If you like battling some pretty impressive, tackle-busting redfish in the shallow canals at Lafitte, then I can definitely help you plan your weekend activity schedule.
“Just take a short ride down the Barataria Waterway from Seaway Marina to the Texaco Canal System,” Capt. Mike Kennair, my Lafitte guide, reiterated moments after sun-up this morning. “That's precisely the spot where our krewe loaded up on keeper reds this past Thursday and the same place that I think you’ll stand the best chance of filling your ice chest this weekend.”
Kennair reported that successful anglers will be the ones who:
• --Focus on the grassy shorelines in the network of back bays and lagoons;
• --Use a popping cork rig set to about 11 inches deep,
• --And fish exclusively with dead market bait--shrimp.
“I really think that early morning is the ideal and opportune time for fishing this Saturday and Sunday,” Capt. Mike continued. “Here’s what you’ll need to keep in mind - you’ll absolutely have to find clean water and you’ll score big time if you make your prime fishing time the same as peak tidal range.
“All the reds are running anywhere from 16 inches up to about 22 inches, the generally-agreed upon perfect size for grilling, baking, broiling, bronzing – even - frying. But you need to be mindful of one thing - in all the excitement you could very well forget about legal size limits, so if in doubt at all, be sure to haul out the ruler and measure. They have to be 16 inches and over but only one in the creel can be over 27 inches. Wildlife and Fisheries agents are sticklers when it comes to this restriction—they ain’t gonna let you slide very far if you have oversize or undersize reds in your Igloo.”
I recommend that you select a good - and likely - spot amidst the canals. Use your trolling motor to navigate the habitat. All the reds we caught Thursday were just a couple of feet off the shoreline. Once you got 10 feet or so out, you could wind in your bait and re-cast.
Work over one area until you feel comfortable that your efforts have been thorough (this includes continuing to cast non-stop as you proceed down the bank). Then, after your efforts in this one spot has been exhausted, and only then, should you move to another dead-end canal.
“Oh, yeah - and there’s no shortage of canal dead ends to try!” Kennair said in tones of sarcasm. “I’d venture to submit that a fisherman could fish non-stop for a month at a time and never begin to sample the legitimate terrain.”
There’s a launch available at Seaway for the fishing public, and the newly renovated marina now offers virtually everything an angler would need for a day on the water - drinks, gas, oil, bait, ice, maps, coffee, snacks, and even sandwiches for lunch . The Texaco System isn’t all that difficult to navigate (especially with a current map and a good GPS unit).
But if you’d like to have assistance in fishing the area, feel free to contact Capt. Mike at Robichaux Fishing Charters at 504-881-3758 or 504-689-8828, Just remember, even in winter these guys are busy, so it will behoove you to be first come and first served.
Now next week, I make a revisit to Golden Meadow with Capt. John Aucoin,. We’ll let you know what you can expect from that portion of Terrebonne the minute we return to the dock. In the meantime,
Tight lines and good times to ‘ya,
Frank Davis
