High Water and Changing Patterns

 2015 has been a phenomenal year fishing for me,  from traveling across the country fishing a freshwater kayak series to stepping into the IFA redfish tour Boat division to running more charters than I have ever imagined, it's been amazing.
As I sit here watching it rain and listening to the clock tick ever so slowly in anticipation of the LSU vs Alabama game tonight at 7pm, I can't help but think of how I have let my blog slowly decrease in activity over the past several months.  For a couple years now I have worked hard to build an audience and an avenue where I could share my experiences, successes, and failures, and to those that follow my reports, I apologize.  So today is the day where I get back on track and refocus on doing what I love, sharing the outdoors with anyone and everyone that's willing to listen or read about it.
 Lately our waters have been in a constant change in south Louisiana.  One day the waters in Delacroix are 4 feet low and the next they are 4 feet above normal and there is water running over the highway.  Situations like this can present a boat yard of pinballs throughout the marsh bouncing around like crazy hitting every bumper they can in an attempt to catch fish.  The sight fishing guys get bummed because now there are 24 foot bay boats sitting in the middle of their shallow water hotspot popping corks in waters that they normally can't get in, the duck hunters are bummed because its 80 degrees out when it should be 50 or 60, and the marsh is so flooded the ducks have endless opportunities to eat and hide in newly formed flooded ponds, and the kayak guys get challenged by the rate of speed the water is falling and 10 paddle strokes now equals only a few feet of travel at times.  With all this change that can drive anglers insane, there is always one thing that is constant, fish need to eat.
 While we can't always pick the best days to hit the water, like when the sun is shining, the pressure is low, and the tide is at 1.2 feet and falling, it's up to us to adapt to what's going on.  I won't ever pretend to know everything outdoors, and while it seems my mind is fading more and more with every year of age I endure, I have learned a few things over the years that have helped me continually fill the box in tough times and in times that matter.
 Right now the trout are moving in, or for a better term, have moved in.  Over the past week, myself and my clients have landed trout from 10 inches to 23 inches with several pushing the 5 to 6 lbs mark.  We have caught them in 18 inches of water while sight fishing reds, and in 30 feet of water jigging plastics.  We have pulled reds from deep in the grass chasing shrimp in just a couple of inches of water to drop shotting plastics and dead shrimp in 20 feet of water.  The patterns haven't held for days on end, one day it's shallow, one day its points, one day is channel bends, one day it's deep holes or choke points.  But that's what's great about fall fishing, the fish seem to be everywhere, and while I am confident that some scientist somewhere can break down exactly why and when our fish do what they do, I have always found that trial and error produce more consistent results through sticking and moving rather than sticking to a plan that you read about somewhere.
 Here are a  few of the steps that I have been walking lately that have kept the box full whether the sun was shining or the rain was falling, both in shallow water and high.
If the water is extremely high and the tide is falling out fast, go deep for trout and reds in a man channel with a drop shot set up.  A main channel being one that the marsh is draining into and then it is draining into an even bigger channel.  I don't mean just roll up into Bayou terre aux boeuf and start slinging drop shots, but as a point of reference, bayou terre aux bouf would be considered the "bigger channel" .  Try a couple spots like this and find what works, if that's not working move shallow, find some drains that are filtering out of the marsh itself, these would be small cuts that you wouldn't dare put your boat into, but if the current is falling out of it from the endless grassy marshes around, try the mouths of them.  Don't just hit one and give up, hit 5 or 6 of them and when you find one producing, work it until it stops producing, move on to another, and then circle on back again and see if it has become active again.  There are days when I may stop at 15 different locations and only 3 of them produce, but they continue to produce all day long if you keep giving them a break to explore other areas. 
If you want to move on from the marsh and go into really deep water to try your luck, the most consistent thing I've seen lately is that the bottom is golden.  If your lure isn't reaching the bottom, odds of you being out fished
 are 10 fold.  I watched a client this past week catch trout off the back of the boat 7 to one to her partner on the front of the boat.  It wasn't the location or a special reef she was fishing, the only difference in the presentation was that she let her lure get all the way to the bottom.  When going deep this week, you have to learn patience, not necessarily patience for the bite, but that 10 to 12 seconds of stagnant time anxiously awaiting your lure to reach the strike zone.  It's a great time to hit your reels
 with a little lubrication, Reel Magic or whatever you normally use to keep your equipment in top shape.
While the sight fishing game is still going on as our waters continue to clear up, keep in mind it is duck season and most ducks fly early and get shot
 at early, so if you're headed to the shallow ponds, let the sun get high, redfish will bite all day.  With a short season on big ducks, let those guys have their fun, and you can come in later in the day and have yours.
I hope some of this is useful for you and helps in putting together a plan that will help you land more fish, but at the same time encourage you to step out of your normal comfort zone and find new areas to fish, and new techniques to use during high water tides.
As the water begins to recede following all of east winds that have flooded our marshes, I'll follow this up with some shallow water tactics based on
 what's happening out there as we get into a normal fall/winter water level or pattern.

Until Next Time,

Good luck, Stay Safe, & Catch1

When plagued with rain, wind, and muddy waters, open up the history book

 Fishing in south Louisiana is well known for the phrase that lines most of our local license plates, "Sportsman's Paradise", due to the many species that lie within our coast lines, from quail to deer, Tarpon to Tuna and Speckled Trout to Largemouth Bass, there is an abundance of game that people travel thousands of miles to experience.  But recently, we have been under an aerial attack of constant rainfall mixed with high winds and muddy water. And while many parts of the Louisiana coast have continued to produce great numbers of specs and reds both inshore and off, you have to really pick your days wisely and most of all safely. 
Over the past several weeks I have been following schools of redfish throughout the marshes of Delacroix, La.  And while it usually seems easy to just launch your boat or kayak and begin catching reds within minutes, this past weekend was a completely different story. 
Most recently, I have spent my time within a 10 mile radius of my launch location, and every day I ventured out I was able to quickly get on some good action.  Clear and shallow water site fishing around vegetation that was matted up on the surface, like a field of 3 day old cut hay, seemed to be the ticket.  The thick grass was keeping the water filtered and it was almost like fishing in an aquarium.  There were many times where the fish weren't tailing above the water, but with the clarity being what it was, we could see the fish in pods up to 50 to 70 yards away glowing in the sunlight.  It was weeks of nonstop action, and easy numbers for clients.  Sometimes we would go just half a day and easily see over 100 redfish.
And then just when you began thinking you hung the moon, a 25 mph south east wind blows in and shakes it all up.  On one day the water levels were normal and the next they were two feet higher, all the grass matts were now below the waters surface, the 12 inches of water we were catching them in was now 3 feet deep, and what seemed like an army of redfish the day before, quickly turned into a popular hunting ground that was cleaned out by a forest fire.  There wasn't a redfish to be found for miles. 
After about 5 stops in the normal hot spots and only landing a few specs and bass where the reds were supposed to be.  We finally decided to make a move to deeper water.  It wasn't deep to most, but when you have been fishing 10 inches to 3 feet all day, moving into a fast moving canal with a point on it and a drop off from 3 feet to 11 feet, that's what we consider deep.  We ended what started out as an extremely slow and frustrating day with a box full of redfish in less than an hour.  Now, the question is why?  Why did these fish move out of the shallows?  All of the bait in the world had been blown up and into where the fish were the day before, but on this day with water levels were two feet higher and they were all gone.
What was it that made them move and congregate into deeper water, and were we catching them coming back into the shallows, or were we catching them congregated in the deep? It's a little bit of that "chicken and the egg" question.
Now, it's never uncommon for fish to move on a daily basis, and staying ahead of that pattern is what really separates the consistent anglers from the not so consistent ones.  We have all fished with people that swear by an area, because last time they fished it they caught a million fish, but when you show up with them you catch nothing, and they give that dumbfounded face followed by, "I don't know what happened, they were here last time???"
This is a great opportunity for a teaching lesson, nothing major, just the simple things like: what time of year was it, what were the conditions, falling tide or rising tide, south wind or north wind, before a front or after a front?  These are just some simple questions that you need to ask yourself before venturing off to ones honey hole, or better yet your own honey hole.  Get a journal(or what I refer to as "the history book"), record the same information time and time again, and within a year, you will already have a good idea of what to expect next year.
Redfish and trout, along with hundreds of other species,  can be very predictable if you understand and follow the patterns.  Keep an eye out on the forums and local fishing magazines, document where the reports are coming from and pin them on a map.  Over time, you will notice that year in and year out the same patterns and transitions begin to arise.  Sometimes they may be a week or three ahead of or behind schedule, while other times they may be spot on.  If you take the time to read books, like Trout Masters for example, you can learn a lot about the habits of fish, and more important than learning their habits, is learning what causes those habits.  Knowing this will keep you ahead of the fish and following their transition before they even make it, like spawning salinity, when do they spawn, where do they spawn, where do they hold before a spawn, the forage hatch, is it shrimp or pogies this month, big shrimp or small shrimp, what does a north or south wind do to certain areas in terms of clarity, salinity, and temperature.  It may take a little homework, but if you document it as you live it, you will always have it as a quick reference, and the next time your buddy says, "lets go hit my honey hole," you can quickly respond with a few questions or possible suggestions that could make your day on the water a lot more enjoyable.


Until Next Time,

Stay Safe & Catch1

Conquering the Storm or Dancing with the Devil... Paddle Palooza 2015

  With busy schedules and a commitment to focus on freshwater for 2015, there was definitely a hesitation in preparing for Paddle Palooza XI.  Although my wife, Jennifer, and I had made the agreement nearly a year earlier that we were going to fish this event together, the KBS and KBF Opens had been in full swing over the previous weeks leading up to PPXI, and I was just settling down from traveling to and fishing Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, Texas, and Tennessee.  Needless to say my focus was on large mouths and not specs or reds at all.  But with only a week left before PPXI we revisited the idea, followed through with our reservations, paid our entry fees, and began casting sessions on the back deck over a few cold beers and warm glasses of wine.  And while I gave as much direction as I could about casting direction, distance, and presentation, the biggest teacher of them all turned out to be my 6 year old daughter Payton.  As I have to travel a lot for work, on the nights when I was away, Payton made sure to get momma on track.  She explained the process of flipping the bail, holding the line on the end of your finger, and casting both side armed and over hand.  Payton stepped up like a pro and sat Jennifer down like a student on her first day of school.  I couldn't be more proud of both them for being open minded and knowledgeable enough to teach and learn from each other, especially given the 3 decades of separation between them.
Just to put it all into perspective, Jennifer has only ventured into a kayak once or twice since we have owned them, and has never fished or caught a fish out of a kayak. But with the truck loaded, she was ready.  I could feel the nerves building with every mile of road traveled down toward Grand Isle, La.  It was a strong mix of excitement and nervousness, with a major concern of weighing in.  All Jennifer wanted was to be on the board, she just wanted to weigh a fish.  It didn't matter if she had a tiny fish, fell out of the kayak,  or had to use dead or live bait, she just did not want to come home with a skunk on her back.
As we arrived with a couple hours left of daylight, I decided we would avoid the planned fishing location and head to Fourchon for some site seeing in the Mangroves, casting practice in real situations, and educating a little around current lines, moving water, and points.  Little did I know that after two turns down the canal we were going to end up in whirlpools spread all over as the depths dropped and currents fell at a high rate of speed.  I was actually nervous at one point, but in no way was I going to let Jennifer know that this was not normal. While my goal was to ultimately keep her safe, I needed to tread on the side of caution as to not startle her to the dangers around, but she took to the Hobie Outback like a tornado in a trailer park.  She was bobbing and weaving and pedaling through every obstacle in front and around her like she had done it a thousand times. 
After a solid hour of fishing oyster flats and the water continuing to drop, she looked at a small cut with some water flowing out of it and said, " if I was fish, I'd be over there." I told her to go get it, and after about 10 minutes of beating the water with her gulp and cork, it finally happened.  The cork dropped, the line went tight, and she set the hook like she was shark fishing off the beach.  She even set it 2 or three more times while reeling it in just for safe measures.  It was an exciting moment for both of us.  As we took some pictures, shared a cold drink, and celebrated the joy of her first redfish ever, her first fish in a kayak, and her first real kayak fishing experience, we called it a day and headed back to the truck.  I think I sent that pic to more than 50 people within minutes, you would've thought I was celebrating my first born. 
After a few more drinks and the ending of her first captains meeting, we hit the sack.  And with just hours in, the alarm went off and we were rolling to the truck at 3 a.m.  We were tired and excited and ready for action, but the action we got was a just little bit more than what we bargained for.  As we arrived at our first location, it was obvious we weren't going to put in and pedal anywhere.  The lightening was crashing everywhere and the wind was whipping like a long tailed cat surrounded by rocking chairs.  We then moved a little further down the road to attempt to get ready for a little roadside fishing, but as we parked, the truck began to shake and visibility dropped down to Mississippi River clarity after a hurricane.  It was clear that what was going through Jennifer's mind at this point was definitely some thoughts and choice words that wouldn't be politically correct to write in a blog or say in crowd, and with that shared, we decided we had better head to Morans for some hot coffee and breakfast, actually she decided, I just obeyed. 
As the major storm bands passed, we decided we still had time to make it down to our backup roadside spot and try our luck just in time for safe time fishing hours.  Unfortunately after unloading the yaks, nosing it in the water, and an hour of fishing, Jennifer didn't get the first strike.
From there we loaded up with our heads hung low, but still optimistic, and headed to spot number one.  As we pedaled up, we saw a large bull red take off right in front of us, and while I suggested fishing a point, Jennifer chose her own direction and went chasing the big red.  After about twenty minutes and a few spec blow ups on topwater on my lure, Jennifer decided to turn back and hit the point.  As she approached it, I was actually reeling in a spec when I heard her yell, I got one, I got one.  As I turned to look at her, she was reeling just as fast as that red was ripping drag, and her Outback looked like it was about to plain off as she experienced her first Cajun sleigh ride.  The red finally carried her right into the grassy point and then turned, by then she had the cork reeled right up the gunnel and as I approached with my mad netting skills,  I proceeded to miss the red with the net, then I hung the net up on a ram ball and as she reeled the beast in for the third time, I then hung the net up on something else on my yak.  The red has now wrapped her line around my mirage drive, and as I pulled the drive and untangled the net for the third time, she was able to surface the red and we got him in the net.  It was 27 and an 8th inches, and while I explained the slot rule again and watched her hopes sink like a one ounce jig head in Bell Pass, I reassured her that with the water being warm, we could definitely shrink the fish to within the legal slot limit.
After a few pictures and high fives, we then made about 100 yard pedal right into a school of trout and within 15 minutes of landing her red, she now had a spec in the bag.  I couldn't believe how this horrible day of events had turned into a lifetime of memories within hours.
It was still prior to 9 a.m. and we had a lot of time to focus on flounder as this point.  And to be honest, I was done, I was ready to just turn in and hit the bunks and wait on the weigh in as I was confident she had a red that would definitely put her on the board, and if you remember, her goal wasn't to win, it was not to skunk, and that goal was well achieved.  
After about another hour of fishing I kind of hinted to her about my thoughts and she turned toward me with fire in her eyes and said are you crazy, we are not leaving until I catch a flounder.  I wasn't sure if I had created a monster or if the devil had taken over my wife, but what I was sure of was that she no longer had a fear of not catching anything, she wanted to win, and it was obvious.
We spent the next several hours avoiding lightening storms, launching the kayaks in four other locations, fishing from the side the road, fishing off the bridges, fishing between the bridges, venturing into where flounder usually lie, and searching for new flounder water, but with all efforts exhausted and my strength dwindling from loading, unloading, loading, and then unloading again and again, hunger had finally set in enough for Jennifer to say, "lets go eat."  Well after splitting a roast beef poboy at Tydes, and her apparent energy replaced, she looked at the time and said we still had an hour and that she wanted to go back out.  Well who am I to argue with the women that has officially put a stomping on me during tournament hours.  We ventured over to the public Leeville launch and proceeded to fish for another 45 minutes before we had to load up yet again and head to the weigh in.
At the weigh in her spirits were high, we were convinced she might win the ladies division and also place in the largest redfish category.  And while the pounds were unveiled we quickly learned that ounces mattered.  Jennifer ended up finishing 2nd in the ladies division, and 3rd overall largest redfish out of 287 anglers of both men and women.
It was an experience like no other, she experienced highs and lows all day long.  The high of her first tournament, the lows of frightening storms and wind shaking the truck, the high of a giant red, the low of it being to big, the high of speckled trout in the bag, the low of not finding a flounder, the high of thinking she won the ladies division, the low of realizing ounces matter, and then the final high of walking up on stage and accepting her Cabela's gift card and her first plaque ever for third largest redfish in her first tournament.  It was great to see her bounce back constantly throughout the day and watch that competitive spirit overcome everything that was thrown at her, and most of all it was exciting for me that she was able to experience the true raw emotions that take place in competitive fishing events.  It was an experience I know she will never forget and will always appreciate, and I couldn't be more proud of my wife and best friend for opening up a new world that we can both enjoy for years to come.  We will see everyone at Fall N Tide 2015.

Until Next Time,

Stay Safe & Catch1