Gage Boyer got this 40-inch bull red while fishing under the birds with his wife and three daughters on the north end of Calcasieu Lake.
“I had my wife and our three daughters with me on the north end of Calcasieu Lake when we found a huge school of birds working over the water. The birds were everywhere, and it looked like something out of a dream.
My wife and daughters were fishing with popping corks and live shrimp. They were catching nice trout, ladyfish and gafftops on almost every cast.
I was fishing with a 4-inch white-and-pink Gulp! paddle tail on a 3/8-ounce jig head while helping untangle popping corks. When the birds started moving off, we began trolling toward them and casting.
That’s when the big one hit.
I knew right away it was something different. My wife jokingly asked if I needed the net, and I told her, “Yeah.” She jumped up and grabbed it.
The fight lasted about 6 minutes, and we had to chase the fish down with the boat. When we finally got it to the boat, it was a 40-inch bull red.
The best part was that my 5-year-old daughter had been videoing the whole fight on my wife’s phone. You can hear all the excitement in her voice and everyone on the boat cheering as the fish made its runs.
Catching a 40-inch bull red is something I’ll always remember, but having my wife and three daughters there made it even more special.
It’s going to be hard to ever top a day like that on the water.”
-Gage Boyer