Louisiana Redfish
“Aren’t Redfish just like Carp in saltwater?” That was the question I heard most when planing this trip. I didn’t know what to say at the time but after going and doing it myself, I can definitively tell you that Redfish are like no carp i’ve ever caught.
The day after Halloween I boarded a plane in Phoenix. At the same time my good friend Brandon from Utah was doing the same. Several hours later we both arrived in New Orleans and excitedly talked about fishing for a brand new species, in a place I had never been. That night we walked up Bourbon street to people watch, ate gulf oysters on the half-shell, and finished the night with piping hot beignets. We went to bed with the smooth sound of live Jazz music still ringing in our ears. Life was good.
Early the next morning we were picked up by our guide, Captain Miles LaRose who owns Shallow South. With high hopes we headed South for three days of fishing. As the sun rose our surroundings changed quite a bit from the night before.
Miles worked hard for us and is a redfish finding machine. He spotted hundreds of fish over the next three days and put us in casting distance to a good portion of them. Back to the carp thing. When fishing for carp you make delicate casts out in front of the fish and slowly move the fly in front of it. The carp eats the fly which you find out by the line coming tight and then you are pretty much hooked up. Redfish are a saltwater fish, their mouths are more on the front of their heads and the takes are not light. As Miles said, “its all about the eat with Redfish”. If you land the fly in front of the fish and strip it hard the fish turns on the turbos and DEMOLISHES the fly! Redfish eats are much more like a shark than a carp. Their speed is shocking when you see it first hand.
After some initial nerves getting the best of us, we settled down and caught lots of big Reds. Here are a few of the better ones.
My biggest weighed 28 lbs and Brandon ended up in the dirty thirty club with the 33 lb giant pictured above. Louisiana blew my mind and I look forward to returning sometime in the near future. Redfish are a great gamefish. The shallow water they live in makes them ideal targets for fly fishers. If you want visual takes, right at the boat, from big healthy fish you gotta give Miles a call. Until next time Louisiana.
More Redfish goodness from our trip…
Louisiana Redfish from SWYD on Vimeo.
Watch in HD on Vimeo ^^^
Nice job boys! Great trip and great post. Those redfish look like a lot of fun.
Very cool stuff. Did I see a Black Drum in there also?
What area was this? When I went we left outa Bayou DuLarge.
Thanks guys, this was out of Hopedale and Venice. Yep, I got one one big black drum!
Awesome report! You are an inspiration to start planning some real fishing trips soon! Keep the reports coming!
Thanks Jared! I wanna do that tuna trip at some point. Looks like so much fun each year!
Best trip I’ve ever been on!!! Thanks brother!!
Pleasure sharing a skiff with ya! Lets go back!
What’s up Kyle? Just checking out your blog. Awesome pics man. Looks like a riot. If you’re ever back up in Utah, we should go out together. Hope you and the fam are doing great.
Great to hear from you Garret! Thanks for the kind words. I’ll let you know when i’m up there and we can get out. Keep in touch man.
Great story Kyle, I’ll have to go after some Reds sometime, they look like a blast to catch.
Thanks Sid! I may have you do a replica mount for me at some point. They are a riot on fly!
Looks like a blast! Some great fishy shots as well!! You da man!!!
Why thank you Alan, hope to fish with you soon!
This post makes me happy and tingly all over! I have just committed myself to making this trip happen SOOOON! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Phil! I think that’s a good idea. Such a cool and affordable saltwater fishery.
Whow! I have been out of the loop since basketball season started and I just read this post! So Cool! What a trip I’m sure. Looking forward to Pyramid! Something I have always wanted to do.
Thanks Rick! Me too!