All I Want For Christmas...

Christmas is upon us! From Santa and colder weather, to presents and lights, you can’t turn your head without a reminder that the season of giving is here.  It’s a joyous time of year when families get together with friends to celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and my family is no exception.  Tomorrow we will be leaving for New Orleans to enjoy a 9-day visit with my parents, as well as my visiting sister and her family. I assure you that it will be a high energy environment with no shortage of squeals and giggles by the 5 kids running around the house. In short, it’s going to be a lot of fun and we can’t wait.  However, over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been reminded by Mariah Carey and other Christmas novelty songs about what “I want for Christmas.” According to Mariah, all she wants for Christmas is “You”, however, Spike Jones and his City Slickers only want their “two front teeth.”  Me, on the other hand - All I want for Christmas is a 12lb trout.

“Wow, Chris…that’s pretty silly, a 12lb trout!?!?” you might say with bewilderment.

Yes, a 12lb trout…here’s why. This past April, a 30.5”, 11lb trout with a 17” girth ate a Top Dog I presented on a rainy, windy day down in Corpus Christi, and it was the most magical event that has ever happened to me in my angling career. From the hit to the events that followed, the details that surround landing that trout remain vivid in my mind, and continue to be the driving force in hopes if replicating such an accomplishment.  My bud Sam Davis, who writes for Mississippi and Louisiana Sportsman, published the story in the Jun copy of the magazine, and although he did a remarkable job of capturing the accomplishment, his 800-words afforded by the editor didn’t capture everything. So, during the holiday, a holiday of reflection, I’d like to reflect back on that trout and in my best Paul Harvey voice provide, “The rest of the story.”

When I found out we were leaving Biloxi for San Antonio, I wasn’t thrilled about the move.  Biloxi, over the course of 4 years, had become home for my family. After all, not many military families can say that their children were born in the same place, let alone the same room of the same hospital.  Additionally, both my military career, as well as my angling career, we’re both going really well. Professionally, I was made second-in-charge of a squadron of about 200 people and off-duty, my charter business, was seeing an increase of booked trips.  However, like all those I serve with, it boils down to sacrifice and this move was no different.  I shut down my charter business, told our friends goodbye and relocated to Randolph Air Force base, TX.  The first month and a half in San Antonio was incredibly rough, to say the least. We lived in a 2 bedroom hotel suite for almost 2 months while we waited for on-base housing to “open up”, and the shortage of space, free-time and the unknown of a new city/job/life weighed heavy on my family.  In short, I almost lost it all in those two months, but I thank God everyday that my wife was courageous enough to stick it out.  Fast forward 2 months, and we were so excited to move into our house on-base, that before we signed for the house, while it was vacant, we use to bring the kids and just lay on the hardwood floors and listen to the kids chase each other around.  It was awesome to hear them happy again and now our life can get “back to normal.”

So, now that we’re settled in San Antonio and comfortable with my job, it was time to start thinking about some trips to the coast. I fished 5-times from Oct – Jan and with some tips from a friend that just moved from the area, I was able to reunite with those silver wonders.  My first 3 trips, I stuck to Kyle’s suggestions and put fish in the freezer, but none of those notable Monster TX trout. So my next 2 trips, I started studying the estuary on Google Earth, and made 2 more trips, one in Dec and one in Jan and didn’t get a bite. During those ventures, I came across two really nice looking areas that I felt had big fish potential, but needed to learn more, and in February I got an education on TX trout fishing by none other than Capt Mike McBride.  As I’ve written in previous blog post, Capt Mike flipped the script in my approach to catching big trout.  I learned about water conditions and depth and what Big trout prefer in the harsh winter months. In 2-days I soaked as much knowledge as I could from Mike and was eager to get back to Corpus and experiment on my own.

Corpus is a two and a half hour drive from my house. Most of the time, I’ll stay at the Navy lodge on Corpus Naval Air Station, and make two days out of it, but on April 17, 2014 I was going for an out and back. When I woke up that morning I almost cancelled my trip because the wind was blowing so hard, however an approaching front had me intrigued enough to go…after all, I needed some “saltwater therapy.”  When I got to my first spot, a spot that consistently produces numbers of fish, I noticed that the hard East wind was playing to my advantage of making long cast and keeping a tight line, but more importantly had the water level higher than I remembered from my trips that previous fall.  As a result, I quickly caught a limit of quality trout and played a little catch and release until it started to rain.

By this point, it’s only 0930, and there was no way I was heading home, so soon.  So I decided to clean my quarry and go “explore” the spots I found in January, especially with the high water.  When I got out of my truck at my other spot, it was raining sideways, but like the other spot, a hard east wind meant long cast and a tight line, after all I caught my limit already so anything extra is lagniappe.  When I made my way onto my flat, I noticed the water was very milky, and what was shin to knee deep in January was Knee to thigh deep, a situation Capt Mike referred to as the “money zone.”  Now with confidence in my spot and my Chicken of the “C” Down South Lure I had wreaked havoc with all morning, I waded into my angling apex. It started the same as in Jan, with nothing to show for my hour and a half worth of effort. So wanting to cover more area, I decided to throw a MirrOlure Top Dog. As I was walking down my flat I remember the waves cresting over my Top Dog and for periods of time would take it from view. After about a half hour, I made a long cast…twitch…..twitch….twitch….boom!!!  As I looked in amazement I saw a wall of water swirl on my bait, and I felt the tension and gave my CastAway Skeleton wader’s special everything she had. About two or three cranks into the fight, she gave me a glimpse, and I wasn’t disappointed. She shook her head 3 or 4 times so violently and her gills flared so wide, that I would

compare it to taking a tin coffee can and shaking it as hard as you can while half submerged. As she did, she tried to jump, but couldn’t and instead fell backwards like she was a pig wallowing in mud. From that moment on, she stripped a few small sets of drag, but cruised across the flat, as if to say, “this is my home and I’m comfortable staying right where I am.”  My heart at this point is beating so hard, the adrenaline rush of the moment, seemed to slow everything down and I remember telling myself to focus on “keeping a high rod tip with tension at all times.” I made my way to the bank to beach her and she was content following me until the last 5 yards or so. When I had her back out the water she made one more bee-line for open water, but I calmly/clumsily followed her…and at that point gave me her life. “I did it!” The biggest trout I had ever caught was lying on the beach. “I thanked God!” as I reached down to put my hand under her gill plate, and I remember saying “this fish is 10lbs!” In excitement, I ran as fast as I could to my truck to instantly get her weight on my boga.  After almost tripping a half dozen times on my way to the truck, I layed her in the bed and snapped a few pictures with my phone, and sent them to my buddy’s and said, “This is what I just caught.” At this point, I’m overcome with excitement and sleep deprivation and still didn’t have a weight on her, so I got my Boga grip and watched as the line teetered in and out at 11lbs. At this point, my phone is getting responses saying, “Nice trout” and “Good job.”  After cautiously knocking on a car window to get another picture, I shot the picture and another text, saying “11lbs!!!” My phone started ringing like it was insurance call center. I couldn’t believe it, I knew these fish existed, but they were more appropriate for magazines with high glossed pages and fictitious places, but not in my hands and visible with my own two eyes.  After spending 10 minutes trying to revive her, she was gone, but she gave me new life as an angler to always pursue the impossible and “never give up”.

The 2 and half hour drive back to San Antonio felt like a trip around the block, and my phone had no shortage of texts and  phone calls which helped in that respect. After I got her home and shared the excitement with my wife and kids, I took some more measurements for a replica mount.  Now I decided to clean her, and while doing so, found out that she had a 15” trout half-digested in her belly. This was truly a remarkable discovery in such a remarkable fish!

In the days and weeks after the catch, I still couldn’t believe what had happened. People and friends continued to be happy and supportive.  I was obviously happy because it’s the reason we all fish…for lifelong memories.  So as we all get ready to open gifts, remember that the only pricesless gifts are the memories you make in life. So next time I’m in line at the mall for a picture with Santa, and he asks what “I want for Christmas?” You can bet my answer won’t be for any present or gift, but instead for the lifelong memories associated with a 12lb trout.

Tight Lines, God Bless and Merry Christmas…He is the reason for the season!

Chris

 

How to Read a Tide Chart

Upon request I’ve been asked to do a blog post about reading a tide chart. This request was made off of my last blog post, where I discussed feeding windows specifically for targeting trophy trout. However, for this tutorial/discussion I’d like to be more practical. I’d like to focus less on the definitions and terms you would find if you did a google search and focus more on what to look for when planning a day on the water. Like most things in life, it boils down to routine, so in the next couple of paragraphs I’ll walk you through my routine if I were going trout fishing in the fall in my homewaters of Port Sulphur, LA.

The first thing I would do is acquire a monthly tide chart. These can be found on various websites or publications like Mississippi Sportsman or Louisiana Sportsman. Since I’m fishing in South LA, I’m going to use the Louisiana Sportsman. See attached…I used the November chart for this scenario because it’s my favorite inshore month for targeting numbers of trout on the inside water of Port Sulphur.  So let’s plan our trips for the month to put a few fish in the box based off of the tide charts.

My initial observation of the tide chart is to determine the Full and New moon (FM – 6 Nov; NM - 22 Nov).  For me these two moon phases dictate tide movement as indicated by the wave associated on the chart, thus making them generally the best times of the month to fish. ..so I try to plan accordingly. My general rule of thumb is to fish a tide range at least .5 or higher. This can be determined by the range value annotated on the date.  20 Nov for example has a range of 1.1’ vice 17 Nov which has range of .2’.

Now lets say we got a kitchen pass and the weather looks good for a trip on 9 Nov. Let plan for a day on the water.

The wind will be SSE 5-10 with light fog in the am, then picking up out the WNW at 15 knots in the afternoon.  The weather conditions, based off of the wind tell me there is a window to fish before a frontal boundary pushes through.  Given that weather information and low tide forecasted for 0911 at Barataria Pass, I know I have until about 1100ish until the tide bottoms out.  The reason I say 1100 vice 0911 (as indicated on the chart) is because the spots I will choose to fish will have to have an adjusted time for tide change. In short, Barataria pass is further south in the estuary than Bay Sanbois, where I’m choosing to fish. As a result the tide will stop at 0911 at Barataria Pass, but will afford me a little more time before it stops in my area.  Adjustments to the tide chart are generally located on your reference point, and you can either use tide adjustments or choose a closer location to the area in which you are fishing.  To highlight my point I chose Manilla Village, which is one bay over from Bay Sanbois. So when it is projected to stop in Manilla, it will likely stop in my area…notice the difference for 9 Nov at Barataria Pass and Manilla Village? Low Tide in Barataria Pass is 0911 and Low Tide at Manilla Village is 1236.

Knowing that bit of information and the weather conditions, tee’s me up for a great morning of catching. I now know I have until about 1145ish to maximize my time on the water with good tide and good weather. 

Now that I know that bit of information, I can focus on spots, structure, etc… Again given our scenario, my gameplan is to fish these 4 areas in succession. Why? Because they have nice drainouts nearby (water movement = bait movement), points and bottom structure.  If I make that milk run in those weather and tidal conditions, and I didn’t catch anything then its safe to say that the fish aren’t there…move on, but focus on similar scenarios/characteristics.  At some point, exploring and reflecting on your time on the water will give you experience on locations and tide/weather conditions and how fish react to all of those combined.

All that being said, tide and its effect differs in each estuary, however the one constant is maximizing your time on the water in good tidal conditions.  If you do that and have a general understanding of how to read a tide chart, you will exponentially increase your chances of getting bit.

I hope this helps. God Bless and Tight Lines!

Chris

 

Feed the Machine

 

Thanksgiving 2014 - Alexandria, LA

With Thanksgiving week in our rear view, it’s only fitting that this blog post deal with some sort of diet intervention, particularly a tryptophan detox. I ate so much turkey and sides that my 170lb frame turned sideways probably looked like I ate a soccer ball. Ok, so maybe not, but I sure as heck felt like I did. However, that’s not the alarming part, the concern is after I ate all of that food I felt myself ready to eat again hours later and this continued till all the Thanksgiving leftovers we’re gone.  In short, I was 3 bites away from a Turkey coma J , I’m sure most who will read this will have experienced similar, and if not, I applaud your self-discipline.  All jokes aside I did find myself grazing a bit more than normal, which got me to thinking about one of my favorite phrases when I’m trout fishing…”Feed the Machine.”

My Best Night - "The Fab 5"

Although it’s not an original phrase, I use it in an original sense. Those who share fishing reports with me have probably heard me use this before, and I use it particularly when someone is on a red hot bite for 2 or 3 days.  In essence it touches on getting in on the action while the getting’s good. The machine I’m referring to is speckled trout, and the “feed” part…that’s your lure.  Although the complexities of the phrase remain simple, the concept I think is far more complex.  Mike McBride said in one of his recent articles that “His mission (while guiding all those years) became one of proving theories – right or wrong; searching for the science of it all.”  In the feed the machine sense, I think it’s very scientific and it relates to the tide and moon.  Keep in mind, I’m a wade fisherman, so by that very point I’m already left or right of center. That being said, we tend to think more about the environmental conditions, since we are standing in it, particularly the ones that impact the moon and earth’s gravitational pull. So, here is my theory – big fish eat in very small windows, and from my experience it’s either on a new or full moon, when the tide is nearing its highest point in the range. Don’t ask me how I know, because my response will be “Fight Club”. If you’ve ever seen the movie, then you know what I’m talking about, however if you haven’t, the only rule of fight club is that you never talk about fight club. The fight club in my sense are the areas that I had in my spots repertoire that consistently produced big trout in South Mississippi.  Some who read my blog know those spots, and to you I say fight club J  However, as good as these spots were at producing big fish, they didn’t always produce big fish.  Two times a months for about 3 or 4 days at a time with 2 hours in those days, I fed the machine, and it was solely dependent on tide and moon phase.  If the environmental conditions were conducive, I was out there…I cashed every kitchen pass, I promised to mow the lawn and wash the cars in a bikini top, whatever I had to do to get out there, I did it.  Some nights it was 1-2 in the morning, but I made do at work knowing that I gave myself the best opportunity to catch trophy fish.  To prove my point, my best night for quantity and quality was 45 degrees, with a light rain at 0100 in the morning.  If an innocent bystander saw me emerge from the darkness in those type of conditions, at that time, they probably would’ve imagined they had seen a ghost, but I did it.  Funny story to highlight my point, one night I was fishing and it was about midnight and I could hear and see a couple behind me talking, they we’re giddy like most are when they start dating, about 10 minutes later I could see them making out, and I was trying to mind my own business until….I got a hit.  I was fishing a catch 2000 made by MirrOlure, and when I felt the hit, I thought to myself how and where am I going to land this fish.  After fighting her for a couple of minutes, she got close enough to see that it was a pretty big trout.

25.5; 5.9lbs

As a result of the time and me not thinking clearly, I decided that beaching her would be the best bet.  Unfortunately for the couple and fortunate for me it was right where they were making out. As I got closer to the couple I could hear the girl, who was startled say, “Oh my God, you scared the hell out of me….I can’t believe you’re fishing this late, etc…” The guy on the other hand, walks closer to me and says, “You catch anything?” I pause a minute, then lift a 25.5” 6lb trout from the water. In short, he almost fainted. After that, all he wanted to talk about was fishing, almost to the point of wading back in the water with me leaving his lady friend behind...let’s just say  she was a little upset. I’m pretty sure they broke up after that….just kidding J It was funny though, and I’m sure eye opening for that guy.



Feeding window - 1830 - 2030hrs

That said, the “science” that Capt McBride talked about was A LOT of trial and error, but the window’s exist. That guy may or may not have tried that spot again and chances are if he did he didn’t catch anything, but that’s the hard part. Often times we give up on a spot that looks and feels conducive for big trout, because luck eludes us sometimes.  That’s why I say dialing them in is the hard part, so in an attempt to eloquently describe my point to help you the next time you’re staring at a tide guide and you decide to target big trout. Compare it to pouring a glass of tea. If you’re pouring someone a glass of tea, and you’ve already filled their glass half full, the moment you pull that pitcher back and that flow of tea decreases into that glass, the window has opened. However, when you stop pouring the tea and the flow stops, the window has closed. Now translate that to a tide guide, when you see that arc of the tide starting to flatten out before reaching its max or min, depending on your estuary, the window has opened. However, when the tide flips or comes to a stand-still, the window has closed. 

I urge you to keep that visual in mind, without a doubt this will help you get in tune with your estuary and once that happens more fish will be on the end of your line.  Also, keep in mind that it may be different for different estuaries, its up to you to do the homework. However, just don’t forget, if you have a stellar trip based on understanding the science of it all and your hard work has paid off, don’t hesitate to cash in all your chips to get back out there and feed the machine.

Tight lines and God Bless. I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Chris

And So It Begins...

Hello everyone, as you’ve been able to tell, I’ve been on a writing hiatus, but I can say it’s not a



result of school, which is nice. In fact, with school now on the backburner and south Texas temperatures dipping into the 40’s, I’ve been able to start my pursuit for those elusive trophy trout. Since early October, I’ve been to the coast about a half dozen times, and almost every trip has yielded a 5-fish TX limit, however numbers of trout and redfish have been really promising. In mid-October, I was able to stay in Corpus for 3-days and each day not only yielded quick limits, but the numbers of trout caught exceed the half century mark, and that’s being conservative.  The best day was on Thursday, 23 Oct, when my dad drove from New Orleans to fish with me and his efforts we’re greeted with an easy limit and a catch and release session that lasted from 0900 to lunch.  The biggest trout was probably close to 4.5lbs but was not pictured only because my pops, realized when he was going to take the picture that his phone had fallen out his waders. Luckily we found it in about 6”s of water, close to where he stood while watering the local cactus’ that grow amidst the rocks bordering the spot.  In short, it was a fun time and great way for a father and son to reconnect.  That being said, I just returned from fishing the last two days and left not only scratching my head, but rekindling the fire I had for targeting these big fish. 

Vudu Shrimp - Match the Hatch

If you would have sat me down and told me that I would be able to fish two days in early November with air temps hovering about 50 degrees, water temps in the low 60’s and mild winds before a major front pushes through and not catch a trophy trout, let alone A trout. I would have called you a liar, and said you have no idea what you’re talking about, but that’s what happened.  I fished for close to 20 hours in 2 days and only caught 3 redfish on the same flats that produced 100’s of fish earlier in the month, and trophy fish in Feb/Mar last year. So what happened? To be honest I don’t know, but I was able to put my finger on one thing that I think caused me to be unsuccessful. I could not find the bait.  Earlier in the last two months, the flats that I predominantly fish had lots of bait, and again, that’s being conservative.  Not only we’re there shrimp busting the surface, but the numbers of mullets in the air at one time, if you scanned the horizon, were close to nearly 20. It was in fish terms, and since we’re close to thanksgiving, a cornucopia of food…a big trout buffet, if you will.  There was so much food that I think earlier in the month, the trout we’re predominantly targeting shrimp vs. finfish. I was always under the impression that bait is bait in a predatory game fish’s eyes, but like most living creatures, they had a “hankering” for a certain type of food.  Almost like most Louisianan’s, when crawfish season rolls around, they’ll simply bypass a cheeseburger and fries to get ahold of 10lbs of boiled mudbugs.  In trout terms, I think the same held true…they wanted a shrimp po-boy vs the fried fish platter…hungry yet? J 

But what does the aforementioned topic have to do with you not catching fish? My answer…Everything!  From tournament BASS angler Elites to legendary trout masters to crappie and walleye fisherman…one coined phrase that is in their repertoire is “Find the bait…find the fish.”  Never in my life have I believed that to be entirely true until I drove back discouraged on I-37 from Corpus to San Antonio.  It was 2 hours of maddening thought that questioned location, technique and even whether or not my travels for the remainder of the year, be worth the investment (not really). In short, I was struggling to accept my failed attempt to catch a trophy fish (really). But I trace it back to the presence of no baitfish.  8^th grade science class indicates the importance of the food chain, and since I’m the apex predator, the success of my efforts is null and void without the presence of the tiniest of organisms.  Fortunately for trout and other predatory gamefish, they are smarter than me. In short, they we’re able to adapt, but I on the other hand, was not, but I do have a few theories as to what may have happened.

I saw this way to much on my flats

The first, its duck season in South TX, and unlike the Louisiana delta, there is little marshland to house such a migration. Therefore, they set up shop by the thousands on various flats, mine included. Never in my life have I been mooned by so many pintail and big grey ducks, as they dipped down into the water looking for shell or other millet lying on the bottom.  In fact, most of my time spent fishing was wishing I had a slingshot and a rock, let alone a Remington 870. If a shotgun were in my tackle box, I would have fielded a limit in 6 shots and my wife and I would be eating A LOT of duck and sausage gumbo.

The second, and more relevant, is the water temperature. Although I’ve caught plenty of trout in upper 40 degree water temps, I didn’t sneeze at a water temp in the low 60’s. However when the water temps completely skip the 70’s and plummets straight to the low 60’s from the low 80’s. The shock of such a change may have pulled the bait and the fish off the flats for just a bit. I compare this thought to getting into a hot bath, the first step is rather uncomfortable, the feeling in your feet gives way to the initial shock but after your body temps recalibrate to the external temp of the water, it starts to feel really good. I theorize the same holds true in the Corpus Christi estuary…those fish, despite being cold blooded, need to acclimatize to the sudden shock of colder temps and once they do it will be “back to normal” life on the flats. If and when that happens, those big girls will be right behind them lumbering amidst the sparse grass that remains due to the dip in temps, and when that happens, I’ll be donning my waders talking sense into my brain about getting out into the cold. Ah, life as a trophy trout addict!

As many who know me would tell you, I’m not one for making excuses.  The last two days humbled me as an angler, leaving me to only make excuses about my lack of productivity, but to offer menial solutions to putting together the puzzle that I often talk about.  As mentioned one thing I will be more vigilant of going forward is the presence of bait. I’ve come to appreciate that concept of fishing and more importantly the meaning of that corny phrase. I hope this blog post not only highlights that main point, but for me personally, makes me and you appreciate those fishing trips that are good.  Trophy trout are a tough quarry, and if you’re into looking for them, know from my experience that you are wasting your time, if you’re not fishing in the presence of bait. However, when you do have that biggun weighed up on a boga grip, know that it’ll be worth it, and that the mullet around you will jump for joy!

God Bless, Tight Lines and Good luck this trophy trout season…it’s gonna be a good one!

Chris

 

Who are you working for?

Inspiration comes in many forms. It can be a simple act, a phrase, possibly a quote or a full bore sequence of events that provides those who are witnesses, the fortitude to take action.  In a recent conversation with a good buddy, the simple approach came to the forefront in the form of the phrase.  During our conversation, he mentioned it once in our back and forth dialogue and it stuck in my mind not only that day, but perpetually all weekend. To make matters worse the reminders were so evident, it was like housing the Goodyear blimp in my tiny backyard.  As a result, I finally decided to take the time necessary and put it into word format and share it as a blog post.  

The conversation was simple. We talked about life, caught up on how things were going, and as we shifted topics to future plans, the phrase aforementioned, surfaced.  

He said, “Man it is much easier to “work with” than “work for” someone…isn’t it?”  My response, “Yeah man, that’s the truth.” It was something that simple, but it was profound, and the more I reflected on it, the more it became clear. It’s about leadership and followership.

My first F-16 Ride - Push it Up!

Having been in the military for almost 10 years, I’ve experienced leadership. I’ve worked for good and bad leaders, but for the most part have seen far more good leaders than bad.  Actually, I’ve seen more great leaders than good, and what I’ve learned and witnessed is that great leaders are able to connect with their people. They do so by being in tune with them personally, which affords them to highlight their strengths, capitalizing on their capability, which empowers them for success.  As a result, the leader has created a self-sustaining organization, with people that want to “work for” that particular leader, because he “works with” his troops.  So what in the world does organizational leadership have to do with a fishing blog?  Particularly to a speckled animal that swims around, eats, avoids being eaten and makes babies?  Similarities, in life, often extend way beyond the realm in which they are applied, and for me the notion of “working with and working for” applies not only in leadership, but into the fishing world. Let me explain…

Kyle Perry with a healthy 5 lber from MS

I predominantly target speckled trout, and during certain times of the year I target “trophy trout”. In short, what I “work for” is consistently catching trout, particularly big trout, and as you may have been able to tell in my previous blog post, that is my passion.  I love the skill, knowledge and techniques that are required for consistently producing big trout, and I’m a student every time I’m on the water, off the water and in dialogue with other fisherman who share my passion in their search for large trout. That said, not everyone’s “work for” is the same…others may include, catching more fish, targeting tournament fish or just simply getting bit more in hopes of filling the freezer.   All are good, however, the success of what I “work for”, is due in large part of knowing what I’m “working with.”

I always compare trout fishing to putting together a puzzle.  Some days the clues are easy and it takes little thought to being successful, similar to my 2 year old putting together a 5-piece Melissa and Doug animal puzzle, match the piece in the hand to the piece on the board…easy!  However, some days, and those who have been there know these days, the puzzle is 10,000 pieces, and it takes a lot of creative thinking, ingenuity and overall intelligence to be successful and scratching out a limit or catching that trophy was more than a struggle.  Keeping that in mind, like the puzzle, there are multiple pieces and putting them together adds to quick wins and overall success.  For me, a person who avidly targets big trout, I “work with” these three things, which are the some of my bigger puzzle pieces I equate to above.



The basics of my wading box

1.     I always work within my realm of confidence regarding lure choice.  This means I’ll always have a jig, a topwater and a corky in my wading box, and in basic lure colors. Why? Because I have confidence, that once I put the puzzle pieces together regarding water temperature, clarity and depth. I will, notice how I say WILL, catch them on one of those lures.  It’s not being arrogant, its having faith in your lure selection which is winning half the battle, particularly the one between the ears….which I think is most important.

2.     I always work with the weather.  From wind to cloud cover, knowing your approach in certain types of weather will give you the advantage, and will put more fish on the end of your line. Additionally, this directly plays into #1 just mentioned.  Let me give you an example, if the wind is blowing against the tide in a certain spot. I will always choose having the wind at my back…here’s why. I rarely stay on anchor, so if I’m in a boat, having the wind at your back increases your contact with your lure, and drifting to your lure provides a similar presentation to working your bait with the tide. Determining cloud cover, water temperature and depth, will dictate what part of the water column you will fish. Once you put those together, you will get more hits. Once you get more hits, zero in on why you’re getting hits and start catching.

100 trout on an August Full moon - Shell Island Pass

3.     Lastly, I always work with the tide, unless I have a stronger than average wind…mentioned in #2.  In TX, I’ve noticed that there isn’t a whole lot of tide, as a result much of the water movement generated is due to the wind.  That being said, if in calmer conditions, I work my bait with the tide 10/10 times….its just natural. Predatory gamefish like trout, will almost always be facing the tide, waiting for an easy meal.  A firm indicator of this is hook up ratio. If I’m fishing with the tide and I’m bringing my bait off a ledge, a trout will have the opportunity to engulf the bait which leads to “taps” and solid hooksets (bait down the throat).  When fishing against the tide, the opposite will take place. Most of the time the bait will come from behind the fish and most bites will be more reactionary and leads to less than stellar hook sets and more fish coming off just before being landed.  We call this a “short-strike”.  If you’re experiencing this, adjust boat positioning and presentation. The good thing is that you know fish are present…which is certainly the main thing.

Without a doubt, fishing, like anything has its certain nuances, and although its a stretch to draw similarities between tricking a fish into eating a plastic imitation lure and organizational leadership, its remains clear that in whatever we choose to do we do for a purpose.  So the next time your on the water or in the office always remember to work with whomever or whatever to achieve maximum results to whatever or whomever you're working for!

God bless and Tight Lines!

Chris

'Tis the Season...For Sportsman

Sorry for yet another delay between blog posts but I’ve been super busy as of late.  My master’s degree has not only been depleting my already limited vocabulary, but has subdued all creative thought into the traditional notions of formal academia, which for this Cajun boy, simply “ain’t good!” As a result, I rarely ever wish for time to speed up, since time already goes by quick enough, ask my 5 year old Kindergartner who it feels like just yesterday, blessed my wife and I with his presence.  However, I can’t help but encourage time to pass by just a little faster than normal.  For a number of reasons, but mainly these three: 1) My masters. Each passing day signifies me getting closer to enjoying more time with family and less time tied to a computer, researching something way less interesting than well, just about anything! 2) Its still 100 degree’s here in TX….and in my best Forrest Gump voice, “That’s all I have to say about that!” and 3) with the appeal of the approaching “cooler” (anything less than 95 degrees) South TX temperatures starts the greatest time of the year if you’re a sportsman….Fall!

Fall Topwater Bite - 6lbs

Longer bite during the cooler fall months

Fall, over the course of my life has become my favorite time of the year, and even though it starts the dreary path to shorter winter days, it spawns a life of its own.  As a sports fan, I don’t think its gets any better than fall.  In baseball, each team by this point in the season, has played over 145 games in the heat of the summer to get down to the nitty-gritty of playing for a chance to represent their league in the World Series.  Additionally, fall officially kicks off football season.  From Friday night lights, to college and pro…all of the blood and sweat shed during the summer two-a-days and training camps are put into action with the opening kickoff.  As a result, each ravenous fan base, regardless of team affiliation vows that “their” team will be the next to hoist the Lombardi Trophy or claim the title as National Champions.  In short, it’s an exciting time to be a sports fan, however it’s an even better time to be a sportsman.

"The three Amigo's" - Dana Sanders



Fall is the apex of hunting and fishing for a number of reasons, and like sports, earmarks the beginning of each season.  For hunting, from small game to large prey, the season is just getting ready to kick off.  Deer hunters, similar to how quarterback’s study film, do much of the same, with establishing  gameplans on how to take that first buck of the season with their bow, especially after their game cams reveal and confirm that ole “drop tines” is feeding in a certain food plot day after day.  Fishing is much of the same, having the presence of cooling temperatures, earmarks the start of the white shrimp exodus into the estuary and in turn all predatory gamefish, particularly trout and redfish, turn into voracious gluttons.  Not only does this make them easy prey for fisherman, but a great supplement to a family dinner of Jamabalaya or white beans with andouille sausage, as the whole family gathers to cheer their team to victory…”Who Dat!” J 



"The Flip"

Its moments like the one aforementioned, that lead to fall being responsible for etching itself into my memory.  I’ve had so many good memories that in the word’s of James Earl Jones in the movie Field of Dreams “The memories are so thick, you have to brush them away from your face.”  Its events like Derek Jeter’s infamous flip play against the Oakland Athletic’s in the ALCS to remind me of shucking oysters with my roomates in an apartment complex at LSU. Its outings with my dad in Port Sulphur, as we caught a limit of trout while listening to Jim Henderson’s play-by-play on 870am as the “Ain’ts” played (keep in mind I was a saints fan before and after the “Dome Patrol” and the Drew Brees era). My dad after the opponent would score, would always look at me and say, “I’m sure glad I’m not one of those sucka’s in the Dome right now….Oh, I got another one!”, while he chuckled. 

From stopping at the fruit stands in Jesuit Bend to pick up a flat of creole tomatoe’s and a bag of Becnel Satsuma’s, to scrubbing the daylights out of the boat and the truck to get the love bugs off. There is no season greater than the fall, and although it doesn’t officially start till Tuesday, 23 September, all the signs are upon us that it’s here for the next couple of months.

Becnel's Satsuma's - Jesuit Bend

So, I wish each of you a happy and hunting fishing season, and I hope everyone has the opportunity to make memories that mark the hands of time! 

 

God Bless and Tight Lines!

Chris

A Devils Horse and a Debt of Gratitude

Me - Age 6, Lafitte, LA

"Chris, do you want to go to Rick’s pond with us?”

“Yeah Cary!” I said.  However, without hesitation I quickly asked, “Can I fish with y’all?”

“Naw buddy. Just follow along, watch us fish and maybe towards the end of our trip, I can teach you how to cast a spinning reel.”

“OK, I’ve always wanted to learn how to use a real rod and reel.” Since all I’ve used up to that point was a red push button Zebco, that was dialed in on catching brim using bread balls and a small cork.

“No problem bud…we’ll see!” he said with a grin.

Then the three of us made our way across the field that flanked the east side of the house to our neighbors pond.

So as expected I sat on the side of Mr. Ricks pond as he and his buddy Eric meticulously fished with nothing to show for their efforts. They tried everything from spinnerbaits to tequila sunrise Culprit worms to broken back rapala’s and the result were all the same…nothing. So with the light fading, my brother looks at me and asks, “You want to learn how to fish Bill Dance?”

I didn’t even respond and quickly started looking through his tackle box to find the “coolest looking lure” and  make a lunge for his rod and reel. In short, my choice was a Smithwick Devil’s horse. Mainly because the eye’s were “cool”.

So after a quick lesson on how to tie a blood knot, my brother taught me how to fish. 

My bro teaching his daughter the basics

First, we started with the basics of holding the rod with the reel resting between the middle and ring finger of my right hand.  Then, we worked on reeling the lure just high enough to the top of you rod, leaving just enough line so the button rest just below the foregrip.  Next I learned to rest the line on my index finger, flip the bale and practice heaving a stickbait with 3 sets of treble hooks as far into the middle of the pond as possible.  So after a few botched attempts and a dump truck full of patience, I was successful in completing what my brother was teaching me how to do….casting a lure forward into the great unknown of Rick’s pond.

After the command of “reel in your slack.” A 6 year old sat in the arms of his 16 year old brother, and reeled in his slack and the Devil’s horse tied on the other end of the line.

“Keep reelin’ bud, you’re doing great.” He said with encouragement.

“Thanks Cary!”  I said, smiling back.

“Just let it sit before it gets close to the bank…it will float back to the surface and you can try it again.”

3 generations of bass out of that pond

In short, I never had to make another cast because as the bait was floating to the top, 10 yards from where we were both standing, my first bass I’d ever catch completely engulfed my brother’s frog patterned devils horse.

“Set the hook!” my brother said as he grabbed the base of the rod to make sure I had enough strength to sink the hooks into ole bucket mouth.

“Keep your rod tip up buddy, he almost in…keep reelin’!”

As I made one more heave, while walking away from the pond with the rod bent and the reel screaming, the bass that committed suicide J was lipped by my brother.  We were all excited to say the least.

“Great job buddy…dad is gonna’ be so proud!”

“Attaboy Chris, good job, you did it all by yourself.” Eric said.

Me and Cary - "Catching up"

So, after a few high 5’s and a couple more “attaboy’s” from he and Eric, my 6 year old exaggerated 10lb largemouth, was on its way back to the farm with us so I could show our dad my proud accomplishment.

However, the valuable lesson wasn’t catching a fish, it was learning how to fish, and as I think back about the dialogue that afternoon between me and my brother, I realize he taught me how to fish.

“Reel in your slack, Chris.” “Keep the line tight, bud.” “Make sure you keep the rod tip up.” These are all expressions and techniques good fisherman practice, and I was fortunate to be taught by my brother at the age of 6.  Now 27 years later, a charter license, a couple of redfish tournament wins, and a cover on the Mississippi Sportman, I’m incredibly grateful that he asked me to go fishing that day.

So with a Devils horse and a debt of gratitude, I learned to fish from my big brother Cary and I appreciate it. I love you bud!

Tight lines and God Bless!

Chris

Part II - Fishing the Water Column; Jig Head Selection

As you may recall last week we discussed the importance of keeping it simple when choosing a soft plastic. However, If you haven’t kept up to this point, I invite you to read part I before reading the below, if you’ve read Part I “More Isn’t always better”…please keep reading!

Results of a jig bite

With respect to jig fishing, I personally believe the longer you can keep a bait in the strike zone the greater the chance for a strike, simple concept I know, but that said, the choice of your soft plastic, although important, is not nearly as important as your jig head selection.  Think back to my initial scenario as I described the drop off in the middle of an oyster flat, by having a firm understanding of where your jig head is in the water column, in relation to the cover that the fish are holding to, is paramount.  Additionally having a firm understanding of the tide, as well as its strength, determines which jig head weight to use. In short, it’s about getting bites. However before we digest all the components of jig head application and weights, lets discuss styles of jig heads and when to apply.

Jig heads come in a variety of shapes and colors, however I adhere to my KISS method when choosing jig heads as well.  I typically use two styles of jig heads…an aspirin head and a screw lock jig head (see picture), and as you would expect these two jig heads are used in particular styles of fishing, i.e. wade fishing or fishing from a boat. The aspirin head jig is my “deep water” jig, and I generally throw these jigs in varying weights in greater than 5 feet of water.  Conversely, the screw lock jig is particularly used during wade fishing, and in depths of less than 5 ft. Keep in mind this is my general rule of thumb, however if faced with a stronger current, tide or wind, the style of jig head could change to counter such aforementioned conditions. It’s basic I know, but setting the standard gives a person new to jig fishing a baseline of jig and depth.

Now that we’ve talked about jig head style, let’s discuss weight.  Knowing the right weight and style of jig head is the greatest factor to fishing with a jig and soft plastic. To put it simply, your lure selection is nothing if you don’t have the jig head to bring it to the fish…fish sitting in 10’ of water will rarely hit a bait 1’ beneath the surface. Think about it, you wouldn’t want to run 6 miles to the nearest restaurant, would you? Especially if they can deliver it to your door, right? This is where choosing the right weight is key to ringing the trout dinner bell.

Capt Mike and I w/ a TX 5 &7

Regarding jig head weight, I use 4 sizes – 1/8, 1/4, 5/16 and 3/8.  I’ve also been experimenting with a 1/16oz for fishing the flats here in TX, but still have some getting used to, and I’ll explain. In the aspirin head mold, I use 1/4oz – 5/16oz 95% of the time. However, I will also throw 3/8 in the aspirin head as well, depending on depth and current, i.e the stronger the current/wind, the heavier the head for the depth of water I’m fishing. For the screw lock jig, I use 1/8oz about 90% of the time with the other 10% split between 1/16 and 1/4oz.  So why use a certain style of jig head and a certain weight? Here is my theory. Screw locks of lighter weight in shallower water paired with a good soft plastic like Down South will afford your bait to sit parallel to the bottom. The main reason is the shape of the head, and the location of the eyelet. Since it’s a lighter jig head and an equally heavy soft plastic, its buoyancy counter acts each other, affording you to fish the entire water column effectively, even if only 1.5 – 3’ in depth. See the attached video of one of my mentors, Capt Mike McBride

 

With regard to the aspirin head and the heavier weights, keep in mind that this is a “deep water jig”. That said, I want to fish more of the water column vertically as opposed to horizontally, like you would with a screw lock. As a bait is falling through the water column, with a heavier head, the weight from the jig head is leading the bait down. However, when have your rod tip up and line tight the natural tendancy is for the head to go down, but is instead in a parallel position because of line tension.

 

Here are some scenarios to highlight my point.  Your in a small curvy bayou, with a pretty good amount of tide (.8 – 1.8’ of tide range). Located on both sides of the bayou are steep drops, that sharply go from 2 feet of water to 12’. I would choose a 5/16oz jig head, because I want the bait to fall from 2’ to 10’ fairly slowly until I get my first bite. Once that happens I can zero in on sink rate, depth, tidal flow and wind conditions (see picture).

 

Another scenario is a large submerged oyster flat that rises up from 6’ of water to about 3’. If in ideal conditions, I would use a 1/4oz aspirin head jig head with a matrix shad to slowly explore the gradual decrease on the flat. Once you determine the location of the fish with relation to the flat, you can solidify your boat position and presentation. (see picture).

As you can see there is some science to fishing with a jig, but your efforts will not go unrewarded. Although it may be easier to fish live bait under a cork, the thrill of the hunt and the ability to fool a fish into eating something plastic is very fulfilling. It’s a testament to your angling ability and more often than not, equally as effective. Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed this two part series. If you have any questions, please provide them below.

As always, tight lines and God Bless!

Chris

Jig Fishing - More Isn't Always Better

Bay Sanbois, Port Sulphur, LA

Picture this, it’s late November in South Louisiana, and you are on the third day of a warming trend from a cold front that blew through days before.  So with fog limiting your visibility on the morning commute, you decide to fish a trusty spot on the southwest side of Bay Sanbois in Port Sulphur.  Now as you pull up to the spot, you think to yourself, “Why is this spot so good?”  It’s certainly nothing visible to the human eye.  With that in mind, the visual contour of the bottom runs through your head like the depth finder mounted to the console of the boat. In short, this spot is solid oysters with a 3’ flat on one side and a ledge in the middle that dips to 5 feet of water.  Additionally, the falling tides of the early winter mornings, make it virtually a sure thing.  So as you lower the trolling motor, you look back at the arsenal of rods and you quickly go for a 6’6” medium action with a 1/4oz jighead paired

with a glass minnow imitation soft plastic.  As you get the boat positioned, you cast slightly up current and let the tide bring your jig right off the ledge and as you would expect, you feel the tap of a trout. You quickly set the steel and the power pole and methodically pick at a limit until the tide bottoms out. This spot is just one example of the many underwater havens that hold a countless amount of trout across the Gulf Coast.  However, getting them to bite isn’t always easy unless you understand how to fish a jig.

In this 2-part blog post, I want to discuss fishing soft plastics.  In my life, I’ve been fortunate to develop confidence throwing a jig and soft plastic, and have been lucky enough to fool a few trout along the way. In short, this technique is my bread and butter for no other reason, than the confidence I possess in throwing a jig and soft plastic.  Additionally, it is also the most versatile way to fish. You can fish it in 20 feet of water or 2 feet and yield the same results.  Additionally, as a newcomer to an area, throwing a jig can help you cover water, vital to maximizing your knowledge of the local estuary.  Not only can cover water, but you can also get a feel for water depth, as well as bottom structure. With that said, here are two items I’d like to discuss, 1) soft plastics and body style and 2) Jig head style and weight.

One of two tackle boxes on the boat...that all you need!

First, let’s discuss soft plastics. I love going to Academy or any local tackle shop and looking at the colors of soft plastics. In fact, I’ve recently been experimenting with making my own soft plastic molds and have poured a few baits, but that is another post. In short, soft plastics come in a ton of colors and a myriad of body styles. However, as with most things, the simpler the approach the better the result…I fully implement the KISS method for my approach to throwing soft plastics, let me explain.  Fish, particularly trout, like to eat shrimp or other fin fish, as a result, I throw a bait that looks similar to those two things.  That is the primary reason I use these soft plastics, Matrix shads (made in Slidell, LA) and Down South Lures (made in Austin, TX), because they make baits that mimic baitfish.  Not only do they have tremendous action and superb durability, but they have great colors that mimic the forage, trout, reds and flounder seek to feast upon.  They (Matrix and Down South) don’t do anything fancy with they’re color schemes except stick to matching the light and dark silhouettes in the estuaries they are applied.  Here are a few pics of what I mean….

Down South Lures - Chicken of the "C"

Down South Lures - "Kickin' Chicken"

Matrix Shad - "Ultra Violet"

Matrix Shad - "Green hornet"

In addition to color, their body styles are all you need and what you would look for in a soft plastic.

Matrix "Shrimp Creole"

Matrix shad’s are 3” in length and more compact than Down South. As a result, I throw Matrix shads in more deepwater applications, on heavier jigheads, when more action is required from a bait. See attached video of underwater footage of a Matrix and think back to my KISS example. Hint, hint….it involves throwing something that looks like a baitfish.

Down South "Texas Roach"

Down South Lures, on the other hand, are 4.5” in length have a more slender body and small kicker tail.  I use Down South exclusively wadefishing here in TX and have had tremendous results. The small kicker tail allows the bait to run true while fishing, because it almost acts like a rudder.  Additionally, the longer body provides larger trout a bigger silhouette of a finfish and the slender body isn’t as obtrusive to big fish, which is key to tricking those big girls to eating on the flats. All in all, I’ve been super impressed with these baits, and partnered with a 1/8oz screw lock Venom jighead, its easy to field a limit on 1 tail, or target your Personal Best trout wadefishing.

With regard to soft plastics, that’s it….the simpler the better. Other than a box full of those two lures in a variety of basic colors, those are the two soft plastics I throw when and why.  So quit lugging that 20lb tackle bag that could start a satellite location of Academy and stick to the basics. Also, if you haven’t checked these two lures companies out yet, please do so. In addition, these companies are owned by two awesome guys (Chas Champagne – Matrix Shad and Mike Bosse – Down South Lures) that live amongst us in our communities and have their soft plastics made in the States. Support them if you can. 

Part II, jighead selection will be posted next week, but for now God Bless and tight lines!

Chris