Fesco’s lunker among many taken recently with guide Jared Adams on Big Lake
Big Lake guide and angler Jared Adams had been on a run of huge speckled trout for about two weeks before last Saturday’s opening day of the 2015 CCA Louisiana STAR tournament.
“We had horrible conditions out here on Big Lake with lots of rain and high winds,” the Sulphur 31-year-old said. “Six years ago, we only had to battle some southeasterlies in the spring, but that pattern has changed now to higher winds, more rain and murkier waters.
“As a result, we have to work harder to get to the big trout that are not as active or numerous as they once were.”
But despite tough conditions, the guide and his clients and friends persevered and have scored on numbers of large speckled trout.
“The bulk of the action has occurred in the southeastern portion of the lake near Lambert’s,” said Adams, who operates Adams Trophy Charters. “The trout were coming into the shorelines during the spawn.”
The angler noticed a significant increase in the size of trout taken after the May 4 full moon.
On May 6, he scored on a 10.25-pounder on his Boga that weighed 9.86 pounds on a certified scale after five hours on ice.
The very next day, Adams and his crew caught five trout weighing more than 8 pounds.
The big fish kept rolling in, including additional 6-, 7- and 8-pounders, including a 6.9-pounder taken by his wife, Heather.
Bone Heddon Super Spooks used during wade-fishing trips accounted for the majority of the fish, he said.
The run continued on the very first day of the STAR when Michael Fesco of Sour Lake, Texas, reeled in an 8.43 pounder to take the West Division lead.
The 38-year-old angler had taken a 9-pounder on the western end of the lake April 30.
“We got into the water at 6 that Saturday,” Fesco said. “We were wading in 4 feet of water and there were mullet all along the shoreline.”
Fesco was fishing with Adams, who also scored on several big trout that day.
Fesco said he actually hooked a bigger fish than the 8-pounder in his first few casts of the day, but the trout threw the hook. He was using live bait with PowerPro braided line and a 25-pound mono leader spooled to a Lew’s Super Duty reel on a Falcon rod.
A few casts later, another trout got hooked up.
“I let her run with it a little bit,” he said. “She took some drag and then I was able to start working her in. When she came near me she then turned and made another run.
“I was able to net her after working her in again.”
Fesco immediately covered the net with his body as he walked back to the boat.
“I weighed her on the bottom of the boat, not giving her any possible chance to jump on the deck and possibly escape,” he said. “She weighed over 8 pounds and then I put her in the livewell.”
Fesco is no stranger to taking lunker trout — he placed first and third in the 2014 Louisiana STAR Calcasieu Calcutta Division for trout weighing 6.10 and 5.72 pounds respectively.
In 2012, the angler also won the upper-coast division of the Texas CCA STAR with a trout weighing 8 pounds, 10 ounces.
According to Adams, the wading anglers started working a 200-yard stretch of shoreline at daylight.
“In that area, we had taken 15 over 8 pounds,” he said. “So we knew they were there and they were eating.
“We had one over 7, and five over 6 pounds as we picked up one or two fish every 30 minutes.”
Adam’s father, 63-year-old John Adams, went back into the same area and caught an 8.20-pounder on May 26.
Jared Adams lands his trophy trout on 40-pound Fins braid spooled to a Shimano Core reel on a Sarge Custom rod.
“Their deal about this is that southeast bank line is a funnel for baitfish,” he said. “There are three factors involved in taking the larger trout, the first of which is there must be structure for trout to get behind the tidal flow.
“The second factor is finding the cleanest water you can, and the third is making sure the baitfish are also funneling into the area.”
Adams also emphasized that wade-fishing is the best way to minimize noise and keep trout in the vicinity.
“But anglers have to be aware that wade-fishing is not a numbers game for trout,” he said. “You’re going to have to put your 8 hours in and wait until they start eating.
“You have to have patience.”
For guide service on Calcasieu Lake, Adams can be reached at 337-513-2760.
