December to Remember

 

While fall fishing took a little longer than usual to kick in this year, the recent string of cold fronts have definitely had the trout on the move and their transition into our interior marshes is now in full force.  While they have been showing up in low numbers in their usual winter spots, the fall areas have been on fire throughout the gulf areas of the state, it seems every person I talk to is slinging limits of yellow mouths over the gunnels every day.

This month I had the opportunity to get on the water with some local superstars, in their own minds of course, and pick their brains about different topics that they are passionate about.  As I arrived at Rigolets Marina an hour before the sun was set to rise, I was met by Ranger Pro and local guide of In & Out Charters, Capt. Bubby Lamy, and General Manager, third generation owner of Double D Meat Co, Josh Stogner.   These are two individuals that want nothing more than to succeed in everything they do, whether it’s putting fish over the rail for clients, or making sure that your family is getting the best country smoked sausage there is, these guys are not only good at what they do, but they are proud of it.

Capt. Bubby is a native of south Louisiana, a family man, a father of three, an inspiration to many, and a captain that strives to make sure you’re smiling the entire day on the water.  With over 30 years of experience fishing the waters of Louisiana mixed with a personality so entertaining it’s contagious, you can’t help but have a good time.

Josh is also a native a south Louisiana, a family man, a father of two, and a provider to many of us throughout the country when it comes to the best smoked sausage around.  With more years of experience in the processing industry than he wants to admit, being the third generation of the family owned Double D Meat Co., Josh has worked long and hard to perfect their meats and grow their business into a national sensation to taste buds, all while carrying on the family traditions and values that his previous generations started nearly 50 years ago.

With the sky still black and the wind beginning to blow, Capt. Bubby pointed the bow of his Ranger Bay 2510 south and let loose on the 300 Yamaha horses and we were on our way.  The throttle stayed steady until we made it to our first destination, “the wall”.  As we arrived at the large locks, it was a sunrise of great proportions, the sun was shining on the tugs pushing the barges along the ICW, the tips of the Paris Rd Bridge or “green monster” were shining, and for a minute it seemed that everything stood still.  But just as I was attempting to take a few pictures I was reminded by the comical captain that it’s now fishing time.  We made our way to the back corner section south of the gates and nosed our way slowly closer to the wall, Bubby and I were jigging Matrix shad in Lemon Head and Limbo Slice, while Josh was Carolina rigging live shrimp.  Within minutes Josh was hooked up and it didn’t take us long to figure out it wasn’t a trout as the drag was screaming off the reel.  Josh hooked into a gorgeous redfish that did everything he could in his attempt to elude the net, he made runs around several crab pot buoys, of which we had to unwrap by hand while Josh continued to fight the beast, and after what seemed like 10 minutes, we finally had the first fish in the boat.  During this time a couple other boats had pulled up and started working the back corner of the area.  As we high fived and took a few pictures, we were quick to get back to the task at hand.  Within minutes there were trout flying into the boat from every direction.  After 10 or 15 yellow mouths in the box, Capt Bubby decided to make a move, his sights weren’t set on just catching trout, he wanted to catch big trout, and so with that in mind, we cranked up and moved to another section of the wall about a mile or two away.

As we arrived at location number two, there wasn’t a boat in sight. Bubby positioned the boat along the wall in an effort to set us all up working a small ledge in 27 feet of water, and as expected, the trout began flooding the floor of the Ranger Bay.   These trout were all keepers and a little bigger, but still not what Bubby was looking for.  After about 30 minutes and another 20 trout bubby decided it was time to move again, but this time he gave us options.  Bubby looked at Josh and asked him if he had ever sight fished reds, and with as straight a face as one can have, Josh simply said. “Nope, but I’m open for anything.”

That’s all it took, you could see the excitement on Bubby’s face, he was like a kid on Christmas morning, and I just knew what lied ahead for Josh was going to be an experience he would never forget. 

As we arrived in the middle of nowhere, all you could see was crystal clear water and marsh grass for miles.  Bubby and Josh got in the front of the boat and I climbed up the T top and was perched like a bald eagle searching for his next meal.  Bubby knew these waters well and was able to almost point out the fish before we could even see them.  With matrix shad hooked up to spinner blades, the flash and thump was too much for these reds to resist.  First it was one red here and one red there, and then it was schools of reds cornered in the back of ponds.  Once Josh got his bearings and understood what to look for and where in the column the reds were swimming, it didn’t take him long to get in on the action landing his first sight fished redfish.  Within a couple of hours there were three limits of quality redfish on ice and I’m pretty sure some of the stories throughout the day will be recalled and shared for years to come.

Running a business is never easy and running a family business can have added consequences and pressures being you’re becoming part of something that is bigger than you, and the last person you ever want to let down is your own family.  So with that in mind, I asked Josh how he became involved in the family run Double D Meat Co, when did he know he wanted to continue the family tradition, and what keeps him motivated? Without hesitation, Josh quickly responded, “As a teenager I worked at the plant during my summer and Christmas breaks from school, so I knew at that time I wanted to stay in the family business when I graduated. I’ve learned a lot from my Dad Mike and Uncle Tillman, two of the greatest all around men I know, who trust me to run the family business just as Grandpa Dutch trusted them. We strive every day to continue to produce a high quality product that our loyal customers love and we continue to treat our customers as friends. Whether we are called D&D, Two D’s or Double D it gives us a sense of pride when we hear customers say they grew up eating our sausage and in their eyes there is no other. We’ve been blessed and try to help the community whenever we are able.”

Double D has been serving our community for 48 years strong and has always had a family atmosphere over the last 30 plus years I’ve been going there.  They can ship to anywhere in the U.S. by request and can be found at all of your local and major food chains.  As for their processing operations of wild game, I don’t drop my deer of anywhere except DD in Bogalusa, and now when you drop off your venison you can even enter your deer by weight into their big buck competition to win a wide array of high end prizes.

I did an article earlier this year on Double D Meat Co and the myth of whether or not you get your own meat back after you drop it off.  Well we already dispelled that myth, and getting to know Josh and seeing who he is as a person says a lot about the family touch that is put into their products, and based on the success of their company, the quality of their meat, taste of their meat, and the instilled family values that Josh portrays, there is no question why they have they have been dubbed, “Home of Country Smoked Sausage.” 

Quotes

Josh, what did you think about the trip? “It was a great day of fishing; Sight fishing from an elevated position was a 1st for me but won’t be the last. Any day on the water fishing with good people is a good day but putting fish in the boat makes it a great day. “

Capt Bubby, what did know about DD Meats? “Double D is my favorite smoke sausage, I’ve tried the rest now I eat the best, Double D Smoked Sausage.”

Capt Bubby, what is it that draws you to chartering and to fishing in general? “Although fishing is about catching fish for most people, it’s not everything. It’s the friendships and the enjoyment you have trying to catch them that’s everything.”

 

 

Breaking in New Technology

Over the years I have worked hard to maintain a competitive edge in whatever is I am doing.  Whether it's producing sales for work, losing weight to beat out father time, or just competing in the outdoor industry, I always attempt to stay on top of my game.  I have always tried to maintain my own equipment, tried to understand the equipment that others are using, read as much as I could, and find out what others are reading.  When it comes to fishing, I don't think there will ever be anyone out there that knows it all, I know there are a lot that know a little about everything and then there are those that know a lot about few things.  I like to classify myself in the latter, I have worked hard, read a lot, failed a lot, and succeeded a lot when it comes to competing in the fishing world. And this year, I have chosen to take a path that will only strengthen my skills, abilities, and knowledge, but refocusing my efforts in the freshwater world.
After a few freshwater tournaments, it didn't take me long to realize that I was going to be carrying a lot more gear than I did in saltwater and making the move from  the Hobie Outback to the Hobie PA 14 was going to be a necessity if I was going to battle mother nature offshore in the 180,000 acre lakes that were in my plans for the future, on top of the addition of the Power Pole Micro Anchor for shallow water anchoring while chasing spawning bass on flats, I also knew it was time to step up my electronics. 
I have been looking at the Lowrance HDS system for several years now, and besides being on the upper end of an expensive conversation, The previous HDS packages required a head unit, two transducers, and another modem style unit that would go below the deck.  Well having anything below my deck made me nervous, so for years I have only drooled and dreamed, that is, until this year.  Lowrance recently released their new HDS Generation 3 units that have everything needed for Chirp technology, Down scan imaging, and Side Structure Scan.  With the release of the new unit and no need for a below deck modem, I knew this year was the year to take the plunge.
Friday evening I picked my Hobie up from the Back Packer of Baton Rouge, my Lowrance HDS Gen3 from Cabelas, and had a Micro Power Pole from previously winning an IFA event.  When I made it home it was all I could do to unload everything and get to rigging. 
I started with the Power Pole, which was an extremely simple installation with only one hole drilled for the wire, which will eventually be eliminated with their expected rechargeable plug and play battery to be released this spring.  After the Power Pole, I moved onto the transducer installation.  With the Lowrance Ready pocket below the Hobie, the first transducer install was a breeze, and the second transducer, the one for side structure scan, turned out to be fairly simple too.  I was able to mount a swing arm to the new octagon style rail that Hobie has created for their 2015 models without any work at all.  Hobie makes a RAM ball that attaches to the new Hobie Rail with the simple click of a lever.  From their I drilled one hole for the wire to make its way to the front of the yak where the head unit was installed.
After everything was mounted and water ready, it was time to hit the water.
I took just over an hour this morning on the water to get acclimated with the unit, I spent more time working through the different pages and overlays than I did fishing.  Learning how to use the side structure scan can take some time getting used too, but once you get it, it's AMAZING.  To be able to see brush piles, blow downs, boat docks, and fish over 100 feet to the left and right of you is absolutely mind blowing.  I discovered things under water today that I would have never imagined were there, I even landed two bass on the new Rockport Rattler Football Head Jig that I saw on the screen suspended over a structure prior to even picking the rod up. 
I actually sent a picture in a text to someone to show them the clarity of the unit, and the fish that I could see, next cast, I actually landed one of those fish.  It was an eye opening experience.  When you see something under water to your left or right, just touch the image on the screen and it will actually tell you how far away the image is from you and how deep.  I even tested it around structure like docks that I could actually see so I could confirm the relation to what I could visually see verses what I was seeing on the screen and it was spot on.
While 99.9% of my saltwater fishing has been using the elite series Lowrance units and has served its purpose with amazing images and great contours and depth ranges, I am confident that this HDS Gen 3 unit is going to do for me in freshwater, what DSI did for me in saltwater, just with a lot more clarity, a lot more coverage, and a lot more confidence for what I am looking at.

Dock Post & Brush Pile

To me, depth finders are a lot like kayaks, boats, reels, rods, and lures, they all have a place, and you just need to figure out where it fits for your style of fishing.  For instance, when I am in my Hobie Outback fishing the IFA or Paddle Palooza, I will be using my Elite Chirp unit, but when I am traveling the country fishing the KBS and KBF, I will be using the HDS unit. Bass relate more to cover than specs or reds do, and I feel that in order to maintain that technological edge, this unit is priceless for the waters and game I will be using it for.

Laydown/Baitfish/Bass

Let me clarify something, I am no professional by any means and I in no way know everything there is to know about depth finders, but if I can figure out what I am looking at on my first trip out, I am fairly confident that most can do the same.  Another topic is brand, Lowrance, Humminbird, and Raymarine, which one do you get, what's the best one, what's the most cost effective one? Well, just like gear and yaks, they all have their pros and cons, and if I was to share everything I have learned over the years and specifically most recently, this entry could go on for days.  The best thing I can suggest to anyone looking for a depthfinder is figure out your price range and then add a couple hundred bucks to that, and then most importantly, spend some time with the unit, visit Cabelas and play with the unit in live mode and demo mode, and visit them 20 times if you need too, and finally get the unit you are interested in on the water.  Find some people that have what you are interested in and tag along with them, have them walk you through the steps, screens, and ease of use and figure out if it's exactly what its cracked up to be. YouTube is another invaluable tool, there are so many demonstrations on different units on YouTube you could sit there and watch for hours, heck I even popped one up while I was out on the water today.  These units do more than I will likely ever need, but it's nice to have those options available if I ever step up my game again.  Most of all, every unit out there by a reputable company is a good unit, they show more detail today than we ever dreamed about 10 years ago and I am confident that the technology is going to continue to progress for years to come. I hope that this is helpful for anyone in the market for some underwater technology.
Images were taken with my phone, so I apologize for the graininess, I also blew some of them up so they were easily viewable.

Until Next Time,
Stay Safe & Catch1

 

 

 

Sometimes you have to change direction to increase your speed.. Kayak Bass Series, Astor, Fl

As the 2014 year was ending, I took the time to look back and evaluate my achievements for the year.  And while I was a contender in many events, I was especially pleased with the people around me that I had helped, encouraged, or motivated throughout the year to keep moving forward in the industry.  I wrote blogs, magazine articles, radio interviews, and even did a few TV shows, but what I noticed at the end of it all was that I rarely took the time to increase my own skills.  Yes, my knowledge increased with every trip on the water along with every conversation around kayaking and fishing, but while my knowledge was increasing, I felt my skillset was becoming stagnant.  I had become accustomed to chunking lures and not placing them, making long cast that weren't accurate, using more topwater for the explosive excitement rather than a plastics finesse approach, and I began focusing on numbers of cast and retrieves rather than the quality of them.  Heck I even dubbed a jigging style the "Pontchartrain Prance", due to the erratic jerking nature of the jig, which usually ends up hooking the fish just from the jerk rather than feeling the subtle strike. So, with all of this weighing on my mind, I knew it was time to balance out my arsenal, and the best way I could come up with to accomplish this transition was to take a step back in time and put my focus back on freshwater fishing, largemouth bass specifically.
Well, this past week I was able to attend the first Kayak Bass Series that took place in Astor, Fl on the St. Johns River system.  The series is a compilation of 6 events spread across the country in FL, TX, AL, AR, KY, and PA, ending with the KBS Classic at the end of the season, location TBD. Needless to say, each event is located on a body of water that has the potential to land you a double digit largemouth, and to me, that's a major attraction.  My entire life I have always heard of the giant bass that come out of Florida, heck my dad even has a couple double digit bass from Florida hanging on the wall, so this event was one I wasn't going to miss.
With vacation time on the books, I finished up work and headed straight home to load up my gear, my Hobie Outback, and all essentials needed that I had been collecting over the last two months.  I ended up leaving the house a little after 6pm and headed straight to Pensacola to pick up my road warrior partner Matthew Vann.  After nearly 11 hours we made our arrival into Astor and went straight to my launch site.
I was planning on spending every waking minute I had dissecting the eel grass, lily pads, grass mats, and ledges that Lake George had to offer.  The only problem with this plan was the wind.  As I hit the water alone that morning, I was welcomed to 2 foot breakers in my face, and with a 3 mile pedal to my starting point, I knew I was in for a wet ride.
As I reached protected waters, the hunt began, everything looked fishy, flooded reeds, dollar pads, eel grass, timber laydowns.  Every direction I looked I knew there was a fish there, but after 12 hours on the water, I ended with one striped bass, three missed strikes, and one blow up on a fluke.  I punched grass, jigged my pigs, dug my cranks, spun my spinners, and worked as fast and methodical as possible, but in no way had I figured anything out.
At this point, I was still excited at the opportunity ahead of me, I knew there was still a chance for big fish, and I knew they were out there, I just had to find them before time ran out. 
The next morning I decided on a long run that began before daylight.  This was the day that it had to happen or tournament day was going to be a flop.  After hours on the water, and double digit miles covered, more cabbage grass clogged canals than I have ever experienced, I was whooped, and not only whooped, but I had only landed one largemouth, and it was a small one. 
With hopes still high, we decided to visit local bait shop owner and guide for more than 20 years.  He informed us that with all the cold fronts and water temps in the 50s, that the fish had turned completely off.  He made mention that the day before he took a client to 12 locations using live bait, and didn't catch a fish until his last stop.  He then dug into his mind of knowledge and made a suggestion to us to get away from the creeks and lakes and focus more on the spring fed waterways where the water is warmer.  Seems like a no brainer now, but being the springs are salty, we never even considered getting close to them.  So with new knowledge, and time ticking away, we made a mad dash to yet another new launch location.
As we arrived, I immediately made a mental transition, I didn't know where I was, I didn't research it, and I had never seen this area on a map, so with that being said, I made the commitment to work slow and methodical rather than run and gun, and it worked.  Within an hour I was holding a solid 4-5 lbs bass in my hand, and then 20 minutes later another one, an hour later I got one yak side that would have likely touched the 8 lbs mark, but I pulled the hook as I was grabbing the net.  I immediately called Matthew on the phone and said we found em and it's time to go.
Now, at the captains meeting there were a lot of stories running around, some were of skunks, some of 10 pounders, and some of a boatload of midrange fish.  It seemed that a handful of people found the fish, and a crowd of people hadn't, there was a large split.  Some people were catching giants punching grass, while others were landing decent fish cranking and worming docks, my pre-fishing yielded poorly in both the grass and around docks, but I was able to find them staged up on wood structure in warmer water.
As the morning of the event came around, I knew that the fish weren't going to be active in my area until at least 10 a.m. when the sun got high enough to warm the banks near the wooden structure the fish were on the previous day.  The winds had shifted over night, and around 11a.m. they were supposed to shift again and get up into the 15-20 mph range, but where I was, the wind would only produce current and that was a good thing.  If the weather man was correct, with the sun high and the wind howling, my bite was going to happen in the last 3 hours of the event. 
10:11 a.m. I got my first strike on a custom made whooly booger, he wasn't a giant, but it was a fish. I quickly got him on the board, took my picture, released the fish, and got back refocused.  Around 12:00 I landed my next fish on  Bad Boy Jig & Pig in black and blue, only a quarter inch bigger than my first fish, but one more closer to my limit.  With the bite being extremely slow and sporadic, I knew that if I could land my limit, I had a good chance of ending in the money.
Then around 1:30 it happened, as my jig was sucked up by a bass, I reeled down on her and set the hook with all I had, but what I heard was heart breaking, with every inch of hook set, my drag let line out.  As the fish bowed my rod into an inverted "U" I knew I had a big bass, but I also knew she wasn't hooked as well as I wanted her to be.  She tore off to my right attempting to go deep, and as I was able to turn her, she eventually wore down, as I grabbed the net, she calmly surface a foot from the side of my Outback and rolled on her side like she had given up.  I was grinning from ear to ear looking at what appeared to be a 24-25" bass when all of a sudden during her roll over of defeat, the lure came right out of her mouth.  I can't begin to explain the disappointment I went through over the next few moments.  In fact it was so outwardly displayed that the bass boat across the river from me cranked his motor and sped off.  I have never felt so defeated as I did during that moment.  In saltwater fishing I usually just blow it off because I know there are likely several more chances throughout the day to land a monster, but in the bass world, especially during a tournament, those opportunities don't knock that often.
Once I gained my composure, it wasn't 2 cast later I had another strike, and then another one, but I wasn't able to hook up with either.  I spend the next hour working this 80 yards of timber with everything I could.  I threw spinners, swim jigs, cranks, craws, whooly boogers, but it appeared that the bite was only going to be hot for 10 minutes of the day, and while I had the chance, I blew it.
When Matthew caught up with me, it was time to head to the truck.  While we crossed the lake toward our launch area, I uploaded my pictures through the IAngler free app and submitted them to the TD while on the water.  As we both pedaled with a 20 mph cross wind, I could see a lone willow tree off of a point of land about 300 yards down the shoreline.  On one side of the willow was a howling wind and on the other was a calm cove,   I made an immediate 90 degree right turn and B lined to the tree.  As I approached I laid the softest flip I could right through the split trunk and as the Jig hit the water, it began to swim off to the right, I immediately set the hook, with a tight drag this time, and out came a bass, flying toward me like a kite, I reeled my Reel so fast that the fish barely touched the water again. As I got my final picture of my limit fish submitted in the IAngler App, I couldn't help but sit back, collect my thoughts, and thank my youngest daughter Payton for all the prayers she sent up, the two prior days, that her daddy would do good on tournament day.  It was an appreciation and fullness that I hadn't experienced in a while, and it was awesome.
Minutes following my last fish, Matthew and I loaded up the Hobie's and headed to the weigh in.  My mind was racing, did the previous nights cold front disrupt everyone's expectations, did the 3 different wind shifts cause some anglers to abandon their plan, was a 13.5" average even respectable given the tough conditions we were all faced with?  The easy answer, yes it was.
Turns out that with 56 registered anglers, only 10 of those landed their bag limit, and with payouts going to the top 8, I ended up with 40.5" and a 7th place finish.  Now, I am never disappointed on whether I win or lose a tournament, my goal is usually just to be a contender and try to make the top 10, but given the poor pre-fishing I had, new waters, non optimal conditions, I was more than excited to finish 7th.
Overall the Kayak Bass Series run by Robert Field was a great event held at a great fishery.  I got to fish against some of the best in the kayak industry, I got to fish next to, deer, manatees, ducks, alligators that are a lot bigger than La Marsh gators, and even a snake so large I'm confident it could have crushed me and the kayak and ate us both, not mention cross a ferry that had me wanting to put a PFD on. Simply said, it was an experience that I will long remember and I can't wait for the next one that will be taking place February 28th on Sam Rayburn in Texas. 
Special congrats to the top money winners, in order, Jason McRae, Andrew Mixon, Drew Gregory, Stephen Nesler, Joseph Harrick, Jason Broach, and Christina Weber.


Until next time,

Stay Safe & Catch1