Plan A today was to catch trout on the Causeway. Arrived there at 6:30 and dunked a black/silver rattle trap with a chartreuse B2 squid trailing close behind. Was all set up with a new troll rig wrapped with lead line and all. Dunked a second black and gold trap on mono and off we went southbound and down. An hour later we gave up and started pounding pilings for awhile. Seemed everyone we spoke to was struggling. Boats running up and down the bridge. Back and forth hunting the illusive silver missles with fins. We went back and forth trolling/pounding until around 10:30 with only one trout to show. Ironically it came in on a Matrix Shad in Shrimp Creole on a 1/2 oz jighead while setting it out as a 3rd troll line. Time to make a move....
On to plan B. Next stop was the Reef. Lots of boats.... Most leaving. A few arriving. Noe catching anything. Then....one guy hooks into a fish. It's working him. Has to be a red or something. He gets it to the boat, it's head somes uup shaking and it's a trout. A friggin big trout! His net man goes for it and misses and the fish was gone. Looked like he knocked it off with the net, but they said it straightened the hook and estimated it to be in the 7lb range and I'd say they were getting close. Anyway, we work our way around the balls hunting for our own prize and vowed that he who lost it would swim back to the launch.... Then nada! NOTHING! No fish anywhere, any boat.... Time to make a move.... On to plan C. We head back towards the Tchefuncte River and work the shallows to the west of the lighthouse with no results. Oh, I haven't yet mentioned how clean the water has been all day...everywhere. 4' visibility at the bridge and the ability to see the sand bottom in 3' of water near shore. Still couldn't find fish, however. Time to make a move...... On to plan D. Started bouncing jig heads at the mouth of the river. Several boats doing the same. One guy was even trolling the channel. Nothing!! Time to make a move..... On to plan E. Starting to get the picture here? We are fishing hard and have one fish to show for it. Decide to head up rice field canal. Never fished it and we were doing any good anywhere else anyway. Ended up being a sight seeing trip as we found no fish yet again. At this point, it's almost 2 o'clock and I'm feeling pretty bad. Ok.. I'm pissed. Everything is perfect. weather, wind, tide, clarity, everything. Except the catch. I just can't seem to find fish today. As we exit the rice field canal and turn to the north, I start paying attention to the depth differences in the river. As I idle over the main channel, I notice how it comes up on a shallower "flat" towards the east and I start marking fish. Now there's something I hadn't seen all day. Blips on the screen. I toss a 1/4 jig head with that same Matrix Shad in Shrimp Creole (only one on the boat today) and BAM! Fish on! From then until a little after 4:00, the two of us boated 32 more "nice" keeper specks. It may not always pay to have a back plan, or even plans. But it's always good to have options. Today, I found an option and was able to exploit it. - Reelfast 12/2/12 |
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