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Rockport Trip

I had the pleasure of traveling to Rockport Texas to Swan Point Landing Outfitters to give a presentation about Louisiana’s redfish fishery.  I stayed and fished with Matt Kern, a client turned friend, who is not a guide but might as well be.  With reports of slow fishing we did not have very high expectations I was just excited to see the gin clear water everyone was talking about.  Well the fishing was awesome and the water was gin clear.  We probably saw around 200-300 fish with about 20-30 legit shots and ended up catching 7 or 8.  I had a hard time making the shots early so I’ll take the blame for the bad shot to catch ratio.

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Afternoon Jack Trip

I had an afternoon free and had the perfect wind to fish Jacks in Lake Pontchartrain.  We got out there around 2:00 pm and immediately started seeing blowups down the shore line.  We found one massive school and got one good 28 lber and broke another off.  We saw them a few more times and thought we were in position but they must of got past us.  Called it at 6:00 and was home for around 7:00.  Not a bad afternoon.

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Best Days EVER!

Tuesday – Thursday of last week were the 3 most ridiculous days i’ve EVER had.  David Mangum, Greg Dini, and I went out to see what the fishing was like after the storm.  David brought along all his camera gear so naturally I figured if there is this many cameras on board the trip was destine to suck.  Well I was extremely wrong.  The first spot we stopped at was game on with schools of redfish pushing towards us as far as the eye can see. You have to wait and see what happens when the film comes out.  Here is one little guy we got.

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Third Place Finish LASS Redfish Tournament

Nick La Rocca and I finished in Third place in this weekends Louisiana Saltwater Series out of Cocodrie LA.  We upgraded all day  even with 5 minutes left to finish with 16.35 lbs.  With only one day to scout the area I was not expecting a big showing but I guess sometimes the stars aline and we caught the right fish.  Great day on the water!

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Fly Fishing For Jacks in Louisiana

Recently we have had some Jacks coming in and crushing schools of mullet on the same flats we are catching monster bull reds.  Although these creatures are fast moving and only give you a small window to get a shot on them if you put the fly in the right place and move it fast enough you can sometimes get a bite.  The key is to get the fly moving fast enough.  Sometimes you have to actually sweep the rod so the fly is moving fast and steady.  This makes it hard to get a good strip set on them but usually when they take it they turn and run, so after the initial run you can usually dig the hook into them.  Here is one of the bigger ones we have caught going about 28 lbs.

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Bull Redfish on the Fly in the Summer?

Had the pleasure of fishing Boman Lapp on the bow of my boat this day.  He is an ex-guide who was very able to cast the 12 wt we were throwing.  I knew with the perfect conditions and the ability of my caster we could pick and choose our fish(25+ lbers). We did just that.  We landed 5 equaling over 127 lbs.   I even got to stick one myself while Boman was getting his in.

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June Red Hot for yellow fin Tuna

Ran across a school of whale sharks covered up with tuna. Ended the day with a limit of snapper.

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Redfish Topwater Popping in the Shade

I had two days of fishing with Carlyle and with great weather the first day it wasn’t a problem getting to the big fish grounds and even sticking a few of them.  Day two presented a challenge with overcast skies and varying winds from calm to 15+mph.   We decided to stay close, mostly due to a storm that was headed right for us.  We ended up having about 4 hrs to fish.  When we reached our spot we started to notice redfish coming up and sipping at the ends of these coon tail grasses in the water.  You could watch them go from grass to grass inspecting the tops for any creatures stranded with the incoming tide.  Well we started taking shots and as soon as we popped the popper they would spook.  So after about the third spook we changed presentation to a slow long strip.  As long as you got the fly in their sight and had it slowly moving away they would pounce on it.  It was crazy to see such a different reaction.

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Trophy Redfish Hunter From Japan

I had Mr Tadayoshi Sakurai on board for a stretch of 4 days.  Although he knew little english he did bring a translation book that he gave to me after i tried to explain left, right, 11 o’clock, etc.  So I looked up some directional words and went to work.  The only words I focused on was left, right, out in front, close, and far.  He was able to see the fish well so as long as I got him looking in the right direction he could usually lock in and make the cast.  We fished a new area each day due to conditions and did well each day.  The trophies for the trip were a 27 and 34 lb redfish and a monster 8.5 lbs sheepshead which would of been a state record had I known that the state record was only 8.15 lbs.

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Solo Scout Trip = Some Great Stills

Headed out on my own to get some footage of these beasts swimming around and maybe sticking one or two.  The weather was on and the fish were there.  Here are some stills that I thought came out pretty sweet.

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Color Blind Yet Seeing Red Fish

Had the pleasure of fishing with John and Gary these two days and with decent weather and decent tides we made our way to the big fish grounds.  With dirty water pushed into the gras spotting fish was hard, even with the ability to see color.  Gary had a great first day catching four fish equalling over 100 lbs with the big fish going 34 lbs.  John had a tough one. Turns out he is color blind and he was unable to see the glow these fish were putting off.  The second day was better though.  John and I worked on our communication and with his spot on casting and my directing to the fish we were able to hook 3 and land one going 28 lbs.  Good finish.

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Spring Big Redfish?

Although spring is not typically the big fish season we still have been able to target them.  We have had great weather enabling us to run farther and fish each spot more thoroughly.   Here is another addition to the Dirty Thirty club with Matt Scriven’s 31.5 lber.

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Key West

Well the weather was perfect, the tarpon were there, but we just couldn’t make it happen.  We did get this nice size bull shark to eat and also picked up a snook in the everglades on the way back.  So it wasn’t a complete failure.

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Spring Redfish Action

Spring fishing is here.  The grasses have grown high enough to filter the water and the slot fish are happily swimming around, some singles, some doubles, and some in schools of 10 or more.  Spring fishing is a different game then big fish.  Fly presentation is much more difficult when you have to compete with the grass but luckily also with spring the shots per day generally increase as long as the weather is decent.  Here are some catches from recent trips.  Although we see plenty of Gar we usually don’t shoot at them unless its a good one (15+lbs), then we take the shot.  Here is a 17 lber that did not hesitate to bite.  Also here is a good example of why you should never forget to put sunscreen on your feet when wearing flip flops.   He couldn’t even stand up to fish it hurt so bad.

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More Late Season Big Redfish

March 18

After scouting this area for the past 3 days with the other group I stumbled upon a really good looking spot at the end of the third day.  With water on the rise I knew it wouldn’t hold up for long.  So I made one last trip to the area.  As soon as we got there it was game on.  We had at least 50+ shots landing 4 totaling 104 lbs and breaking off 3 others.  Here is the big fish weighing 31 lbs (another addition to the dirty thirty.)

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Late Season Big Redfish

Sorry again for the post delays but just got back from the Keys. Time to ketchup.  These guys came down March 15-17 and they took full advantage of what our fishery had to offer.  We experienced some weather that opened up some opportunities that would otherwise not be there.  Over these three days we landed a ton of fish, some going over 25 and we even added another angler to the Dirty Thirty Club (Congrats little Murph).  We had all kinds of action. Little Murph went in the water to land a nice 25 lber and Metro although a slow start had a great buzzer beater shot that was instantly sucked in by a nice 26 lber.  Great group of guys I can’t wait for these guys to make it back.

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Hit or Miss Fly fishing in Louisiana

 

I have been really busy fishing these past two weeks.  Our trips have been anything but consistant.  We have had clear days with good shots to fish who wont eat.  We have had cloudy windy days that even though we were blind casting we still boated many fish.  And we have had clear days with  big bull redfish swimming around hungry and happily taking flies.  Here are some pics from last week to tease you up a little.  Big fish pics coming soon….

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Biloxi Marsh Still Producing Big Redfish

With very few fishable days in the past few weeks we have had to do some serious running to track down the fish we want to catch.  Water clarity is already becoming an issue with this warmer then normal winter.  Looks like spring is coming in fast.  Going to have to get my Poppers and Gurglers ready.

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Big Fish Small Numbers

It is that time of year when the winds blow, the water starts getting stained, and the big fish start heading out.  We have had very few good weather days this month but here is one.  We had limited shots on big fish but we were still able to make some eat.

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Recent Biloxi Marsh Action

 

Here are some pics from last two weeks. We had good, bad, and ugly weather.  We did what we could to make the most out of the bad and ugly and it turned out to be pretty good.  You gotta love topwater no matter what size the fish are.

 

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Capt Aaron Gelfand

Captain Aaron Gelfand was born and raised in Louisiana where he grew up fishing the local waters from the time he could stand on his own two feet. Aaron possesses an extreme passion for wetland conservation efforts, and his knowledge of the wetlands of Louisiana and the local ecosystem is extensive.  A fishing experience with Captain Aaron not only allows you the opportunity to catch the trophy fish of a lifetime, but also the chance to learn about the most delicate, precious and diverse resources in Louisiana.  Aaron is also the weighmaster of the oldest bass fishing rodeo in the nation, and he is a competitive fisherman who has placed in and even won multiple tournaments.  A fishing trip with Captain Aaron is completely turn-key and all inclusive…all you need to do is show up! Once you step onboard his boat, it won’t take long for you to realize that you are about to embark on the fishing adventure of a lifetime!
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Capt Michael Pittman

 

Michael has nearly five years of fishing experience out of Venice serving in all capacities from deck hand to Captain for Fish Venice Charters, a position he assumed in April 2012.  Since then, he has led hundreds of charters, along the way setting records for the third largest Yellow Fin Tuna in the Gulf of Mexico and the largest Snowy Grouper on record in the state of Louisiana.  He is licensed by the US Coast Guard and certified OUPV 6-pack.  Born and raised in and around southern Louisiana, Michael has quickly established his position as one of Venice’s most successful fishing captains.

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Keeping it Interesting

We had to make the most of this windy partly cloudy day.  When the sun popped out we looked for redfish and when the clouds blocked the sun we blind casted for trout.  We were successful at both but would of rather spot fished all day.  Still a pretty entertaining day though.

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Mike is Back for Seconds

After coming in during early December and just spanking them, Mike literally couldn’t wait to come back. Day one was bad weather, we had some shots but not many. Day 2 was a totally different story. Within about 2 minutes of turning the engine off we spot a big fish laid up on a bar. Mike made one cast short then the second perfect. Made the day in about a total of 20 min. But the rest of the day was also good, after the 20 lber we actually got into big schools of fish 10-12 range. Day 3 weather was horrible! 30 mph wind and zero sun. Luckily for us I figured the trout bite would be on with the warm water and it certainly was. We spent the whole nasty day catching little 2-3 lb trout on topwater. That is what I call making lemonade.

 

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