Bobfish Tales

Maybe this blog should read, from "bottom to top." Cold water temps can make speckled trout fishing tough at times. This last cold snap has been no different. While red fishing was fantastic, the cold water had slowed the trout bite, or had it? While it is certainly true when water temps are in the forties, trout are difficult to catch. There are always exceptions to this rule. Deeper waters may produce trout even with cold water temperatures. When the waters warm to the fifties, it becomes much easier to catch wintertime fish. The one thing to know about cold water trout fishing is to figure out what presentation is most effective. Today was a perfect example of what to do and what not to do. Some folks went home with very few fish, while others had limits. So what made the difference from a slow bite to fast and furious? It was simply presentation. Trout fishing can be predictable if you know the pattern. If it has been a cold night, it may be better to either find deepe...

Many fishers think of cold water crappie as fishing deep in the many lakes and rivers throughout the country. While this is certainly true, the marsh here in southern Louisiana is a whole different estuary. The many bayous and canals are typically shallow. Finding deep water may mean finding five to eight foot pockets that have been dredged by oil companies. Thinking deep for cold water fish may mean fishing two feet or less. A fellow fisherman had told me many years ago, that on the coldest days, he would prefer a bright sunny day and would fish extremely shallow. This thinking goes against everything you read about catching fish in freezing weather. Marsh crappie and many other species adapt to their environment. This means finding fish in places that some may not think about fishing. This past cold snap has been no different. Most people fishing were beating the bank fishing two to three foot under a cork. While this can be affective, a lot of fish simply get passed over. Many times...

No, this blog is not about storing redfish in your freezer. This blog is about when the temps drop below that 32 degree mark, how you can load the boat with some beautiful reds. It's like clockwork, when late fall and early winter rolls around. There are times you can count on catching easy limits of redfish. It happens every year. Typically the first few freezes are the best. What happens when those first few strong cold fronts blow threw is that the strong north winds blow the water out of the marsh. This causes the many types of baitfish to move to deeper and warmer waters. These waters are many bayous located throughout south Louisiana. The many oilfield canals tend to be deeper in the back end where wellheads are located or used to be located. There you will find baitfish concentrated and where the redfish will be foraging on them. While many fishers use market shrimp or live minnows, no live bait is needed when this occurs. Under certain conditions the redfish will be very ...

It is great to live in such a place where in one cast you are hooking big reds and other assorted saltwater fish, and the next catching some slab crappie, bass, and other assorted freshwater fish. But, that is exactly how it is living here in south Louisiana. The waters change from mostly salt to brackish to fresh all within a short boat ride. The best part is that you can usually find some species that want to bite. It may be redfish, speckled trout, crappie, bass, and the many other assorted fish that swim in these fertile waters of our area. Specifically the Bayou Dularge and Bayou Black areas are some prime fisheries all within a short boat ride to catch the numerous species of fish. My boat launch of choice is Cannon's Landing off of Southdown Mandalay Rd in southern Terrebonne Parish. Perhaps the only downside to having access to this fishery is the amount of gear needed. Loading separate tackle bags, and rods can make the boat crowded. The best solution is to consolidate the...

Crappie innovations have grown about as fast as technology. Not only has electronics made it easier to catch crappie, but rods, reels, line, and lures have made leaps and bounds over what used to be a simple cane pole, cork, hook, and minnow setup. Now there are a million jig styles, sizes and types. There are many colors and variations of those colors as you could shake an Ugly Stick at. Not only do you have more jig styles than you could ever fish with, but there are countless other ways to catch crappie: pulling crank baits, casting spinners, shooting docks, spider rigging, and more. Perhaps the most impactful innovative initiative is electronics. Although the advance wasn't necessarily designed for crappie fishing, it certainly has been beneficial for crappie fishers. There is side imaging, down imaging, 3d type depth/fish finders that show precise views of structure and fish. It is to the point that you can identify whatever fish you are targeting. Locating fish is the...

October is one of the best months to catch big redfish and speckled trout on top water. And just like clock work today's action was fantastic. Big explosions that get your heart pumping. The downside to catching bull redfish on light tackle is the long fights. They start off fun, then turn into "will I ever land this fish". After landing more big reds then you can possibly keep, you pray the next cast will be a trout. Perhaps that is the best thing about October. Not only are the redfish thick, but the trout start to move inland from the coast. The good news about all of this is that the next three months or longer will just get better for numbers of really big fish. When the top water bite is off, you can always find fish with the standard jig and tout such as Deadly Dudley, Matrix Shad in any color and chartreuse or the many suspending baits such as the mirrolure catch 2000 or the mirodine m17. They all produce great numbers and some really big fish. It's the middle...

My last blog was on the migration of redfish through the many lakes around the Houma area and south. This is a pic of a red that was nearly 40lbs caught on topwater on lake Decade a few years ago. It is amazing to think that a 20 minute boat ride you could catch fish like this. We have an amazing fishery and are fortunate to live in fishing paradise. Good luck fishing. Hope to see ya on the water.