Big Trout at Pointe Aux Chenes December 3, 2016

I was more than a bit worried about how the cold front has affected fishing. So I got on the phone and made a few calls to find out exactly how this weather has changed how they are biting.

The first person I talked to was Eddie from Pointe Aux Chenes Kayak Rentals. He told me that the trout are in the main channel and biting at daylight and again in the late evening.

"Guys have been catching the big trout using a chartreuse Beetle Spin under a popping cork," states Eddie.

Everything that you could possibly need to catch trout is sold at Pointe Aux Chenes Kayak Rentals Tackle Shop. They also sell bait shrimp, minnows and live crabs. The best part of buying your bait from Eddie and Lisa is that they have current fishing information. If the fish are biting, they know about it and will tell you what to use and where.

Give Eddie a call at (225)573-4085.

Captain Ronnie of Shoreline Charters told me that bull reds are being caught using cut mullet or cracked crabs. The smaller reds biting on minnows or shrimp on corks. Trout are also biting on minnows under corks.

Capt Ronnie can be reached at (985)688-2772.

Fishing Report 11/16/16

Pointe Aux Chenes Area:

This photo was taken after one of Ronnies recent charters.

“The current has been really strong lately. There has been a shorter trout bite in the morning that is usually over around 8:30 am and then picks up again in the late afternoon,” states Eddie Mullen of PAC Kayak Rentals (225-573-4085). 

Anglers are using a color by Matrix Shad called lemonhead. They are also using a Fin Collectors color called motor oil. 

According to Ronnie of Shoreline Charters (985-688-2772) the bull reds are still biting well on cracked crabs. He also told me to fishing the changing tides. 

Smaller reds are being caught in the grass using Aqua Dream spoons. The water is clear right now so it is easy to spot the red that you want to catch. 

I am going to expand the report from now on. I would like to begin talking about the Cypremort Point area as well. 

Cypremort Point Area:

According to charter boat Captain Steve Smith (337) 654-3880 the water is beginning to salt up in the bay and the trout bite is really turning on. “Trout up to 18 inches have been caught recently, with large catches of them between 13 and 18 inches," states Smith.

Hot spots include the hammet, the cove, Arcemont reef, shark cove and the trash pile. 

The water is relatively clear, therefore preferred colors include anything with a sparkle in it such as Salt Water Assassin's chicken on a chain. Go with contrast colors in the stained water such as lemonheads.

“It took long time for the bay to salt up this year, but it is salting up nicely and the fish are really moving in now,” states Smith.

PAC Kayak Rentals

Its great to be back fishing again. Yesterday I went to PAC Kayak Rentals and visited a bit with Eddie Mullen. Eddie is one of those guys that you can't help but to like. He is one of the best hosts that you could ever ask for.

His kayak resort has everything that a kayaker could ever want. I met a guy there who was trailering his kayak. He told me that Eddie has the best kayak launch he has ever seen and he has been all over.

"I watched the kayakers launching their rigs across the bayou for a while. I thought about how it takes them longer than a boat to get ready, and I thought that I could design a launch for them that would make it easier," said Mullen.

And make it easier he sure did. The boater simply backs his truck up close to the launch, slides the kayak across two PVC pipes and then across a roller and into the bayou between two docks that are custon made to fit a kayak.

Mullen also has bait, a fish cleaning station complete with plastic bags and RV parking spots.

What makes his operation really interesting is that he also has a couple of large boats that are used to transport both kayak and angler to a spot closer to the fish. He has a boat capable of taking 4 yaks and one capable of taking 10.

Mullen also has a mothership, a large houseboat capable of sleeping 6. This is available for people who wish to spend the night.

This is a photo of the mothership. The next time I visit Eddie I will post pics of the launches. The sun was too intense for me to take any great pics of them.

He also has 4 kayaks that he will rent to someone like me who does not own one of his own.

Unfortunately, the day I went to visit with Mullen the current was ripping down the bayou and Eddie didn't think that it would be safe to send a guy like me who is not in good health out into it.

So he set me up with a container of huge shrimp and showed me where he thought I might be able to catch reds in the middle of the day.

I cast out and quickly lost my bait. Being a seasoned angler, I knew that I was going to have to downsize to see what had been robbing me. So I went back to the truck and retrieved my lightweight equipment.

I put  very small hook and bobber and baited up with a small piece of shrimp. After I cast out with this rig the bobber sank almost immediately. I set the hook and fought the fish in to see that it was a very small red, probably only 12 inches long. I caught two more of them during the next several casts.

I sat there and casted for another two hours and caught croakers and hardhead catfish. It was a very enjoyable afternoon, but then my poor health began to rear its ugly head and I became tired so it was time to go.

I would like to thank Eddie for a one of the better days I have had in a long time.

This is a halibut I caught while fishing offshore on a charter boat in Homer, Alaska. It is not as expensive as you might think to take one of these charters out. But BEWARE, if you take one of those less expensive charters, those boats tend to be crowded. I have always caught my limit on a crowded charter though. I just wait until most of the other customers are tired and stop fishing. Most people can take halibut fishing for about 45 minutes, and then they are completely exhausted. Just remember that Homer is the halibut fishing capital of the world for a reason. The reason is in the photo here!

This is a photo of a nice dolly varden trout I caught while on a float trip down the Kenai River with Alaska Troutfitters. I had a great time with this guide. We caught so many fish. This fish was caught at the outlet of Kenai Lake, in fact, we were only about 100 yards off of the bridge.

This was caught using a bead. If you have fished in Alaska for trout, you have probably used beads. We were fishing in late August.

This is a photo of a red salmon I caught during the 2012 season. It was caught using casting tackle. The rod was an 8-foot long Lake Fork Outfitters medium heavy casting rod. I was using a three way rig and a Russian River fly.

There were thousands of these tomato looking things in the river that day. I was fishing in the confluence of the Russian and Kenai Rivers. There is a ferry that will take you across the river for a fee. If you can get to this area for the second half of July or the first part of August, it would really be worth your while.

Fishing From The Bank

Being down here in Louisiana has made me think. First of all, this is the first time since I was 23 that I don't own a boat, secondly, even if I did own a boat, it would not be down here!

This fact prompted me to remember my roots, and that is bank fishing. Because of this, I dug way back into my memory banks and put together an article that blends the two parts of my life, as a bank angler and as a boat angler.

i hope you enjoy this article. You can find it here