Capt. Devin Denman
WHAT MAKES LA
INSHORE FISHING SO GREAT?
Short answer: the Mississippi River.
We have Big Muddy in our corner, and
we owe it all to that gigantic river. See, the Mississippi
River has spent ages building up this massive wetland
that serves as an excellent breeding ground for everything from largemouth bass to yellowfin tuna. She would
flow in one direction for a few thousand years, build a
delta before abandoning it and flowing in a new direction, creating a new delta. Bodies of water like Bayou La
Loutre, Bayou Terre aux Boeufs, and Oak River are all
places where the Mighty Mississippi once delivered landbuilding sediment. Because of her action, we have a massive coastline with immense tidal depth to create a vast
estuary with every kind of salinity. If you aren’t sure, then
just look at a map and follow along. If you actually do,
Google Earth is your best bet. We enjoy using satellite
imagery for finding fish!
zens of the sea to prosper in. In Delacroix, you can literally go from freshwater (or close enough) to all-out saltwater and still launch from the same place. Furthermore,
our tides are very different. Big Muddy plays a role in
slowing down our tide to a lower diurnal tide. This tide is
much easier on wildlife and conducive to creating more
baby specks and reds. I cover the nature of our Louisiana
tide extensively in Mastering the Tide. Additionally, our
water is much more turbid. Turbidity is a ten dollar word
describing how murky water is. River water from Big
Muddy is extremely turbid, light barely penetrates it.
Conversely, water in dive destinations like Cozumel, Mexico is not turbid at all and light passes freely. I believe the
SO, WHAT ARE WE TO DO?
moderate turbidity of our inshore waters gives juvenile
specks and reds a chance at life. They are able to avoid
predators in the water and on shore, like pelicans and
great blue herons.
Go fishing! If you live in Louisiana, you should go
fishing. If you don’t, then come visit and go fishing with
us! This is going to sound crazy, but there are not as
many licensed Louisiana anglers as you would think. We
have a population of just under five million, and Florida
has about four times that and nearly twice as many licensed anglers. My point is, we have plenty of room to
spare! So drag your boat down, get a Louisiana fishing license, and be sure to check the latest intel on Louisiana
Fishing Reports.
48
December 2015 www.marshandbayou.com
Louisiana Fishing Blog
DO THESE THREE THINGS TO
KEEP FROM LOSING THE BIG ONE
These three things will help you land more fish and avoid the embarrassment of losing a nice
one. Nobody will cry over a twelve inch speckled trout going back in the water, but losing a
hefty five pound female can haunt your memories for the rest of your life.
It was a crisp September morning in the middle of the Biloxi Marsh. My fishing confidant,
David, had just landed a sheepshead… on a spinnerbait. I stood next to the center console, dumbfounded, my jaw on the deck of the boat. I’ve seen
sheepshead caught on artificial lures before, but
those lures were usually tipped with a piece of
dead shrimp. This sheepshead must have thought
he was a redfish, given the way he smashed the
spinnerbait. It was kind of a let down, because we
were scouting for reds that day. I had planned a
120 mile circuit through the vast expanse of the
Biloxi Marsh in an effort to learn new areas and
fishing spots for redfish. David tossed the fish, and
its identity crisis, back into the brackish water before making another cast down the shoreline. After
a few casts, he hooked into a sturdy fish and I
turned to look, hoping it wasn’t another
sheepshead. It was a decent redfish, rolling in the
water and peeling out drag with each thrash of his
head. And then the unthinkable happened: the
line popped. David reeled in his empty line and it
was obvious the knot had broken. He looked at me
sheepishly, “Guess I should have retied last night.”
For some, this would make for an epic story;
but for us, it was a failure and a learning point. Nobody wants to make a habit of losing fish. Sometimes circumstance allows the fish an escape; but if
there is anything in our power to prevent this, then
we will make it so.
A bull red nailed this trout as Kari was reeling
him in, she caught the red and landed him mo-
ments later.
Bull reds will often crash my speckled trout
bite. I’m not targeting them at the time, but that
doesn’t mean I want him to pop the line. Oh no, I
want to whup his butt, get him to the boat, take a
picture, and release him. Usually after that, they
leave my trout alone. I’m able whip that redfish and
get back onto trout by observing these three following things:
SET THE DRAG APPROPRIATELY
This seems very basic, but it’s often overlooked on fishing trips. The ways redfish [