Giants on the shores

September has finally arrived. Temperatures are no longer going above 90 degrees for the high. The bull redfish have spawned for the most part. Now the big girls are swimming deep shorelines looking to replenish their girth. I am seeing way more 20+ pound fish than last year. I am not sure if the fishing is better or my tactics have changed but it doesn't matter. It is great to see so many big fish.

I am currently enjoying the filming aspect of my business. I always wished the world could see my fishing adventures. There are so many incredible sights out in the marsh and a still camera just doesn't catch the essence. I get some good footage but I miss a lot of the action. Oh well the camera can not run all the time. 

Bulls of Summer video https://vimeo.com/73712470
My last two trips have been spectacular. September 1 I sighted at least 25 bull redfish. Every stop would yield 4 or 5 good shots at high quality fish. September 2 was great too. I did not see near as many fish but there were still plenty of giants on the shores.

A Good day

I took Kyle from Uptown Angler fly shop in New Orleans fly fishing. The morning started out slow with water 6-8 inches into the marsh grass. Louisiana redfish hate high water so they sit on the bottom and don't move. This is obviously a real problem for sight fishing. We busted fish out of their hibernation state only to see their wakes running from the boat. About 10:30 the slack tide began to move a little and so did the fish. Redfish, sharks, and Black drum became more active. Kyle caught a few reds and this large black drum in the pictures. We did not see a lot of fish but some we did see were monsters.

 

This was Kyle's first time saltwater fly fishing and he did quite well spotting the fish. Although not plentiful, shots were becoming more frequent. Kyle had other engagements and a thunderstorm arose between the boat and the dock. I turned the boat Southwest and skirted the storm for the run home.  I basically considered the day a failure. Upon returning to the dock I realized Kyle was grinning the whole time. He had thoroughly enjoyed his first outing and just casting at one bull red crashing a bank 40 feet from the boat was plenty of excitement for him. (I missed getting this on video of coarse.)   

 

I had lost perspective. The client was happy. We did not get drenched running home. He was about to take his son to play football.  Kyle landed 3 reds and a big black on his first outing. He had a good day and that's what matters.

  

KYLES VIDEO: https://vimeo.com/72556163

 

Giants down under for Michael

 

 
      
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                        Michael came to New Orleans from Australia to fly fish the world class Louisiana marsh. The winds blew hard that day and a heavy thunderstorm came through the night before. This clouded the water which caused us to see less fish than usual. The redfish we did see were of tremendous quality. The big boys were tucked up tight on the rare  to find calm banks.                                                                                                                     

 

Black drum were fairly abundant. These fish are not my favorite species. They are a nasty beast, however they are huge and should be included on any fly fisherman's bucket list. All my clients enjoy casting at those massive tails flailing in the breeze.

Michael lives in North Australia near the under developed giant bonefish area. He explained the routine for their the big bones. From his accounts the fish are larger but wade fishing the Bahamas is much more fun. Most cast he explained are at flashes 15 feet deep. No tails and no wakes just deep bonefish. 

To see Michael's video (Giants Down Under)
go to:       https://vimeo.com/71917237

Wolfgang's day Flyfishing for redfish

Wolfgang and I had a very civilized day on the water. Low winds and sparse cloud cover made for easy fishing. The entire South end of the Eastern Biloxi marsh is absolutely loaded with redfish. Any shallow pond that contains oyster reefs has tons of potential for active redfish and massive black drum.

Wolfgang was admittedly over excited when we began to spot fish. As the number of shots piled up he became calmer. The fish were not supper aggressive on this particular day. Fly placement was definitely key to getting the strikes he craved. Once over the hump of the learning curve fish started coming into the boat.   

 

Watch Wolfgangs video entitled

Germany at 

https://vimeo.com/71704485

 

When Fly Guides Attack

 

 

Drew and Brittney booked their half day of Louisiana sightfishig. The Biloxi marsh's shallow oyster flats are literally teaming with redfish. Multiple shots are around every corner. It is actually hard to explain the abundance of fish. I cant seem to stop anywhere without seeing nested up crawlers and wakes. The fishing is so amazing I feel like a giant among men as I run my skiff to the outside islands. Seeing 100+ fish in a few hours does not last forever. There are even some pigs in the 20+ pound range guarding the openings of the banks. Eventually the tides will turn slack and the fish will become more scarce. When this happens a good guide is your best defense. If you ever wanted to try this sport now, I mean right now, is the perfect time. Fly fishing does not get easier than this.



 

Brittney never held a fly rod before today. She landed 4 nice reds and had one break off.

See her video at https://vimeo.com/71387842





Rocky and I hooked up to make a video of the massive numbers of redfish. We searched for some donkey's (20+ lbs) for a while to no avail. Plan B was put into effect so we headed east of the MRGO.  
Once again every hole was alive with bait and redfish. We managed the holes by staying back from their nest. This allowed us to pull multiple fish from each spot. Check out this video, it rocks.

When Fly Guides Attack:
 https://vimeo.com/71555288

Mid May 2013

Ferry Crossing

I just finished fishing/guiding 5 days in a row. I am sore and a little beat up from all the polling. The first day I fished Hopedale on the east side of the river. After fishing I jumped on the ferry crossing the Mississippi river west to fish for Cajun fishing adventures the last 4 days.This is a great lodge in Buras with super friendly staff and a terrific piece of marsh across the street. I cant wait return for my next set of bookings in October.

We did really well the first day. The clients mother purchased the trip as a college graduation present. We landed about a dozen redfish. The fish displayed  spectacular colors and appeared to be fat and happy. Those college boys really enjoyed mom's gift and should have fond life long memories of that day.


Cajun fishing adventures at dawn

The last 4 days were spent at the lodge in Buras Louisiana. The 5 clients rotated between the 3 guides. They all loved our marsh. Fish were fairly easy to find. I located a stretch of bank holding 20+ pound bull redfish. Man this bank did not disappoint. Day after day it held big fish. Bulls were floating up left and right. I was constantly barking the clock position and distance to the fish. Shot after shot was taken but these boys never hooked a pig. The eat zone was elusive and never got full crossed. Good natured ribbing and catch phrases swarmed my boat for days. This was an absolutely incredible week.

 
 

Early may

This week the fishing just keeps getting better and better. I have spotted well in excess of 500 fish on 3 trips this week. Every flat is drenched with the orange hue of shallow water redfish. Anywhere you stop seems to be the best spot of the day. Words can not explain how many fish are out there waiting for the proper presentation of a fly. The numbers literally boggle the mind.

Bucket list gar

Early in the week the winds were brutal. High winds are definitely not a fly fisherman's friend. My novice clients casts were completely out of bounds. Still the redfish poured by the bow of my boat in the hundreds. The customers may have been frustrated by the wind but they were delighted by the number of shots. I would estimate they threw at least 75 fish on this day.

I was pleasantly surprised when another guide gave me the first day of a two day trip. This never happens because no one wants to get their head kicked in by an Iverson. I lost a ton of my gin clear water due to the gale blow yesterday. Still the fish were everywhere and looking to eat. The formula for finding fish is simple. Kill the engine and start polling. I do not know the outcome of the other guides second day trip but he had better be at the top of his game.


The winds finally laid down to a pleasant breeze. Polling was easy and the reds did not disappoint. The water has cleared a bit making the fish stand out against the dark grassy bottom. My client struggled at first but eventually started presenting the fly properly. His confidence in me grew exponentially as each flat held multiple golden eaters. I know fishing is not supposed to be this easy and will not last forever. I truly savor these days.   

End of April

Gin clear water

The fishing at the end of April has been spectacular. The wind conditions have been tough but the redfish are everywhere. Clean clear water is producing lots of shots for clients. The redfish really stand out like pumpkins in a field swimming over the dark summertime grasses produced by the marsh.    




This time of year I have my clients casting gold or copper colored spoon flies. The flash of the spoon is irresistible for the aggressive redfish. If you find a clear pond with lots of blue crabs you are on the fish. Finding clear water can be difficult for some anglers. The clean water is found in ponds and bayous that dead end away from the main channels.

      

Gold and Copper spoon flies


The New Orleans weather right now is perfect for fishing. Mid to upper 70's makes for comfortable fishing conditions. If you are lucky enough to book a sunny day with low winds I can almost guarantee tons of sight fishing shots at numerous summertime redfish. Right now is a charter captain's delight.