6 years I have personally landed 30-40 trout from 26-28” in that place. You can see the shell clumps on the depth finder and now and they you’ll snag one and have to lift it off the bottom and unhook your lure from it. Most clumps are about 6” wide and 10-12” tall. I bet with heavy fly with a large profile you could catch them just as well.


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## Smackdaddy53

sjrobin said:


> No doubt specks and reds love to be near shell in the colder winter water but at this point I like to see fish eat. I guess I am a bit of a fish voyeur.


Me too but sometimes you have to take what you can get.


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## ifsteve

Pretty sure this is the fly fishing forum. Nothing wrong with conventional but if I wanted to discuss conventional stuff I'd post it someplace else. Oh and for the record, I hit the shallow mud flats all day yesterday. Nice and sunny. Water warmed up 4 degrees. No fish. I KNOW the drill. Yesterday somebody forgot to tell the fish!


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## Smackdaddy53

ifsteve said:


> Pretty sure this is the fly fishing forum. Nothing wrong with conventional but if I wanted to discuss conventional stuff I'd post it someplace else. Oh and for the record, I hit the shallow mud flats all day yesterday. Nice and sunny. Water warmed up 4 degrees. No fish. I KNOW the drill. Yesterday somebody forgot to tell the fish!


I was just making a point, not criticizing you or anyone else. Fish are fish no matter what you are fishing with. There’s been twenty topics since the OP post this. 
Sorry to ruin your thread...oh it’s not your thread.


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## No Bait / Lures Only

Smackdaddy53 said:


> They are still eating you just have to find where they are holed up. Fish have to eat. My buddy and I caught these two 26 1/2 and 27 1/4” trout back to back casts in less than 5 feet of water last winter and the water temperature was 42 degrees. Not surface temperature, actual water temperature. We proceeded to catch trout and redfish for the next several hours on fatboys.
> View attachment 20661
> View attachment 20660


outstanding...


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## Limp Shrimp

ifsteve said:


> Just spent the last two days on the water. Fished entirely different areas both days. Never touched a fish. Boat got blanked on Friday and we got one on fly yesterday. Water temps have dropped over 15 degrees since last Sunday. Fish have disappeared for a bit and another even worse cold front coming tomorrow.
> 
> Yup they be jumping in the skiff.....lol


We know what you are up to, and it's not going to work! Don't come here, Don't come here! there's No fish here.. it's like every where else..


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## ifsteve

Limp Shrimp said:


> We know what you are up to, and it's not going to work! Don't come here, Don't come here! there's No fish here.. it's like every where else..


No thats honestly not my intent. Let me be clear. The fishery here is outstanding and if you get a chance then by all means you should come try it. All I am trying to do is to temper expectations. How many posts (on any forum on any king of fishing) do you see that guys talk about their horrible trip? Not many. Guys go home with their tails between their legs and let a bad trip go. The reports you see are from those who really did have a great trip. So the readers are getting a biased look. They see and read much more about the good trips than they the read about the not so good trips. When I have friends from back home come to visit I spend a lot of time before hand trying to let them know a realistic outlook. And part of that is when guys want to come. The trout guys from out west want to come in the dead of winter when all their water is of the hard variety. I get that. Its why I don't live there in the winter!! But we still have cold fronts and some are downright frigid like this week. And if your timing in late December through February is off you can get screwed. But if you catch a break then its going to be way better than any fishing you can have at home in the winter. But its still fishing and its still predicated on conditions. Just like any fishery.


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## Tx_Whipray

Well, since this seems to be the de facto Louisiana thread...I'm heading back this weekend. I've got a friend that lives in Colorado that "guided" me for 4 days on the Roaring Fork river this past fall. Had a blast and caught a ton of Browns and wild Rainbows. My payback trip for him is a Redfishing trip. Weather is so-so this weekend, but it's the only time we could both make it work.


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## jmrodandgun

Where are you guys fishing?


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## Tx_Whipray

Staying in Houma (I’m a Marriott whore) and launching from Cocodrie marina


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## Smackdaddy53

Tx_Whipray said:


> Staying in Houma (I’m a Marriott whore) and launching from Cocodrie marina


If you ever need another fisherman let me know!


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## coconutgroves

Tx_Whipray said:


> Well, since this seems to be the de facto Louisiana thread...I'm heading back this weekend. I've got a friend that lives in Colorado that "guided" me for 4 days on the Roaring Fork river this past fall. Had a blast and caught a ton of Browns and wild Rainbows. My payback trip for him is a Redfishing trip. Weather is so-so this weekend, but it's the only time we could both make it work.


I love the Roaing Fork, one of my favorite rivers. I’ve drifted it a few times and waded it numerous times.


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## E-money

Tx_Whipray said:


> Staying in Houma (I’m a Marriott whore) and launching from Cocodrie marina


Heeeeyyyyyy I might be out that way on Saturday. I will be fishing Coco a lot next weekend and was thinking of getting some fish finding done this weekend. But I am also considering heading back to St. Bernard. It'll be a game time decision. Good luck!


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## Tx_Whipray

Well, mother nature kicked our butts. We were blown out Friday, and ended up driving to NOLA and doing some eating and day drinking. Saturday morning we launched the boat with 35 degree air temps and a big negative low tide, so I didn't have high hopes. There was only one other trailer in the parking lot at coco marina, and I was a little freaked out by how low the water was, so we ran the main bay all the way down to the southern edge, then found some somewhat protected shorelines on the outside islands, and my buddy picked up 6 fish. Nothing huge, his largest was 32", but for a day where we had to fight a 20 mph wind and air temps barely in the 40s, I thought we did okay. 
Since we didn't get to fish Friday, we decided to fish a while Sunday rather than just getting on the road. Same issues Sunday morning with air temps right around freezing, but the water had come back a little, and the winds had shifted a little to the NE and abated somewhat. We ran to the same general area and found a nice long shoreline that was pretty well protected, and got on them right away. Again, nothing huge, but put 10 in the boat in 5 hours and had plenty of shots. Largest of the day was a fat 30" that fought harder than all the other fish he caught. I think the slightly warmer afternoon temps got them a little more feisty. We picked up at 2:00 and were on the road back to Texas at 2:45. I dropped my buddy off at his in-laws house at 11:30 and I climbed into my own bed at 12:30.


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## GullsGoneWild

A guide lost his engine.


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## Tx_Whipray

Was that yesterday? I thought I saw Some guide rigs in the parking lot at Coco yesterday afternoon when we were loading up. When we were leaving yesterday morning, Ron Ratliff was going out with a client and shot the shit with me for a minute, and there was one other rig I didn't recognize (Black Sequoia with Texas plates and a HB Ram Lin)


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## Zika

Nice lemonade and some gorgeous shots.


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## jmrodandgun

We were hooked up and ready to head down there Friday evening but called it off at the last minute.


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## GullsGoneWild

Tx_Whipray said:


> Was that yesterday? I thought I saw some guides rigs in the parking lot at Coco yesterday afternoon when we were loading up. When we were leaving yesterday morning, Lucas Bissett was going out with a client and shot the shit with me for a minute, and there was one other rig I didn't recognize (Black Sequoia with Texas plates and a HB Ram Lin)


the engine completely sheared off his 16' Whipray. And to be clear it was NOT his fault. Cant do anything about unmarked obstructions. He said he was only doing 25MPH.


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## Tx_Whipray

That's crazy it sheared the whole motor. Did it break the transom? Lucky no one was hurt.


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## GullsGoneWild

transom looked fine in the pics I saw.


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## Tx_Whipray

Just the lower unit came off, or the whole motor? Either way, that's a solid impact. I feel better about my choice to get my ass kicked in the main bay now.


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## GullsGoneWild

Whole motor


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## GullsGoneWild

No more pics.


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## Tx_Whipray




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## jmrodandgun

Is that a merc swivel bracket? If so, nothing of value was lost.


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## Tx_Whipray

I know a guy selling a short shaft 30Hp ETEC with about 4 hours on it. Figured out pretty quick he needed the long shaft.


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## Tx_Whipray

coconutgroves said:


> I love the Roaing Fork, one of my favorite rivers. I’ve drifted it a few times and waded it numerous times.


My friend lives in Carbondale has his own drift boat. We drifted 3 days throwing big articulated streamers for big browns, and hiked in closer to the headwaters and caught a bunch of wild rainbows. Didn't catch any monsters but lost a big brown at the boat and had a pig Rainbow cut me off on a rock. Beautiful country.


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## GullsGoneWild

jmrodandgun said:


> Is that a merc swivel bracket? If so, nothing of value was lost.


Other pics show a zuke cowling


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## sjrobin

Very dangerous for an OB to do that. The kill switch would not help in that case unless it was a tiller. I have never seen an outboard do that, but I have not seen a lot of Zukes.


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## Steve_Mevers

Accidents like that are when the poling platform can save your life, I have scene where the engines prop came into the boat after an impact and killed the passenger. Glad everyone was ok


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## TidewateR

karma keeps coming back to this guy! Glad everyone was safe


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## redchaser

No need to be scared of a little low water and cold weather. A few from Sunday and Monday.
(edit, had to alter a photo to protect the very guilty)


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## Ruddy Duck LA

You probably should have swirled Justin's hat to be safe.


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## Caleb.Esparza

Monday was the best weather window so far this week so I had no choice but to make the long run to "Venice".

The strange thing was, the water was low 40's with air about the same and they were just jumping right in the boat. Didn't even need that silly fly pole.


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## jmrodandgun

That's some pretty serous dedication. Now I feel like a lazy pos


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## GullsGoneWild

TidewateR said:


> karma keeps coming back to this guy! Glad everyone was safe


What did he do to deserve this?


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## Caleb.Esparza

jmrodandgun said:


> That's some pretty serous dedication. Now I feel like a lazy pos


I have a buddy visiting from Oregon this week so I had no choice but to be out there. I'll probably be out there again Friday


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## GullsGoneWild

Well guys I'm in the dog house eating crow and feeling like I let someone down. There was a misunderstanding on my part. The guide I mentioned earlier did not tow in the guide who lost his engine. And the guide who lost his engine was NOT doing anything wrong. Apologies to everyone. Posts are scrubbed


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## redchaser

jmrodandgun said:


> That's some pretty serous dedication. Now I feel like a lazy pos


Monday was pretty nice...Sunday was a cold B****


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## Caleb.Esparza

redchaser said:


> Monday was pretty nice...Sunday was a cold B****


Oh yea. I fished Sunday too.. waited till 11am to splash the boat but the fish were eating.


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## ifsteve

Caleb.Esparza said:


> Oh yea. I fished Sunday too.. waited till 11am to splash the boat but the fish were eating.


For some of you. For some of us not so much...lol


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## Caleb.Esparza

Going on like day 30+ of almost continuous dog sh*t weather here with no end in sight. Sure wish some of those easiest redfish in the world were even present to jump in the boat. 

I think in 2018 all the Instagram fly fishers of the world should cancel their Oct./Nov. trips to hopedale and visit in late January instead. But then again it's hard to get good drone footage when it's blowing 25 and cloudy..


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## sjrobin

November/December were better weather days for sure.


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## paint it black

Alright y'all! it's that time again! 

My two buddies and I are headed back to Buras in a few days, hoping to have some good luck again. 
read through this whole thread again to try to remember some of the tips y'all gave us. 
I finally put together that video from last trip.


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## paint it black

Got back from the marsh. It was definitely not as plentiful as last time due to bad weather, but we still managed to get into them thick the last day. First two days we managed a few.


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## backbone

Nice, glad you got some!
Yeah, the weather is the struggle bus up there!


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## Tx_Whipray

Saw your Insta posts. Looked like a good time. I'm going to be down there first half of Thanksgiving week. Sat-Wed.


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## redchaser

Glad you had another good trip.


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## fatman

strong work


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## MariettaMike

RIO Hopedale Crab


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## KimmerIII

nice. this rain needs to stop!


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