texas or louisiana saltwater fishing?

[Johnny]

I've heard great things about Louisiana fishing. I sure hope to go one day soon. Might do that this year. I was born n raised fishing the surf on the West End of G-Town. When conditions are right, me and my boys haul tail down as fast as we can. We hit it right every time down this past summer. Great times waist deep in God's Country.

[Drop Tine]

Friend of mine guides on Big Lake. Seems like they stay hot on them. I grew up fishing there and take it for granted I guess, but I can vouch that it is outstanding! That 41" bull in my avatar was C&R on Big Lake. PM me if you are interested in his contact info. Do a couple days of fishing and take the kids/wife on the airboat tours in Orange on your way back. That would make for a memorable trip.

[Bisch]

Don't know much about rods n reels, but you can bowfish for reds in LA!!!!

Bisch

[AtTheWall]

AtTheWall,
Sounds like you enjoyed the Dulac area. We fished a lot of redfish tournaments in the ponds around Lake De Cade. The ponds over there are not as good for sight fishing. When you find the right water the fish light up like orange pumpkins. It is a sight fishermans Dream on the east side of the river. Headed to Mansfield tomorrow. See if I can find some jumbo specs laid up on the western mud.

One day I'll fish that east side over there and maybe do a Chandeleur Islands run with a few of the Port A Lowlife crew, that have been eaten up with Texas tuna lately LOL!

Fished a lot of windblown shorelines, running the trolling motor and casting to push waves, as the reds scattered. The numbers, when you can find them are excellent over there. It's extremely humid, more so than South Texas, due to the afternoon thunderstorms blowing up around those backcountry marshes. It can and is very hairy there when lightning shows, which is every darn afternoon at times. Course you can limit out before it gets to that point there easily.

This was always a good sign working shoreline over there. It's not always diving birds....shorebirds, the bigger the better, on a feed, are excellent markers of water nervousness.



Let us know how the trip goes. It looks like the weather will be excellent! I need to change my oil, filter and lower unit fluids here in a week or two on my skiff. Then I'll jump into some trips out of Bird Island and southward. Weather lately has been rotten and the few windows, have me wrapped around the work axle.

Good luck!!!!!

And another sign...things may not be so good in the immediate area LOL!

[AtTheWall]

South Texas.......it's really more South Florida like than any other area I've fished along the Gulf. Poling flats, and fishing skinny water, sight casting to fish. It's well worth the trip to fish here if you're a Texan who has never had the opportunity to do so.

3ft or less and running around 38 mph on absolute glass. I just left the King Ranch shoreline, and fished a massive school of tailing redfish, around 80 fish or so, all on the large side of slot and up to around 35", along the King Ranch shoreline. I had tailing redfish all around my skiff, at times, 10ft away feeding and swimming with a care in the world with me dead center in the middle of them. These fish are not spooked easily and they really are laid back in the more isolated areas of the Laguna Madre, at times, swimming right by the boat as you realize, one snuck up on you unspotted.

The King Ranch.....nearly 1 million acres of prime South Texas brush country......that is the backdrop.



Then you find scenes like this. Padre Island National Seashore...dunes and wild and free coastal grasslands. From the beginning of time.....she's still wild and free.



I'm the only boat here...for miles and miles and the water clarity - South Florida like with grass, white sand and endless opportunities. Truly a very unique fishery, extremely rare in the lower 48.



I sight casted to this school of black drum, literally over 100 fish in 1 - 2ft of water. Shrimp flies and or shrimp trailed behind a super small float, every cast a hook-up and each hook-up, you pick the fish, aim and make the presentation. Black drum on fly tackle...think about that for a moment, not too many places with that opportunity. Filled the box with these little tasty jailhouse fish.







Topwater redfish - it's a very consistent pattern in the Laguna Madre. Port Mansfield, just inside the jetty channel on the back side of Padre Island Seashore, hammering these guys in 1.5 ft of water, watching them jump out of the water, using their tail to push off the bottom to smash a silver\blue noisy topwater......it's visually about as good as red fishing gets! Since they have underslung mouths, attacking topwaters require redfish to launch up and out of the water to get a solid bite, in super shallow water. They can't roll over to hit the bait...too shallow, so the do the next move = LEAP.

Rack and had two solid days of non-stop action in Port Mansfield this trip. We hooked and landed well over 40 specks in one spot, casting lures. A boatful of Mexicans, must have been 7 in a 19 ft boat, sailed over my pattern and then broke down.....which shut that scene down.





And tops for specks in the same scene, alternating between species between casts, it's certainly very doable in South Texas...consistently.



In the right areas of South Texas, I've had numbers of reds and or specks that rivaled any trip I've ever made anywhere, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia & Louisiana. I've had trips where literally in a couple of hours, I'm counting well over 35 or 40 redfish, cast after cast, all in 2.5ft or less water.

Last winter, I had one speck run where my friend Gene and I boated 125 speckled trout, in a 3 hour stretch near Aransas Pass. The weekend before that scene, when I found this pattern, I boated 54 specks on Saturday and 74 specks on Sunday, casting jig heads with New Penny Gulps.

My best numbers have been in Texas waters but, I'm sure I can do the same in Louisiana if I had more time to fish that scene. But to say it can't be done here in Texas.....I do it every year when I can fish consistently enough to find patterns.

Florida like water...and the mix of species in South Texas, you never know at times when the bait and conditions are prime. Rack and I witnessed a massive manta ray jumping out of the water, swimming under the skiff after 3 jumps, all coming closer and closer to us before swimming down and beyond us.

Note the diving birds to the right of this fouled hooked Spanish Mackerel...a feeding frenzy with a couple of "Port A Lowlifes" sipping a cold beer and catching fish







Like fishing in another tropical country at times.



Water front Port Mansfield















5 - 6 inches of water here



To pole to this spot in Baffin Bay and one of several for the day, fishing with my son.





And there are times, if you want to play this game in March, Carolina rigged lure, which consists of a 1/2 oz egg sinker on top, with a 1.5 ft 20 lb test leader drop with a small 2/0 circle hook. The lure, a 6" section of FishBite in Chartreuse and slow worked on the bottom, largemouth bass worm fishing style, covering the channel up to the spoil bank edges...slowly fishing coverage till your bait gets picked up. Then it's on for a bit, riding the trolling motor up and down the Intercoastal Waterway to the land and then release.

Every year....like a no brainer situation, they are there. I typically boat 2 or 3 and then move on, with many folks watching and slipping into my pattern as I give them my spot and sail away.






My little FishBite Carolina rigged lure is just under his bottom chin. Work arties for big uglies with light tackle...probably spend the day catching one after another but, I always try to find my limit of spots and dots for the family before heading in.



The magic to the Laguna Madre and Southern reaches of Redfish Bay near Port Aransas is this......sea grass. It's only found in deep south Texas and it's growth stops near Rockport. The only other spot along the Gulf in the USA is South Florida. This is the key to the hyper clear waters found in this region.



And do to the super clear water, redfish take on this color in the Laguna Madre. March to April fish here, just above Bird Island near the Majek brothers fish camp in the Laguna Madre. Hooked an easy Louisiana redfish limit but boxed my three redfish and a limit of specks before sailing in.

[Elite0429]

I've always wanted to fish down there and was wondering is it as good as they say? and how are the guides prices? would love to make a long weekend with the wife and kids maybe head to New Orleans before or afterward or somewhere to entertain the family after we fish my kids are 5 and 8 thanx.

if your wanting to go to New Orleans, I have a friend who guides down that way. Offshore/ Inshore, he does it both. here is his website if you wanna take a look. his name is Rene Dandry. http://www.lafishingtrips.com/about-us/

[bullelk]

Both are good times

[Johnny]

Great pics Rob. Sure makes me wish it was 85 degrees outside and hitting the salt!

[marshhunter]

Louisiana!! Was in Venice for a bachelors party this past summer. HOLY SMOKES!! Can not wait to go back! All fish were caught on artificial, and were all sight cast! It was an absolute blast!

[Patton]

I don't fish too much, but when I do I'd rather go to LA. Bowfishing reds is hard to beat

[marshhunter]

Louisiana!! Was in Venice for a bachelors party this past summer. HOLY SMOKES!! Can not wait to go back! All fish were caught on artificial, and were all sight cast! It was an absolute blast!

I will say it depends on what you are wanting to catch..

Big trout: LLM
Sight cast reds: LA and some parts of tx(LLM)
Bowfish reds: LA
Off shore: LA
Trout: TX/LA
Reds: TX/LA
Hardheads: Popping cork, quart of skrimp, and boat ramp!

[panhandlehunter]

I've fished both. I prefer Texas because I like to wade fish. I could catch a 25 fish limit of undersized trout here in Texas most days, a sub 15" trout is a nuisance to me. Lol. I like quality. Having said that, I love going to LA to fish, and if you're taking your boys on a trip, yall will have a wonderful time in LA. I lived and worked in Lake Charles for a couple years and fished every Calcusieu almost every weekend.

[Clay C]

I will say it depends on what you are wanting to catch..

Big trout: LLM
Sight cast reds: LA and some parts of tx(LLM)
Bowfish reds: LA
Off shore: LA
Trout: TX/LA
Reds: TX/LA
Hardheads: Popping cork, quart of skrimp, and boat ramp!

There are plenty of other places to sight fish to reds in TX.

[marshhunter]

There are plenty of other places to sight fish to reds in TX.

I have a boat with an open spot if you have Gps cords!

[marshhunter]

I don't fish too much, but when I do I'd rather go to LA. Bowfishing reds is hard to beat

IF yall ever have an open spot on this trip, hit me up!! Have bowfishing bow, will travel!