Posts

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Early Summer Fly fishing

It has been a great a summer minus Covid and of course the tropical storms and or hurricanes. Early summer was awesome. Had a couple jacks around town that were acting right but not the numbers we get in later summer. So after the early morning jack bite we were switching gears to laid up gar fish which kept the action going. Made an island run in late June which was amazing. Pushing jacks, tailing pompano, big speckled trout on popper and one giant redfish in ankle deep water. All that with perfect weather made for a great two days of fishing. Early July I moved the bay boat down to Venice where we had one day when blue water pushed in and the mahi were plentiful. The next day the blue water pushed back out so we stayed close and worked some rigs with sinking lines catching a couple different species including some very large jack Crevalle!

, , , , , , , ,

Typical fall and early winter fly fishing in Louisiana

Overall our fall and early winter was decent. Luckily the weather was actually pretty good so we were able to fish a good bit of days. Unfortunately we had to deal with dirtier then normal water due to the Mississippi River pumping more fresh water into our system then it normally does. Hopefully it’ll be good for our long term… with the fresh water I am seeing a lot more grass in areas that I typically don’t see much grass, which gets me excited for spring fishing.

, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Flyfishing In Louisiana during Late Summer for Pre-spawn Bulls and some other great Species

With fall weather becoming more and more volatile, the consistent summer weather is looking more and more attractive to fisherman looking to catch big fish. Throughout the summer, it is relatively common to find big redfish doing redfish things when you look in the right places, of course. This is especially true just before they move out to spawn, which usually happens around the first or second week of September. When you find them, fish are usually gorging on bait and have serious bellies, making them even more powerful then usual. But like a light switch, when they decide to move out to spawn they are gone! Luckily, Louisiana is full of formidable targets that will happily eat a fly and test your gear.

Flyfishing Spring to Summer in Louisiana

Although the inside fishing was very good this spring I was ready to take my “new to me” bay boat into some big water. She is 24 ft long with a 250 hp engine and a fuel capacity of 80 gallons. This opens up many different options. There’s almost endless rigs in the 20-200 ft that you can find many different species of fish that will happily eat a fly. There’s also a possibility of seeing blue water if the right stars align. Luckily we had a very nice June and first part of July so we were able to make some bigger runs which we were rewarded with some very nice fish.

, , , , , , , , , ,

Winter to Spring 2019

Winter wore on with less then desirable conditions. We still caught some fish but mentally it was draining. I was just hoping for the sun to come out and stay out. It eventually did clear up with good light throughout most our early spring. The fish numbers in the interior marsh were very good and the temperature stayed cool almost all the way though May. Pretty good trout year too.

, , , , ,

Fall Fly Fishing and Weather Expectations

The weather this past fall never seemed to clear up with what seemed like never ending cloudy days. When that happens you need to adjust your expectations… cherish the calm days and try to make every shot count. This fall was full of less then desirable forecasts that we had to make the best out of. Although I did reschedule many days because the forecast was so dismal. We ended up fishing some days that didn’t have great forecasts and the fishing was still good, we also had some days that had great forecasts and ended up having terrible weather. The old saying is true that “you don’t know unless you go.” Reality is sometimes you do know and sometimes it’s a tough call, but if you go out with the right expectations you will always have a good time.

, , , , , , , , ,

Big Spring

This spring has been one to remember… Typically I stay in the interior marsh chasing slot fish in the 6-12 lb range. But this year the grasses grew thick early and choked up much of the interior marsh making many areas almost unfishable.  Although this is a normal process, it usually doesn’t happen until mid-summer. So this year, I started fishing the exterior marshes to escape the thick grass, and what I found was some very good fishing. Instead of the average 7 lb fish, I’ve been seeing lots of 10-11 lb fish and the occasional very big fish in the 25-30 lb range, not to mention a seemingly endless supply of tailing drum. It’s lookibg like the weather is finally stabilizing, as well, so the great fishing should hold up for the next month or two.

, , , , , , , ,

Spring fly fishing New Orleans’ backyard

I am loving this spring. Overall we have had more sunny days then cloudy days and the fish are exactly where they are suppose to be.   Average fish size has varied depending on what region of the marsh you are fishing but overall I’d say we have had about a 8-9 lb average.  We have had many 10+ fish days and actually a good number of 20+ fish days(I think 4-5 days but I’m not sure and you can’t come down here expecting to catch 20+ fish on fly in 1 day).  All you can do is book your days and hope for good weather. Because as usual in Louisiana with good weather brings good fishing. It’s hard to beat a 70 degree spring day with blue bird skies and floating redfish in gin clear ponds…

P.s As per usual the topwater trout bite has been pretty good in the clouds. It’s a very nice fall back plan if you lose your vis.




  


  
  
  

, , , , , , ,

January and February Report

This past January proved to be one of the best Months of the season. Although we only had one hard front during this month we had very good pre front and post front fishing. February was warmer then usually which forced me into the interior marsh to target spring time fish that payed off with many fish in the 6-12 lb range and a couple bass as well. We also boated the largest black drum ever on my boat mid February.


   
  
  
  
  

, , , , , , ,

Teaming up with Yellow Dog to Bring You Louisiana Redfish School!!!

We are excited to announce that we will be teaming up with Yellow Dog to bring you the first annual Louisiana redfish school!!!

Click the link below for more info…

http://www.yellowdogflyfishing.com/blog/announcing-louisiana-redfish-school

, , , , , , ,

Back to normal in November…

After a warm October it was nice to have some solid cold fronts come through and push some big fish into their normal fall/winter spots.  Cooler temps also brings some warm lunches for some of my foodie anglers…



  
  

, , , , , ,

October Struggle

As many of you know I’m not big on miss leading people into booking with me. I’m all about being as truthful as possible in order to manage expectations. With that being said… This October was by far the worst October I have  ever experienced. It wasn’t a shock considering the water temp pretty much stayed in the mid to high 70s all month.  The big fish do not want to get shallow in those temps so most big fish were happy to just stay offshore. That mixed with almost constant 15-20 mph winds made targeting the offshore fish impossible.   Now we did have a handful of calm wind days which made for good fishing but overall October was a let down.  The only silver lining was with the higher water temps the Jacks stuck around later then usual.


  
  
  

, , , ,

Jack season coming to an end…

I can’t complain about this summer’s Jack season. Although I had to deal with constant west winds and the floods in Baton Rouge pumping dirty water into my main Jack fishing area we had a very successful Jack season.

  
  
  
  
  
  

, , , , , , ,

Jacks of July 

Although we have had constant west winds, which is our least favorite wind direction in Louisiana, the Jack fishing has been very solid.  We have had some good pushing fish on the flats and lots of schooling action in open water. We boated a total of 35 jacks on fly in 12 days of fishing.  Biggest was 32 lbs and only 4 were under 20 lbs. If you’re looking for a strong fish that loves to eat topwater flies you should definitely come down and check out our Jack fishery.  

  
  
  
  
  
  

, , , , , , , , ,

There’s many opportunities during the summer when you’re fly fishing in Louisiana

During the summer months we try to get an early start to beat the heat, fortunately summer is one of the best times to hunt pushing fish. Both Redfish and giant Jack Crevalle become very active at this time. Their mornings are spent cruising flats in search of bait. Although we start earlier with low light seeing a fish pushing water is actually easier with lower light. Not to mention the fish feel more comfortable and tend to swim more shallow in low light. Watching a 20+ lb redfish or Jack pushing a wake from a football field is a sight every fly angler should see. Here are summer pushing fish we have caught in the past week or so…  Also through in a nice sheepshead and triple tail we ran into as well…

  
  
  

, , , , , , , , ,

Summer is here

This has definitely been one of the best spring seasons I’ve seen in a while and it’s looking like the good fishing should continue into summer. The fish in the interior marsh have grouped up and a 20 + fish school has been a common occurrence.  The temperature is the only problem with this time of year. I recommend starting early in the morning and fishing a half day to beat the heat.  The fishing also tends to slow down in the mid-day heat. Here are some pictures and videos from the past month.

  
  
  
  
  

, , , , , , ,

Big Season finish with Big Redfish

Late February into early March has been pretty good this year. Although the water clarity has been some of the worse I’ve seen at this time of year, luckily the tailing action has continued to be good. The average size of the big fish has been impressive too 28-31 lb range(42-46 in).   Probably switching gears to fully spring fishing soon. Looking forward to short runs and backing fish.

  
  
  
  

, , , , , , ,

Fly fishing for Little Redfish to Save the Day!

With the Mississippi River much higher then usual we have had dirty river water invading are normally clear winter big redfish zones.  This makes for a tough day to just go target big redfish.  Although I will try for a while,  at a certain point I just want to catch some fish… Fortunately the little fish in the interior marsh have been very plentiful. Most fish are from 6-10 lbs with a good bit of 11-12lbers and the occasional teener. With all this little fish action already it’s looking like we are going to have a very good spring.

, , , , , , , , , ,

Winter fly fishing action

Although we have had a mild winter, we are still seeing a healthy amount of wintering redfish in the marsh.

  
  

   

, , , , ,

Fly fishing for jumbo Louisiana Redfish

There are six classifications of redfish size on my boat and they are …

Little fish – 8 lbs or less

Big little fish – 9-12 lbs

Teener/little big fish – 13-19 lbs

Big fish – 20-25 lbs

Big big fish – 26-29 lbs

JUMBO – 30+ lbs

Jumbos are not easy to come by, but a couple times a year the stars align and and we get a few jumbos in the boat.  Here are some from recent trips…