REDFISH REBOUND From Caminada to Calcasieu, in and
around every Gulf outlet east and west, Louisiana bull redfish are showing up in healthy abundance. The story of the fall and rise of red drum is well-known to CCA Louisiana members. Not-so- old timers will recall that the blackened redfish craze some 30 years ago led to a near-collapse of this iconic sportfish. The battles against gill nets and purse seines primed the species to bounce back and form the foundation of a vibrant and valuable recreational fishing industry. Indeed, the species has earned a well-earned place of respect and honor in the Sportsman’s Paradise as a capable foe more than willing to dish out a healthy dose of tight lines and sore forearms.
Will Drost is an active CCA member who has spent the majority of his life exploring the Calcasieu estuary and the Gulf Coast region for inshore and offshore species.
TOURNAMENT TAGGING FOR SCIENCE
Off-colored water that is the result of swift moving water on a flood or ebb creates ideal feeding conditions for big coastal redfish.
the big breeders go back in the water as healthy as possible. Additionally, circle hooks almost always set in the corner of fish’s mouth which provides great leader protection. As if that wasn’t enough promotional material for circle hooks, several studies have shown hook-up to catch ratios are vastly improved with circle hooks.
Go heavy with monofilament leader material in the 30- to 60-pound range. Smart anglers commonly also pack weights of various sizes to offset the strong tides of fall and spring. Strong tidal flow doesn’t generally provide anglers with gin-clear water clarity, but fortunately this type of fishing does not require clear green water to produce big fish. In fact, off-colored water that
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is the result of swift moving water on a flood or ebb creates ideal feeding con- ditions for big coastal redfish. Redfish rely heavily upon scent to locate their prey and tidal movement outranks water clarity in terms of importance. Popular baits include fresh-cut men- haden or mullet, while half a blue crab is an excellent bait that is a favorite among serious red drum anglers. When fishing with cut bait and crabs, anglers may come to appreciate the abundance of life at the mouth of Louisiana passes, and not necessarily in a good way. Small bait stealers can be a nuisance, gafftop and the ever-present small sharks can be a problem, as well as several species of jumbo-sized stingrays that will test you and your tackle. Using live mullet or croaker as bait usually solves these problems, and few bull reds will pass up a live croaker. A personal favorite bait is a whole,
live, hard crab, sans claws. Place the hook up through the bottom shell and out through the top shell, somewhere near the rear of the crab. A live crab will also do a good job of deterring most predators, but to a big red drum, it is just another meal. Medium to heavy casting rods on either conven- tional or spinning tackle spooled with 30- to 50- pound braid will do the trick.
www.joincca.org R
ECREATIONAL TAGGERS have gathered some crucial information for the Louisiana
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries which confirms the tendency of red drum to frequent the state’s passes. “In 2007, we saw a red drum that was tagged for us in Southwest Pass recaptured in Calcasieu Pass,” said Department Assistant Secretary Randy Pausina. “We still have a lot to learn from tagging data, which is why we are really excited for more recreational fishermen to sign up for our tagging program. This year we’ll be talking about it a lot at our Louisiana Saltwater Series tourna- ments — fishing rodeos meant to engage the public in the tagging pro- gram by giving them the chance to get out on the water and compete.” The grassroots tournaments pro-
vide anglers with the opportunity to give back to the resource. Personnel on hand at each tournament assist in the tagging and releasing of all fish weighed-in so that fishery managers and biologists will be able to collab- orate data and further improve their understandings of sport fish move- ments, patterns of habitat use, and population size. — Drost
TIDE
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