looking for good place to fish with poling skiff
 

New to the forum. been fishing for years with friends and guides. Just picked up my first boat. 17 ft. Hewe's Tailfisher.

I need some help getting started. I am looking for a good place to start with this rig.

I am looking for reds primarily. I want shallow water, channels, deadends, small lakes.

I live in Alexandria, so Vermillion Bay area or lake Charles area makes the most sense.

I hope to get pics up of my new rig soon, for anyone interested.

Thanks

thats a good looking lil rig according to google pics. congrats

Hewes is top of the line, Love them boats. Pretty much can get into any marsh that isn't private and find some reds. You fishing conventional or fly gear?

You have more marsh style fishing if you head more to the east....dularge/cocodrie would be the closest.

Dularge and Delacroix

Leeville/Grand Isle/Fourchon, Hopedale, Reggio, down the road to Venice

Golden meadow,Point aux chene,Galliano,Myrtle Grove,Laffite options are endless :work:

;)

There are a few areas around VBay and inside marsh island. A few areas around Big Lake but lots of private marsh over there so be careful where you end up

There is alot of good fishing inside marsh island....it's just to cross the bay in a small skiff that would be an issue.

yeah just gotta watch the weather really close...I wouldnt try it till later in the summer when the weather is more stable with that boat

That boat is made for the duck ponds around Lake Boudreaux..... about 4 hours from Alex maybe a lil more pulling a skiff.

As far as accessible private redfish water, look into Harry Bourg property in Dulac (office in Houma). They sell memberships. Tons of shallow, grassy marsh to sight fish. Very close to T-Irv's neat the Ship Channel.

Only drawback: every person in the vessel needs a membership. No guest passes. And it is patrolled.

Thanks for the congrats/compliments on the boat. It is a great little rig.

I will be fishing conventional gear.

I was afraid I would hear 'go east'. I am 2 hours from VB, but easy 4-6 from areas south of Houma. That would really limit me to maybe on trip every 5-6 weeks.
Sightwindow, question about the club you mentioned. What kind of money are we talking here?

That brings up a larger question too about knowing what is public and what is private.
As was mentioned by Montauk17 and meaux fishing, Marsh island would be a closer spot for me assuming the weather cooperates, by how the heck am I suppossed to know if I am on private land???

just found the Harry Bourg Corp. website. Fishing permits $100.00 annually.
15000 acres. I will have to explore that possibility, but its definitely a haul from Alex for a day trip...

Someone inform me on how you can own water ? The law reads if you can get into from a navigable water way and it doesn't go completely dry on low tide then it's public. You can own the land around the water but not the water. I know this subject has been breached before but shed some light kind sirs.

meaux fishing, if I was going to try to get to marsh island, would Cypremort Point be the closest and best place to launch?

I don't know all the ins and outs, but part of the argument for private marsh is that as land has receded over the years, the owners of that lost land still have ownership of it, even though it is under water.

I may be totally offbase on this, so dont take my word for it lol.

Yeah cypremort is the closest to marsh island....8 miles from the launch to the mouth of bird island bayou. 6 of those miles is open water that can get very rough. I run it in my 17' boat but have taken a beating going in if the wind picks up.

I'd highly recommend you think long and hard about marsh island in that boat. The bay is very shallow and can turn to crap fast and leave you in a bind. I've been there and done that in a small oat. I live near the area have a big boat now and seldom fish it. Make the extra drive farther east. You'll be glad you did. Golden Meadow, Leeville,(my favorite) and Fourhon are better for the type of fishing your looking to do with that boat. Good luck.

Launch on east side of Hog Island weir and fish the marsh to the south of the main canal. It's shallow and just what you described. You can even work your way to West Cove through the marsh ponds. No one hardly goes in there because its so shallow but your boat can handle it, well as long as its not a hard outgoing wind blown winter tide. Then you may be sitting in mud.

The way I understood and read somewhere once, is that "navigable waters" doesn't mean anywhere you can float a boat. I read it had something to do with waters used for commerce back in the day. So a little trenasse, pond, or small bayou deep in the marsh on someones land is actually private. But there's probably more to it than that. The laws suck, but that's what we got until the laws get changed.

How much water do you draft. Do you want to sight or blind cast.

The Tailfisher drafts 7 inches. Ideally, I would like to site fish. Even if its just waves and tails!

Thanks for the advise. Thanks to Montauk17 too for similar advise.

So far, from this thread, I have ruled out Vermillion Bay. I still have Big lake area and area farther east.

This is good. This run may be the quickest and so may be my first outing.
Anything else I need to know about the area?
What is the water like in the marsh there?
What do you recommend I throw out there? I will be fishing artificial only.

Hard to beat gulp on a jighead or a spinnerbait

Pretty sure I read somewhere that "navigable waters" are an area where a tugboat can turn around in. You guys are spot on with the receding land and ownership of the land under the water. Most places have trespassing signs or something somewhat blocking the entrance to the bayou or marsh. You don't have to post your property in Louisiana if im not mistaken...The marsh on the east side of hog island wier is a good starting point. I plan on fishing back there soon, ive only been once and its pretty nice.

Navigable waters were declared on the state lands map many years ago (1910). What was navigable (not privately owned/settled) then is public and what was not declared navigable is private no matter if it is twenty feet deep or a bayou, river, lake, bay, etc. Also, just because you have to go in a gatortail does not make it private.

Please read LA Reserve Statute 9:1101 below

"LRS 9:1101. Ownership of waters and beds of bayous, rivers, streams, lagoons, lakes and bays. The waters of and in all bayous, rivers, streams, lagoons, lakes and bays, and the beds thereof, not under the direct ownership of any person on August 12, 1910, are declared to be the property of the state. There shall never be any charge assessed against any person for the use of the waters of the state for municipal, industrial, agricultural or domestic purposes.

While acknowledging the absolute supremacy of the United States of America over the navigation on the navigable waters within the borders of the state, it is hereby declared that the ownership of the water itself and the beds thereof in the said navigable waters is vested in the
state and that the state has the right to enter into possession of these waters when not interfering
with the control of navigation exercised thereon by the United States of America. This Section shall not affect the acquisition of property by alluvion or accretion.
All transfers and conveyances or purported transfers and conveyances made by the state of Louisiana to any levee district of the state of any navigable waters and the beds and bottoms thereof are hereby rescinded, revoked and canceled. This Section is not intended to interfere with the acquisition in good faith of any waters or the beds thereof transferred by the state or its agencies prior to August 12, 1910."

Hope this clears things up!

Popping cork with a gulp 8 to 10 inches below it is hard to beat. Also the trustee gold spoon. If there is grass Flukes. The way the wind has been the water is holding up great. With those popping corks it can be pure mud and its game on.

The West Cove and Hog Island boat launches are in the Sabine National Refuge. There are lots of regulations......and as someone said, the fines are expensive if you don't follow the rules.

I recomment that you go to this link and do some reading. After you finish reading the information....read it again.

http://www.fws.gov/swlarefugecomplex.../huntfish.html

Lafitte. I used to take my 17' Ankona Native SUV out there all the time. Hit the bayou DuPont and texaco canal areas.