Big Lake’s “other” fish seems to take over the water body this month.
It would be safe to say that redfish are more of a postscript at Calcasieu Lake than a primary attraction. Speckled trout rule the roost.
Even during October, when giant schools of grilling-sized reds invade the shallow east-bank shoreline and giant schools of bull reds roam the middle of the lake, anybody going specifically after redfish runs the risk of being belittled by the trout specialists who scoff at the idea of catching anything else.
Capt. Nick Poe (337.598.3268) doesn’t seem to mind the jeers of his fellow Big Lake anglers. In fact, he’s so tuned into the redfish during October, he almost forgets that he lives on one of the best trout fisheries in all of Louisiana.
“The redfish are just thick during October,” Poe said. “As soon as we get some fronts and the water drops, all the smaller redfish go straight to the bank.
“And we’ve got a mystery school of bull reds that roam the middle of the lake. So no matter where you go, you can find some redfish.”
Deciding on where to fish should be based on what kind of redfish you want to catch. Poe intimated that the redfish in the open-water schools run around 15 pounds, and the redfish along the eastern bank typically run from 18 to 20 inches with an occasional 24-inch fish.
Also, if you’re looking for a mixed bag of redfish and trout, Poe suggested the schooling reds in the middle of the lake would have some big trout mixed in. On many days, it’s not unusual to limit out on trout and redfish by catching a red on one cast and a trout on the next until the box is full.
Although the schooling redfish in the open water are consistently there during the fall, they require a lot more effort to catch than the smaller reds on the bank. If you’re looking to drop the anchor and catch 100 fish over the course of four or five days without having to move, head to the east bank.
Big-water reds
For the past two years, big redfish have invaded Calcasieu Lake during the fall. Poe says some days you can spot them because the water around them is flying 10 feet in the air, but they are so subtle on other days that the only way to see them might be a lone fin poking up out of the water.
“Some days you might find them by looking for slicks and mud boils,” Poe said. “I was talking to my dad (Capt. Jeff Poe) not too long ago, and he told me he has never seen anything like this.
“For the last three years, counting this year, this mystery school of fish has appeared in the lake.”
Although it’s not unusual for an expanse of water like Calcasieu Lake to have big schools of redfish patrolling open water, Poe says it’s unusual that this same school of redfish has appeared at the exact same spot at the exact time every day for three years in a row.
“We started out catching a lot of 5-pound fish,” Poe said. “Now they’re 15 pounds.
“They’ve grown in a hurry. They’re always in the same general area dead in the middle of the lake out from Long Point. There are a few reefs in the middle that they may cruise, too.”
Poe says this giant school of redfish can explode out of nowhere. For example, he has been smoking trout on open-water reefs only to have four acres of redfish suddenly start swarming around him.
For some reason Poe hasn’t been able to figure out, these big redfish schooling out in open water are moving quickly more often than not, especially if the tide is moving. In fact, trying to catch them with just your trolling motor won’t work at all.
“That’s not unique to Calcasieu,” Poe admitted. “They do it everywhere I go fishing redfish tournaments.
“I try to get around them with the big motor and shut down about 200 yards ahead of them in the direction they’re going, and they bump into me.”
When the fish are really moving, Poe might only get one cast before he has to crank up and run around in front of the fish again.
“One thing I’ve noticed is that a lot of times this big school of redfish will be under terns and not seagulls,” Poe revealed. “You might only see two terns circling in the same spot over and over — maybe picking every five or 10 minutes. And they get higher and higher to get a better vantage point.”
Shallow shoreline reds
If chasing the bull reds in open water isn’t your thing, and you’re more interested in catching fish for the grill, Poe said to head straight to the east bank of Calcasieu Lake down by the weirs. There’s no telling where they will be any given year, but you can bet that if you can find them, you can catch them.
“They seem to be in a different spot every year,” Poe said. “And there doesn’t seem to be any reason why they pick one spot over another.
“You just have to move around until you find them, and then you can catch them until your arms fall off.”
Poe has discovered over the last few years that his best redfish days on the shallow shorelines are when the wind is blowing enough to force waves to lap against the bank. Rather than running to a lee shoreline, Poe embraces the wave action.
“I don’t know if the waves are pushing bait in there or what,” he acknowledged, “but I do a lot better when I can get a little chop pushing in on the spot I’m fishing.
“Seems to me that if you can find waves lapping on a shoreline, you’ll find feeding redfish.”
One particular stretch of shore that Poe recommended trying is the stretch between the Lambert Bayou Weir and the Grand Bayou Weir. This is a good spot to try when the water is pouring out of Lambert and running up the east bank.
“That mile stretch of bank between the weirs is some of the best redfishing on the whole lake,” Poe said. “If you’re trying to fish the weirs but there are too many people already fishing them, make sure to give this spot a try.”
And speaking of the weirs, Poe recommended never passing them up once the fronts start coming through and water starts pulling out of the marsh. Although some may look down their noses at fishing the weirs, Poe pointed out that they’re going to offer just as good of fishing as anywhere else in the entire lake.
“I can’t think of anywhere you can sit on anchor and do what Dad and Kevin Ford did and catch 100 redfish on a bare hook,” Poe said. “They did that at the Lambert Bayou Weir.
“When the water is pouring out of the weirs, the fish are going to be somewhere around them, so if you’re looking for redfish, you ought to be around them, too.”
No matter if you choose to fish the open-water bull reds or the shallow-water grilling reds, Poe says fish in both areas are going to be feeding on shrimp. They won’t pass up a pogie or a mullet, but they’re mainly after shrimp.
“So shrimp imitations are a good idea,” he said. “Everybody talks about eels this and eels that, but I think everything looks like a shrimp to redfish.
“I believe whatever kind of soft plastics you’re throwing, no matter what it is, they think they’re eating a shrimp.”
Poe says October is a great time to throw topwaters for redfish at Calcasieu Lake, and both groups of reds will blast surface lures. However, these fish won’t pass up a Gulp any time, and they won’t pass up a dead shrimp when it gets really cold.
“I’ve also had a lot of luck with the new MirrOlure Lil John,” Poe noted. “They love that thing.
“It’s a scented bait like Gulp, but it’s a harder plastic. I can get more than one fish out of a bait.”
Although Poe typically bounces soft plastics rigged on a 1/4-ounce lead head off the bottom, he didn’t dismiss the notion of fishing plastics under popping corks. In fact, he pointed out that a cork would do a better job of drawing in redfish that were up to 20 yards away from a soft plastic than just jigging the same bait on bottom.
In the end, it really doesn’t matter if you’re looking to supplement a trout limit with five redfish or if you’re after redfish in lieu of the trout, Calcasieu Lake has you covered.
As for the naysayers who denigrate the shrimp soakers and weir wackos just because they don’t fish the same way, maybe it’s time for the reds to come home to roost.