As Halloween draws near, beware of monsters that lurk the marsh!Take late October of last year. There I was, enjoying a gorgeous day in my canoe just east of the Leeville bridge. My popper was sitting quietly on the water, minding its own business, when a head the size of a basketball emerged from beneath and swallowed it up.
What happened next is so tragic not even Shakespeare could’ve written it. Man in canoe hooks fish. Fish pulls man and canoe around for two hours. Fish finds crab trap. Fish breaks off.
During the two hours of heated battle, I got my piscatorial adversary up to the surface on several occasions. If the definition of a “bull red” is one that is at least 10 pounds, then such a label would be insulting to a fish of such magnitude. Oh no, this monster deserved a more fitting description — Redzilla.
This particular fish was probably 30 to 35 pounds, and that’s certainly impressive. Consider that he was swimming around in less than a foot of water, and that’s downright scary.
What’s even more amazing is that even if I had landed this fish, he probably wouldn’t have made the current Louisiana top 10 fly rod listing.
In 1993, the Louisiana Outdoors Writers Association established the Fly Fishing Division of its state top 10 fish records. For several years that followed, the red drum category consisted almost entirely of specimens under 12 pounds. The one exception was a 22-pounder landed by Pete Cooper Jr. in 1994.
Cooper, author of the book “Fly Fishing the Louisiana Coast,” took a different approach than the rest of us. He figured to catch bull reds, you had to go where the bulls were, and that meant the passes and offshore. All studies seemed to confirm that when red drum reached sexual maturity — often about the time they reached 10 pounds in weight — they headed offshore.
Soon other ambitious record-seekers, such as Susan Gros, Vic Tedesco, Chip Metz and Dave Coignet, followed that strategy. Records kept falling until every one of the “12-and-under” records were off the books.
Meanwhile, back in the marsh, strange things were happening. Captains and weekend warriors alike were beginning to report higher frequency of oversized reds.
First it was a 17-pounder here and a 23-pounder there, and pretty soon — sometime circa 2000 — it reached a point where the exception was now more of the routine.
Some folks blame coastal erosion, others blame global warming, and some even blame George Bush! But for whatever reason, it now appears that bull reds and Redzillas are well established in estuary areas where previously only smaller fish were found.
Capts. Kirby LaCour and Gregg Arnold are two of several flyfishing captains who are now consistently putting clients on bull reds in the marsh. Based on their reports, the ideal period for encounters with the mega-sized reds appears to be now through early spring.
This phenomenon doesn’t seem to be isolated to the southeastern parishes, either. Capt. Ron Begnaud of Lake Charles has on occasion seen Redzillas in the marshes around Calcasieu and Sabine lakes.
For kayak fishermen, nothing quite beats the thrill of being taken for a “Cajun Sleigh Ride” by a large fish. Unless of course, the fish is more than you or the yak can handle.
Recently, some members of the Bayou Coast Kayak Fishing Club were hooking up with reds up to 33 pounds on the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain. Reports on their forum of guys being taken a mile out to sea convinced me it might be safer to take my boat out there instead of my yak.
Obviously bigger tackle is good to have if you pursue the Redzillas. LaCour suggests bringing a 10-weight rod to avoid a prolonged fight that might stress out the fish, not to mention the angler.
The irony is that you don’t necessarily need bigger flies. Most of these fish are being taken on spoon flies, crab patterns, Charlies, Clousers and Deceivers in sizes 2 to 1/0, just about what typical rat reds might hit.
In open waters like Ponchartrain, Borgne, Breton and Calcasieu, try Enrico Puglisi’s ELP Fiber flies like the mullet or peanut butter patterns fished on a sinking line and a fluorocarbon leader.
Saltwater Picnic
As if to laugh in the face of Katrina and Rita, some of the biggest names in fly fishing will be coming to Woodland Plantation in Myrtle Grove on Oct. 14 for a day-long celebration of the sport of saltwater fly fishing.
Sponsored by Uptown Angler of New Orleans, and featuring such greats as Flip Pallot, Chico Fernandez, Tim Borski, Enrico Puglisi, Conway Bowman and others, this event will offer a variety of tying, casting and fishing demonstrations. There will also be an all-you-can-eat lunch and dinner featuring authentic Louisiana cuisine followed by a big party with live music.
After Hurricane Katrina forced cancellation of this event last fall, several of the names mentioned declared their commitment to making this event happen in 2006 as a show of solidarity for folks on the Gulf Coast.
Registration is $50 per person, and includes all activities and meals. Call Alec Griffin at 504-529-3597 to register.
TFO Recovery Rods
Women often email me just to tell me how good-looking I am. OK, maybe not. Rather to ask me about a rod suitable for a woman’s more deliberate casting stroke.
Good news, ladies. Last month, Temple Fork Outfitters unveiled their Recovery series rods, a pair of unique four-piece fly rods designed by women and intended for women. The 8-foot, 6-inch 5-weight and the 9-foot 8-weight are built on translucent purple blanks with pink lettering inscribed with the words “Supporting Casting For Recovery & Hope.” The rods also come with a distinctive pink rod sock.
Best of all, for each purchase of a Recovery rod made through an authorized TFO dealer, a $25 contribution will be made to “Casting For Recovery,” a flyfishing-based support program for women who have or have had breast cancer.
For more info, check out http://www.castingforrecovery.com.
