Schooling Reds in BL
 

Anybody been seeing schooling reds in big lake? If so, do they tend to be on the south end? I want to try to take my kids out Saturday evening.

If you know of any place where I can put them on a red (size is not important) please let me know. The last two times I have been down there my kids have not been happy at all with Dad's Guiding Service.

You should have no problem catching reds at jetties


I have not seen many schools in lake lately, usually they do start showing up this time till later Sept

Haven't been lately but usually the reds are fast moving and sometimes can be tough to get on. Try in the lake maybe around the washout area. Of if its calm jetties should be productive.

Incidentally, is there a way to distinguish bird-working red and trout schools in Big Lake without a)seeing reds on surface b) catching a red?

I'm talking about bird behavior or other clues that would tip you off even before making a cast, saying "OK that's a school of reds. You can tell by x. If it was trout you could tell by Y"

We hardly ever have schooling reds over here - except for the bulls beginning about right now on the beaches of Last Island.

Today
Attachment 53216

:eek:

Did you cast into those reds or did you just take a picture?

I'm at work, I friend of mine sent me a pic and a couple videos from this morning. Don't know how to load the videos

Birds have a tendency to move along more quickly over redfish schools or mixed big trout and redfish schools than they do over schooling smaller trout. But that axiom doesn't always remain a constant. Sometimes you can approach the east bank in places from Hebert's to the weirs and find them tailing or.moving, but the best bet is the jetties.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

I got into a school of reds by the washout 3 weeks ago. I stayed on them for a couple hours. A boat ran right through the middle of the school and I caught one where he passed, right after he passed. Boats dont seem to shut Reds bite down. The all seemed to be 29in. None under 27.

Thanks, I will hit the jetties and keep my eyes open for schools near the washout.

Are you guys talking about the Cameron jetties?

Yes

I was fishing my normal speck spot when I noticed clouds of muddy water in the water from the reds stirring up the bottom, casted and hooked up. Later I had to move cause of rain. Got back after the rain and saw one bird dive which helped me locate them and sure enough they were still in the area and I got into them again.

So, they'll be schooled up on or near the surface in open water in the vicinity of the jetties? Or schooled up actually on the jetties, where they're caught using traditional methods?

Thanks for answering!

I fished the jetties for the first time on July 4 and caught 8 specks with my son. Live shrimp under a cork Taking the wife and daughter tomorrow again to the jetties and Mama wants to catch redfish.

We were in the channel on the West side.
Where should we try?
Cast towards the channel & use what bait?

If mama ain't happy no ones happy.

Thanks
Big ND Fan

I haven't fished the jetties in years. I don't really target redfish. But when I have fished there I have had best luck on reds on channel side of the west jetty on Gulp shrimp on 1/4 oz jighead.

East bank around basket reef (b/w 1st and 2nd weir south of Hebert's) is a good area for reds this time of year, just drift the bank with topwaters or gulps.

Headed that way in the morning. I will post and let y'all know.

Usually its reds under birds if they are moving at a good speed. There may be trout mixed in, but if you gotta keep that trolling motor on high to keep up then its most likely reds.

The attached map shows what I regard as the most promising locations for redfish at the Calcasieu Jetties, especially on falling tides. First the theory:

1. Theory of fishing with children: they want action, but do not bring a lot of skill or quiet or patience to the party. They are much better at letting a line to the bottom than casting into a school at the top or casting a popping cork close to structure without getting constantly tangled. Bottom fishing at the jetties is much more resistant to their bumping and bonking and much less dependent on casting skills. The captain must learn to put the boat in a good position and hold it there.

2. Theory of redfish on a falling tide: the fish are ambushing bait and you need to find a spot where the current is bringing bait. Any bottom structure that is different from the surrounding area can be good. A fishfinder can be very valuable, but you can also do a lot just by letting lines to the bottom at various spots and learning where the changes are.

Location descriptions:

1. A family favorite inside the channel. There is a shelf about 100 yards north of the green channel marker. Some guys wade fish for specks in the shallower water. We like the spot about 20-25 ft deep where the channel transitions to the shelf. When there is a very brisk current in the channel, the flow on the shelf is much slower so it is an easy spot for redfish to hang out and ambush stuff.

2. Just inside the cut, either a bit north or a bit south on the west side. There is a bit of bottom variation here and just enough of the current flows out of the cut to create a couple of holes and eddys where the bait stalls.

3. Just outside the cut, either a bit north or a bit south, but out of the fastest current flow to where you can imagine bait being swept along by the current suddenly finding more still water and sinking to the waiting redfish on the bottom. Sonar can help find the sweet spots from the bottom contours, but a sharp eye on the current can find them also.

4. Any spot along the far outside edge of the rocks can be pretty good. This is the best spot if you have to pick a spot without any definite bottom features. Either the east side or the west side can be pretty good.

5. This is our all time favorite spot when conditions allow. There is a hole about 20 ft deep a bit west of half way between the end of the rocks and the green channel marker. Sit tight on top of the hole or wherever you need to be so the current carries your bait into the hole. There are a lot of rocks down there, so keep the bait 1-2 ft off the bottom to reduce snags. It is madness how many fish you can catch in this spot.

6. Same as 4, other side. Pick the downwind side.

Bait: cracked crab outfishes everything else. Crab claws or whole smaller crabs work also, especially if the hardheads are devouring the cracked crab. We've fished a lot of cut mullet also, but mullet catches mostly gafftops. We've caught at least 20 redfish on crab for every one caught on mullet.

Tackle: stout pole with 30-50 lb power pro. Leave the Zebcos at home.

Other amusements: Some days it may be all black drum and gafftops, but these will provide children with lots of fun and break the boredom while waiting for the redfish to show up.

Popping cork: I go back and forth regarding whether to put the boat close enough to the jetties to cast a popping cork alongside the rocks. The risk here is that there are still a lot of rocks on the bottom if you're this close and the folks bottom fishing are going to have a lot of snags. With children, I lean toward being just out of casting distance to the jetties, which almost always helps the children turn the fish before it reaches the rocks.

Never thought is see such a thorough write up on jetti fishing! Thanks!

Lol MathGeek went hard on Jetties!!

Rule of thumb
Incoming tide fish inside rocks, out going tide fish outside rocks

Mathgeek and others. Thanks for the info.

Hell, I s*uck so bad I need to be in Mathgeek's class to catch anything.

I took the kids this morning and tried to fish near the end and on the outside of the east jetty. Man, that current was ripping. I was probably in the wrong place. We didn't catch anything. I had three kids with me and so fishing myself was impossible. I was constantly tying and retying lines and rigs. Kids were snagged on rocks, the bottom, anchor rope, each other and spent most of the time dropping their rods and running around the center console screaming to get away from a bumble bee that was checking them out. I thought I was gonna blow a gasket. I'm gonna have to take one kid at a time or teach them how to tie their own rigs.

So I take it u don't wanna be a guide? Lol

You know Jared, I thought about you this morning and was wondering how you do it. Not only do guides have the responsibility of finding fish day after day but they have to deal with all kinds of folks, adults and children alike, that can't tie on a hook or can't cast.

It must get awfully trying at times.

My kids are so tired of me taking them fishing and not catching anything I am going to have to hire you to keep their interest up in fishing!

Hey J , maybe MathGeek can show you how to make true fishing report posts. Insteed of those "brag" pic only posts! :spineyes:








Just messing with ya! :grinpimp:

Brag reports?? I call it advertisement...why would I tell the Internet where I fish when I do this for a living

I'd just love it if Jared didn't make his reports. Who wants to see what's possible out there with a few details! That'd be just awful. After all, sooo many people give detailed reports all the time.

Here's what u do then don't click on my reports if u don't like em...

I'm not sure why, but our success outside the east jetty has been closer to the midpoint between the cut and the end rather than between the end and the red channel marker. I'm not sure if there just isn't a hole over there or if we haven't found the sweet spot or if the hole is over a spot where the current is so strong we can never put the bait in the hole. Outside the east jetty, the bait is finding a mud/sand bottom in the good spots rather than sitting on submerged jetty rocks.

Also, if the current is so strong a 4 or 6 oz sinker won't take your bait to the bottom, you probably need to adjust your location a bit so it will, probably further west on the west side (outside) and further east on the east side. There are times when the current in the channel is so strong that the flat (location 1 in the picture) is the only fishable location in the channel.

The jetties are hard to fish with children. When I was a child, the jetties were our favorite spot, but my dad would only take us on the calmest days, and we broke off a lot of fish, because he left the rigging and knot tying to us. Now, I take care of all the rigging, because fresh uni knots are important to landing nearly every fish once it is hooked well. My own children (12-14 now) are pretty tough, so we take a good long look and I get their input regarding whether they are willing to go and when they have had enough and want to go back in. I can take all three and we can fish 6-8 rods total because every angler knows exactly what there role is when someone hooks up. When a big fish is on, the children quickly reel all the other rods in, make them "safe" (put the hook in an eyelet with a bit of tension and get the rod in a holder), a "net man" is selected, and everyone else takes care to keep the boat balanced and be ready to assist of the fish gets into the anchor line, etc. Last time, we actually managed to land a few doubles (two hooked up at the same time) and also not lose several by passing rods under the anchor line to get the fish free.

But in their less experienced years, more than two was not easy, especially when targeting big fish or fishing rough water. I remember my son's first muskellunge (19 lbs 39"). We landed the fish, but it took me 45 minutes to untangle the lines (even cutting and retying), and I think we were only fishing 4-5 lines that evening.

We were fishing the pass at Grand Isle this week, and I got stung by a wasp putting the first bait out. Well, before everyone could get their baits out, I was hooked up with a big (38") redfish. The adrenaline totally nullified the pain and swelling of the sting. About half way through the battle, I couple of boats stopped to watch, honking their congratulations when we finally got it netted.

Once you learn the subtleties, you will consistently do well at the Cameron jetties. In five trips this year, we have boated 22 bull redfish and 3 black drum. There are stretches when you get a lot more black drum and gafftops too. Since we've been fishing the jetties regularly since 2000, we have never been skunked, with our worst day being a dozen big gafftops, two of which are pending Louisiana top ten records (3rd and 6th, I think). You can also add fish to the box with a live shrimp under a popping cork along the rocks, but the wind and current make this a high maintenance deal, and it is hard to manage a crab on the bottom at the same time.

Thanks for your help MG.

You don't have to tell anyone where you fish. But it would be nice if you said "something". How about talk about your clients, how they enjoyed themselves, what the weather and water was like, what was the bait of choice for that day. Just anything to show you enjoy what you do for a living. Instead of how it only matters if you limit out. That's what it seems like anyway, when we only see a dock shot. Everyone including myself, knows your a great fisherman. Just give us a few words is all.

I used to do all that and the reason I quit is bc wjen u post any info on this site u get 10 Pms asking questions etc... I have 2 jobs get at least 5 calls a day about fishing and at end of day I don't feel like makin a report...all my clients get the full spill on the lake when we fish but when u try to be helpful it gets abused so I quit. Now I just post to show the catch sorry but that's just what I'm doing.

^i agree with ya on that one Jared!^


Sent from an Apple Tree..

I dont blame u one bit jared....

Samsung Galaxy S3 (Android dominating the world!)

Yeah, I can understand where you're coming from. Thanks for the reply.

Yeah, FREE advertisement. If you were a site sponsor....no one could say a word about your "advertisement".

are you a sponsor Salty?

I think we all advertise our own interests in our own way, be they our businesses, our political views, our favored charities, our faith based views, possibly even putting in a good word for businesses owned by family and friends. There is nothing wrong with that if kept within the forum guidelines.

I choose to communicate a lot of details because I see the contest as with the fish rather than the other fishermen, because I am grateful with those who have been open with sharing information with me, and because I have a keen interest in seeing fishing passed along to the next generation. The greatest threat to fishing is not over harvest, but rather overregulation pushed by environmental extremists and the PETA (anti hunting) crowd. The long term political viability of sport fishing depends on recruiting large numbers of future voters into the next generation of recreational anglers. Getting skunked too many times as a youth is counterproductive.

At the same time, I do not divulge information that damages my own business in the long run, so I respect other businessmen choosing to do the same. All info shared on discussion forums is valuable even if limited to a few pictures and the general time and location where they are caught. I think gentle, respectful inquiries are more appropriate than berating contributors who feel they need to keep certain details private. Take the hint and be polite if your inquiries do not yield the information you are hoping for.

If you really want detailed information, then spend many days and hours and dollars in equipment, fuel, bait, etc. and compile many, many days on the water. Then post all the details here for the other forum participants to benefit from, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets: "Do to others as you would have them do to you." Give away your best fishing spots, your favorite hunting spots, your most productive techniques if you would want others to do the same.

No. Why do you ask?

Good stuff, MG.

I agree, Math hit it on the nail!

The FREE adverstisement for your baits at the bottom of your signature:p

The past couple times I've hit black lake There was a group of reds schooling don't Even bother going unless its slick cause both times the wind picked up they shut down

Honestly, when I ended my sponsorship I overlooked the sig. Feel better now. I don't try to peddle my baits here any more. Don't have to.. I tried to sell them under a sponsorship, but, too many people complained about them being higher priced than the store shelf lures. :eek: DUH!!! "CUSTOM". :smokin:

Yep, people suck:rotfl:

Salty,

You got a web site? I will check out your baits.