Captain Chucks Reports

More scouting in the marsh

Made a tour through some marsh today that I had not fished in quite some time and was trrated to some excellent results. Almost all the ponds we hit today held good numbers of fish in the 6 pound class with a few of them on the upper end of the slot. Subtle presentations like the DOA shrimp, Stanley Ribbit, and slow rolled spinnerbaits were the best bet. We were able to coax a few fish to strike topwaters but those were few and far between. We saw only one Redfish Cup boat all day in the marshes, I am sure most of them were at the jetty or in the open lake looking for another pattern. The Burton's Ditch marsh is full of grass making it tough to handle but there are a few places where you can get in and catch a fish.

Redfish cup traffic

Well here we go again, the marsh is buzzing with tower boats and the grass is getting trashed. I have no idea why these guys continue to run in "no motor" zones with blatant disregard for the rules. It's just a matter of time before somebody gets a ticket or "DQ"  from the tournament. I just wish these guys would treat this beautiful marsh with more respect. It's tough to watch a place just get abused by guys who have no connection to the area and are just going to be gone in a week or so. After these guys leave the local folks are left to pick up the pieces and try to catch fish that are so spooked and "shell shocked" that it's a shame. Please be respectful of the resource because it will still be here after the wrapped boats and trucks are gone.

High water, traffic, murky water

Made a run today to check out some ponds on the east side of Sabine, the high winds had the water pushed up really high and well above normal. The Burton's ditch marshes are full of grass and I don't know if they would even be fishable on normal tides. The water is clear and there are fish in there but they will be tough to get at without spooking. The other ponds farther down the lake were also murky in the high winds but I still found fish in spite of the conditions. Spinnerbaits were the choice and made for a good match against the wind. The hard incoming tide had the fish moving and they crushed the spinnerbaits. The transition ditches where the deep water connects the ponds were almost predictable. The opportunity to sight cast was gone as the waves continued to beat up the banks. Anybody wanting to catch a fish in the marsh needs to be prepared with a lure that makes some noise and covers some ground.      

Redfish scatter in high wind and water

I made a re-con mission in the marshes between Calcasieu and Sabine to check on some water that had been holding a fair amount of redfish during the previous week and found plenty of water everywhere. The high water had the fish scattered out but they were still very catchable on a variety of lures including spinnerbaits and topwaters. The visibilty was sketchy at best as the winds and big rains had really murked up some of the deeper ponds. Spinnerbaits with darker colored plastics and loud topwaters like she-dogs were the ticket. We never really caught a ton of fish in any one spot but the bites were fairly consistent. If you can find some clear water and grass you will find the fish.

This is a test of the emergency broadcast system

This is only a test.  Should there be any fish being caught this side of the mississippi river, this message would be followed by GPS numbers and specific lure type, color, and presentation.  This Is Only A Test!!!