Photo Essay: Louisiana Redfish
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Hey guys –
Just back from Lake Laurier in extreme SE Louisiana. I went down to speak to the Red Stick Fly Fishers in Baton Rouge, and Glen Cormier was nice enough to take me out today. As you can see, it did not suck. These were my first redfish.
Got started before dawn on the marsh.
Here was the first fish. All the reds I landed (three) were between seven and a half and eight and a half pounds.
I hooked and fought a couple more but didn’t get a hard enough hookset; I also missed several strikes blind-casting early on. Glen certainly put me on plenty of fish.
The spoon we used is Glen Courmier’s invention; he calls it the Coma Spoon. It’s much longer and narrower than most spoon flies I’ve seen. It sinks without weight, and he actually puts a slight corkscrew twist into the mylar before the epoxy is 100% set. The fly has both five minute and two-ton epoxy and it was really, really effective.
Sheepshead! These guys ate spoon flies too, but you had to work them very, very slowly. I had a bunch chase all the way to the boat. The biggest one I hooked was probably the size of a dinner plate; he ate when I quit stripping and the spoon “dove for the mud.” Only problem is these fish have incredibly hard mouths so even though I set and fought the fish for a minute or so, I doubt the hook point ever really went all the way in.
Probably the coolest thing that happened all day was when Glen slowly paddled me around a little point of spartina grass. There was a cove in the grass sloping up to about 3″ deep, and I could see a large red in there killing baitfish (it was probably between 8 and 10 pounds judging by the other fish I caught). I casted into the turmoil with the spoon and the fish immediately freaked out. I was certain I’d spooked it with too close a cast, so I stripped out as fast as I could to shoot again. That redfish was not spooked. It was trying to kill my spoon. It pushed a wake as it bulldogged out of that cove and just hammered me. I had just finished a strip, so when I set I screwed it up and did the trout thing and yanked my rod to the side. Bad idea. Short fight then he was gone but I will never forget seeing that fish barrel toward the canoe, only 30′ or so away.
Pretty sweet, huh?
Zach
Sometimes I’ll sit on my knees in the front seat of a canoe to give me enough height to see the fish and strike effectively, but still have some stability. It hurts after an hour or so though.
The marsh is a magical place. Too bad it’s disappearing faster than it can recover.
Oh and let me also say, trying to get grip and grin shots from a 14′ canoe is one of the most difficult photographic environments I’ve ever been in.
Redfish are real bulldogs. I know they can really pull my kayak around. You need to catch one in a kayak or canoe to get the true feel of their power. Plus, they are cute as hell.
By the way, you were real lucky to get that sheepie on the fly.
Zach, Catch,
I’m going to be in New Orleans in August and wanted to chase reds for a day. Is LA’s fishery such that you really need a guide?Catch –
There’s an epoxy that will bond to polyethylene boats called “G/Flex,” made by West Systems.
Looks like a really cool time … Never been out for redfish, but confirms my plan to get after some this year, or next!
Cool beans, man. You were in good hands with the Catchmeister! Glen is quite the fisherman, and a hoot to hang with, too.
Wish I coulda come down to visit with you two, but was all tied up this weekend doing some stream fishing in the opposite direction, for naught, too. You guys did much better.
Come on back now one day, hear?By the way, you were real lucky to get that sheepie on the fly. That is quite an accomplishment. I chased them all winter one year, determined to catch one. I threw everthing I could think of. Even hit them in the head with a fly out of frustration. They would follow the fly all the way to my feet, but I never got one.
Bob, I’d pay good money to watch you get towed around by fish in your kayak.
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