It’s no secret that fly fishing isn’t at the top of the list of preferred methods to catch fish in Louisiana.
But for Terry Aucoin of Denham Springs, using a fly rod to catch fish is second nature.
“I love it more than I love breathing,” he said.
Aucoin has been using a fly rod since he was 8 years old.
“My brother and I would use our fly rods as jigging poles to catch sac-a-lait,” Aucoin said.
After a few years passed, Aucoin decided to use a fly rod the way it was intended after watching a gentleman on Bayou Pigeon catching bluegill.
“Oh, I was intrigued by that guy,” he said. “He was whipping those bugs out there and reeling in the fish. I bought a fly rod after that and started practicing my casting.”
After practicing for a while, Aucoin made his first fly-fishing trip.
“I remember casting a few times on the water’s surface, then a bluegill hammered my popper,” he said. “It was a rush of excitement like I’ve never felt. After that, I was hooked for life.”
Best bream spots
Now Aucoin is a full-fledged warm-water fly fisherman who targets bream in small creeks near his home in Denham Springs.
“I’ve fished the cold running rivers up north and can honestly say that I like fishing the still, warm rivers and bayous of southeast Louisiana better,” Aucoin said. “Sandy Creek, Silver Creek, the Tangipahoa River, Tickfaw River, Six Mile and the Comite River are all great places to fish for bream.”
But there is one creek that rises above the rest when it comes to August production — Gray’s Creek.
Gray’s Creek can be accessed via the Amite River. Aucoin fishes from a kayak and recommends using two launches that are close to the Creek.
“There’s Fred’s on the River and Bayside Marina and Campground,” he said.
Fred’s is located at 18185 Rushing Road and Bayside Marina is fixed on the opposite side of the Amite River at 18795 LA 16 in Port Vincent.
Of the two launches, Aucoin prefers Bayside because it’s more spacious with fewer people. After launching his kayak, he only takes a few minutes to peddle to Gray’s Creek.
Morning vs. mid-day fishing
In August, Aucoin prefers to fish early when the water temperatures are cool. During the morning hours, he uses a foam black ant fly on the surface.
“It’s all about the water temperature,” he said. “Cool water holds more oxygen than warm water. This month, the temperatures get so hot that the shallow water doesn’t hold enough oxygen to support the fish, so by 10 a.m. the fish are heading for deeper water, making surface flies less effective.”
For mid-day fishing, Aucoin switches over to a San Juan Worm. This type of fly sinks, which allows it to drop down to the bream.
Black Ant Fly
Aucoin ties his own flies at home. The Black Ant Fly is what he calls his “all-time favorite fly.”
When tying this kind of fly, Aucoin starts with a fly-making material called Fettuccine Foam and threads it onto a No. 12 hook. He then wraps black thread around the foam and some super fine black dubbing. Before finishing up the fly, he wraps a few strands of thread around a piece of orange or red foam.
“The bluegills can’t resist these flies because they look just like the little black tree ants that fall into the water,” he said.
San Juan Worm Fly
When fishing with a sinking fly, Aucoin’s favorite lure to use is a San Juan Worm. The lure matches the worms that fall into Gray’s Creek over the summer. When tying a San Juan Worm, Aucoin threads a small gold bead onto a No. 12 barbless hook made by Maxcatch.
“The barbless hook allows me to run the bead all the way up to the eye of the hook,” he said.
Behind the bead, he puts a few wraps of brown thread to hold it into place. After securing the head up against the eye of the hook, he threads on a pink silicone worm called “squirmy worm bodies.” These worms are about 2 inches long and can be purchased on Amazon.
Aucoin finishes the process by squeezing a few drops of Liquid Nails onto the hook to hold everything into place. He warns against using Super Glue.
“That Super Glue will eat into the rubber worm,” he said.
When using the worm, Aucoin waits until the heat of the day, when the bream are deep.
“I just cast this thing out with a strike indicator and let the worm sink,” he said. “They’ll slam it when it sinks about three to four feet. I caught over 60 bluegill one day this summer using this one worm.”
Aucoin’s setup
Aucoin fishes from a Hobie Pro Angler pedal kayak. For years he’s operated from a paddle-style kayak, but it started to get difficult casting his fly rod with the paddles in the way.
“The ability to pedal myself around and use both hands to fish is worth the price for these types of kayaks,” he said.
Aucoin uses a 6-foot, 1-weight fly rod when fishing for bream. He uses this rod not only on Gray’s Creek, but on all the smaller creeks in the area where space is limited.
“I like the shorter rods when I’m fishing tight areas because they are easier to cast,” he said.
As far as line goes, he uses moss-colored floating line with a 7-foot leader of 4-pound monofilament tippet. When tying his flies, Aucoin uses a barbless hook for an easy release when he’s not keeping any bream for a fish fry.
“Personally, I use No. 10 and No. 12 barbless hooks, and always recommend them for easy release of the fish back into the creek,” he said.
Fly rod advice
Fly fishing has come a long way and with new technology comes higher prices. Aucoin recommends keeping it cheap and simple.
“Somewhere along the line, fly fishing has turned into a hipster sport,” he said. “Sometimes I see these fly shops trying to sell a $500 rod to fish for panfish. I’m a good ol’ boy and I’m here to tell you that you don’t need a $500 rod to catch bluegill — you just don’t.”
The 55-year-old has been using a Maxcatch combo for over 6 years and it has never let him down.
“I have a Maxcatch rod with a Maxcatch reel spooled with Maxcatch line,” he said. “Altogether this setup costs under $80 and I’ve caught a lot of fish on this little rod.”
Wok-fried bluegill
When preparing his bluegill for a fry, Aucoin de-heads, guts, and scales the fish before bagging it to freeze. When he’s ready to fry the fish, he lets the bream defrost fully, and with a fillet knife he makes two lengthwise slits along the dorsal fin. He then makes two slits from the dorsal to the bottom of the fish on both sides.
“Those slits allow the batter to seep into the fish,” he said. “Also, when you’re eating them the slits make it easy to pull the meat off the bone.”
Aucoin uses an egg wash and Louisiana Fish Fry with extra cornmeal.
“I like the extra cornmeal because it adds a little more crunch to the fish,” he said.
When the bluegill are ready to fry, he simply places a 16-inch wok with oil on his outside burner.
August hotspots
If you plan to fish Gray’s Creek for bream, Aucoin recommends trying two spots.
“The most productive area of Gray’s Creek is the section that connects to the Amite River,” the kayak fisherman said. “Another spot is further back a ways into the area of Willis Bayou.”
The amount of shade in these areas is the key to bream production, as the fish seek the cooler water that the shade provides. The overhanging trees also offer plenty of food from the insects and worms that fall from the branches into the water.
While Aucoin prefers the Black Ant and San Juan Worm fly, he said there are a wide variety of flies that will work this month.
“Early in the morning, when these fish are active, they’re not that picky about what they feed on,” he said.
When the water is clean he recommends using any green-colored floating popper. He also recommends using a strike indicator when the water quality is murky or dirty. This allows the fly to get down to where the fish are without them having to spot the fly on the surface. Aucoin said a dark-colored Bully Spider or a Beadhead Nymph rigged 12 inches under a strike indicator works well.
Gray’s Creek should continue to provide quality bluegill through August until late September, when the first cool front rolls through. Aucoin suggests taking advantage of the stable weather pattern that this month offers to catch loads of bluegill.
