FishxScale: 2014

I Hate Prefishing:FallnTideIX

The weather leading up to the event was perfect and fishing was easy ,but two days before the tournament a cold front passed through and threw a wrench in my plans. The winds picked up and made the area I planned on fishing look like the muddy mississippi river water. So I opted to hit my favorite launch on 23 and explore some areas I had never been to before. I launched early Friday morning in the 37 degree and 20 mile an hour north wind to look for some tournament winning fish. I started in a familiar area where I had caught all three fish before. I gave it 30 minutes and searched high and low but couldn't get a bite so I moved on to uncharted waters. I decided to head south along the levee that was blocking the wind. I made it to a dredged out canal that was about 25 feet and began jigging the drop off. After figuring out where the fish were holding I began to catch 11 inch trout every few casts after doing that for 15 minutes I decided to move on to find some bigger trout. By this time the sun had gotten over head and I moved to an adjacent flat that had some relatively clean water. I also noticed some mud slicks on the flat which can be a giveaway for rooting redfish. As I was working the bank with topwater I heard a huge splash behind me. I turned just in time to see a dolphin fin disappear below the surface . Then another dolphin breached 50 feet in front. At that point I gave up on that flat and decided to see if I could find the series of ponds I had scouted on Google earth. When I made it to the entrance pond I was greeted by a 20 inch red that I initially thought was a big speckled trout. After netting the red I could see a bigger one crashing bait and working down the shoreline towards me. As it neared I put my deadly Dudley right on his nose a little too close and instead of eating it he took off in a cloud of dust. At this point I decided to switch rigs to a bass jig and a gulp trailer. As i pulled into the pond i could see the reds floating and I staked out in a well traveled corner. It was like a conveyor belt of fish and with the bass jig flipping it in front proved to be deadly. I went through fish after fish and caught a perfect 26 3/4 fat redfish. After catching about 10 reds I decided to move out of the pond and double back to some of my tried and true trout spots. These turned out to be either too rough or too dirty to fish so I headed back to the launch.

Finally the Fall Run

Lake pontchartrain anglers have been waiting for the speckled trout to show up on the normal fall hotspots. I had been fishing all around lake Pontchartrain and catching a few here and there but have not been able to get anywhere near a 25 fish limit. This past tuesday I had a couple hours that morning before I had to get to a meeting. I loaded up the night before and headed out early I arrived at the launch before the sun came up. I started working the mouth of a bayou close to the launch where I had been catching trout on topwater and suspended baits all october but nothing happened. Not one bite on the shoreline so I moved on to a nearby reef . My first cast at the reef yielded a solid 15 inch speck I spent the next hour catching fish on everything except topwater. I now switch my focus from lake pontchartrain to down highway 23 and the Fall n Tide tournament.

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Ifa Kayak Tour Championship Day 2

Day 2 started with a high confidence and higher expectations. My day 1 goal of 50 inches had grown to a 60 inch minimum for day two. Launching Saturday Morning the road was crowded with boats headed to the launches and I hoped no one would be in my trout spot by the time I got there. I got to my launch early rigged everything up on the outback and waited for safe light to launch. Finally after launching I headed out full speed to my trout spot. When I got there a couple boats were in the area but they weren't catching much. I worked around them for a while throwing top water but all I could get were two blow ups. I left them and went to work the shoreline I had so much success on the day before. I started on the bottom with a 5 inch jerk shad and quickly picked up a big gaff top and then a little pinfish after that I switched back to topwater. This was the correct decision and on my first cast I was hooked up with a nice trout I took my time to not apply too much pressure, but as I raised my rod to put the fish in the net the hooks pulled and the big trout swam away. Next cast one twitch and fish on this was a visibly smaller fish but I took my time and ensured this one made it to the net.

A small speck.

I worked this shoreline for another 45 minutes never catching a trout over 18. By this time it was past 9:00 and I needed to begin looking for a 40 inch plus redfish. This was the part I was most concerned about I knew they were in the area but I wasn't sure if I could pull one out for a second day in a row. I started jigging my gulp on a drop off in about 25 feet of water. On my first cast I was about to reel up and recast when my drag starts singing. I couldn't believe it on my first cast I had hooked a huge Bull red. After taking the initial run I was able to work the fish about 6 feet under the boat I could barely see it but I could tell it was long at this point it took another deep run. This time after it stopped I was able to work it to the surface and I realized I wasn't fighting a Bull Red I had perfectly hooked a big Alligator gar he was about 4 or 5 feet long.

Not the intended species but a nice catch.

After unhooking it and snapping the above picture I went back to jigging for the intended species. I continued jigging for an hour and a half with nothing to show but I stuck to my plan and kept dredging the bottom for that one big bite. At around 10:45 I felt a peculiar thump and immediately set the hook the line started stripping off my reel and I was sure I had the big one this time. I took my time fighting the fish but after the first minute or so I could tell it wasn't as big as I needed it to be. after a mishap with the net I was able to land a thick baby bull red.

Not quite big enough for a check.

At this point time was getting low and I decided to move to a different spot closer to the launch. I had about an hour before I had to get on the road . I did hit a little flounder there but that was it I headed in with 47 inches to see where I would place. I ended up in 20th after a disappointing day 2 but overall I was proud of what I had accomplished. The entire weekend was a great experience and even though I didn't reach my goal the experience I gained will help me exceed the goals I set next year.

Election Day

Today while everyone was casting their vote I decided to cast a line for some speckled trout and redfish. I met up with my buddy Cody at the first launch on Paris rd. after the green bridge. We didn't really have a plan for the day just to fish trout early and then see what happened from there. We started near the bayou Bienvenue lock and Cody immediately had a bass on but it quickly shook off the hook. We then crossed the mrgo and the water began getting much cleaner and after a scientific taste test saltier. I began trying to find the speckled trout I threw topwater early but bites were few and far between. I did manage a couple blowups and was able to land a nice bass.

Barely hooked

I continued to work the area most days I would exclusively throw a topwater before 9am but it was so slow I switched to my current go to trout bait a Mirrolure Mirrodine Xl.With in the first hour Cody And I had only a bass and a speck he was having better success on topwater at the mouth of a bayou where water was draining. At this point I changed my strategy to drifting to locate schools of specks because I had tried all of the obvious areas. I began my drift about 50 feet off the bank working my mirrodine much slower than I have been in the past few weeks. I soon drifted into a school of mullet and wham I had a nice fish that ripped itself from the hooks. After resetting my drag I quickly had another bite and landed a solid 17 inch speckled trout. I continued this drift for a while and received steady hits but was only able to land two trout along with another bass. At this point I was tired of searching for specks and I decided it was time to explore deeper into the interior of the marsh for some slot reds. I met up with cody and we worked our way way back into a broken marsh area. The water was really high so we were able to get back in an area that doesn't see too many humans. I began blind casting a seein spots inline spinner to every point and little cut. About ten minutes into the redfish hunt I was hooked up with a 21 inch red that put up a little fight in such shallow water. I continued covering shoreline spooking a few nice reds I then moved back onto the lee shore and I quickly developed a pattern the reds were hugging so tight to the bank they were almost on dry land and they were hungry. A couple of the fish I caught hit as soon as the bait hit the water. One fish in particular hit the lure three times before I hooked it on the fourth cast. I prefer to fish for Big speckled trout but the redfish bite made me forget about my failure to catch any earlier in the day. It only took 30 minutes before I had my limit and I headed in at 12:30.

There are more pictures but I cant seem to find them Follow me on Twitter and Instagram for more pictures and tips that don't make it to the blog.

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One more thing Dont forget to vote for the kayak angler choice awards 2014 Vote Here

Ifa Kayak Tour Championship Day 1

DAY 1 It started early Friday but not that early Because we had to wait until 6:45 safe light to launch. After taking my launch picture I hit the water and headed straight for my trout spot. I knew I would have to peddle fast because the sun was coming up and the big girls don't like to hit the top water much after the sun gets over the horizon. I was unsuccessful in beating the sun but it was still early enough to catch a few on top my first was a decent 19 inch speck I quickly took a picture of and released.

The picture is missing something.

My goal was to catch at least 20 inch speckled trout. I knew that would put me in contention for the big trout so I kept throwing top water. Not even Five minutes later I had a huge blowup on top and I could tell I had a bigger trout on as he wouldn't come up to the surface. I took my time making sure to not apply too much pressure and rip the hooks out. I finally landed it and at 8:00 I knew I was done targeting trout for the day.

At this point i realized I didn't put the token on the other fish.

I left my trout spot and headed for my big redfish flat that is situated right off some deeper water. As I was pulling up I could see finger mullet being blasted up and down the shoreline. I cast my top water in and after one twitch I was hooked into a nice 18 inch trout this continued every other cast for about 150 yards until I reached the flat. I did hook something big while fishing this stretch but it popped my line right after I set the hook. Once I got to the flat even bigger mullet were being chased and I knew the big reds were there nope more trout. If this wasn't a tournament I would have bee thrilled to be catching all these trout especially since they were all 16 inches or better but I needed a redfish. Abandoning that trout bite was hard to do I more than once thought about saying screw the tournament and filling up my ice chest . I stuck to the plan and headed to a deep main drain where the water was moving and I had caught a couple bulls before. Five minutes in I hit what I thought was a snag but soon It started moving. A couple minutes later I had a solid 30 1/2 inch redfish and was taking my picture. I felt great having 51 inches and it was only 10:00 especially since that was my goal going into the day.

Notice anything missing?

In my excitement I forgot a very important element for the picture again twice on the same day. Forgetting the token on a 18 inch trout and upgrading was a part of the plan, not having a 30 inch redfish that I landed count would be devastating. After taking a quick water break and composing myself I went back to jigging. After 15 minutes of nothing I had a hit turned out to be a gafftop. Then I popped my line twice in the next ten minutes. I continued jigging At this point I had roughly an hour and a half until I had to head back to the launch. I wouldn't need that much time because my drag began to sing and I knew I had a big fish on the end of my line. I took my time with this fish as I only had 15 pound mono spooled up and I didn't want my line to pop. I was praying it wasn't a black drum but I took my time and fought it much longer than normal. I landed it and headed to the bank to measure. It was big but I guessed it was 36 inches when I finally measured it was 39inches and it would have been at least 40 if it had a whole tail.

Headed to the bank to measure.

The fish was not as excited as me.

Maxed out at 39 inches.

Day one went about as good as A tournament has ever gone for me I was able to stay calm and composed throughout and execute my plan. There were some great numbers put up on day one ,and after the first day I was near the top of the leader board.I was in 6th place with 60 inches only two inches behind the leader.

Stay tuned for Day 2.

First Two Weeks of October Photo Dump

Too much good fishing to take time typing long posts.

Fall Bank Fishing Lake Pontchartrain

needle fish are indicators of bait fish in the area

Its September and the speckled trout have begun to move inside and right into the city of New Orleans. This means you no longer have to take the long trek down to the coast to put some specks in the boat you really don't need a boat. I have been fishing the lake Pontchartrain seawall from the Seabrook to West end and have been catching some good eating fish. You can easily get a nice mess of fish with live shrimp or market bait on drop shot rig with a 1 ounce sinker an eagle claw #1 bait holder hook. Some hot spots have been the Frank Davis pier at night on a falling tide, and early mornings and late evenings all along the steps have been productive. The mouths of the canals where they meet the lake have been the most consistent for speckled trout action. Some other good bank fishing spots are Irish bayou and Bonnable boat launch. This is a great time to take a kid or a fishing newbie the weather is cooler the fish are hungry and easily accessible. Good luck As always Email me for Launch Locations,Hints,Tips, and to Book a trip FishxScale@gmail.com

rat red

bank fish fry

Catch More Fish: Tools for Planning a Kayak Fishing Trip

Step 1: Know where you are going
For me choosing a area to fish is the hardest decisions to make. The options in south Louisiana are endless between the different saltwater and freshwater fishing areas that we have.

If you live in Louisiana become a member at BCKFC.org and use their member maps to select from the hundreds of tried and true launch locations.

If not use your local club or Google earth to find likely launch spots.

step 2: Check the weather
You should probably do this before and after choosing your launch location but once is enough for me. To be Honest most of the time this is a step I skip and I end up launching in Twenty mph winds or caught racing a thunderstorm back to the launch.

Watch the news for the upcoming forecast or use your favorite online weather forecasting site. I like http://www.weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/graph/USLA0194 and their hourly feature just dont trust their wind forecast.

http://tidesonline.nos.noaa.gov/geographic.html This site gives you real time data including water levels, water temperature, wind speed, as well as predicted tide charts.

http://waterwatch.usgs.gov/?m=real&r=la some more tide info has some different stations

When on the water the weatherbug app is great for keeping track of the weather.

Step 2: Do some virtual scouting
Read some recent reports from the area you have chosen make note of any GPS coordinates, names of waterways ,and any other geographical info that was referenced.

Some sites with good south Louisiana fishing reports
http://www.louisianasportsman.com/
http://www.bckfc.org/
http://www.rodnreel.com/

http://www.northshorefishingreport.com/
http://www.nola.com/outdoors/

Use Google Earth and explore the area you intend on fishing. Make note of areas of interest
this is a good summary of how its done. http://tailtailsigns.com/tips-and-articles/how-to-locate-a-marsh/
also look for current lines

Step 3: Make a float plan
The coastguard breaks it down for you here
http://www.uscgboating.org/safety/float_planning.aspx

Pro Tips From a Pro.

FishxScale pro tip #1: When jigging use a sensitive rod and keep the slack out of your line. You will be able to detect the slightest taps and it will allow you to catch small fish like this hardhead.

FishxScale pro tip #2: Make sure you check the weather before you go fishing at night you wont be able to see the storms blowing in.

what

Pro stands for procrastinator

Golden Meadow Smack Down The Prefish

This was the result of the close encounter.

This past weekend I fished the golden meadow smack down tournament it was the fourth out of five in the angler of the year series . I had never fished in golden meadow so after reading every report I could find and scouring Google earth for some promising areas. I decided launch at the golden meadow public launch. I figured it would give me the best chance of filling the three speckled trout requirement for the tournament. I headed down early the friday before to get a feel for the area and do a little prefishing. My goal for prefishing was simply to move a lot and not really wear the fish out in one particular area but see what I could catch and where they were staged. I launched around 6:30 and began navigating the unfamiliar marsh making note of the land marks like the water tower so that I would be able to navigate my way home if something happened to my phone. My first cast was into some broken marsh a pretty nondescript piece of marsh I had walked my skitterwalk within 2 feet of the boat when I was startled by a 30 inch red blowing up. I crossed the bayou and sent out a long search cast that when I worked it back intersected with a small island and the mouth of a nice 23 inch redfish. If I could keep catching reds this size and at this rate victory was almost guaranteed.But they slowed a little and turned my sights to the speckled trout.

mid range slot red.

The keys to finding trout are find one or more of these three things bait,clean water,and or moving water. I was able too find two of these things a little bait and the wind was blowing the water around a point. I stated about 100 yards off the point casting towards the shoreline immediately I began

receiving hits from little trout . I even hit this trout that was able to escape but left its eye behind. I finally found the sweet spot and was able to land a couple of decent keeper specks. That bite soon faded and I was left to find a more reliable bite. I then began drifting to see if I could find some productive oyster beds. There are some nicely marked reefs that produced lots of small trout and gaff-topsail catfish. The popping cork caught the small trout and catfish but I was able to catch my keepers on a mirrodine and tight lining plastics on the edges of the reefs. After catching a bunch of trout and getting pretty comfortable with finding them i went back to red fishing where I was able to catch a couple more upper slot reds and another 31 inch bull.

As always Follow me on Twitter at @Fishxscale Instagram FishxScale email me at Fishxscale@gmail.com comments questions suggestions.

Back on the Bank

This is my favorite time of year the fall. My birthday is coming up and the fish are easy to catch no more long drives to the coast if you live in New Orleans the specks, reds and flounder are right in your backyard. Here are few pictures

teeth

Like a private pond

Its always good to see these little guys.

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Jack Crevalle Full Fight

Video of a lake Pontchartrain jack crevalle.

How to catch them here

http://fishxscale.blogspot.com/2014/08/pontchartrain-jacks.html

I went today with live bait this was the result

Sharks!

Last Night

I had originally planned to do some prefishing for the upcoming golden meadow smackdown tournament but Labor day weekend was forecast to be really rainy so I postponed that until next weekend. That didn't stop me from making a fishing trip this weekend though. When studying the weather I noticed the rain percentage was nearly zero at night so I knew I would be Fishing the lights this holiday weekend. Thursday night I launched at 3am and headed out into the darkness a quick peddle and I was to the first set of lights . My first or second cast I set the hook and drag immediately starts ripping off line. I'm thinking its a nice redfish until a four foot garfish jumps completely out the water. I quickly subdued the gar and tried to snap a few pictures before it snapped my line. This is the best I could do with my phone in the darkness.

I stayed at this light for an hour catching throw back after throwback I managed only one keeper before I moved on to the next one. At the next light the fish were slightly larger. Instead of mostly 10 inchers they were slightly bigger and we were able to keep maybe one out of the five that we caught. I ended up with six keeper specks but I must have caught 30 or 40. The sun came up at 6:30 and I moved to a nearby shore line where I could see bait being blasted I cast my topwater for a while before I was able to hook up with a nice slot red fish. we called it a day around 8:30 before it even got hot. Saturday night we watched the weather and got out around 10 pm being a holiday weekend everyone was at their camps and had the lights on. We headed to the closest lights and began fishing the rain and winds had clouded up the a little but it was still fishable .We fished a bunch of lights even underwater lights but had very little success. After not catching anything for an hour or two and moving from spot to spot we made it to the light that we had fished Thursday night. On my first cast I caught a trout and from then on we sat there until 4 am catching fish after fish. I tried throwing my favorite sparkle beetles but they wouldn't touch it. My most productive lures ended up being the mirrodine mini, mirrominnow and a mr-52 the ability to pause the lures in the strike zone is what triggered the strikes. I ended up with nine keepers an improvement on my six from the previous night. The bite should only get better from here as more trout move to the inside and the shrimp increase in numbers.