area, but John wanted to be closer to our first destination, which was
trout fishing in the Intracoastal Waterway near the Boh Brothers Construction dock. John used a Matrix Shad in Kamikaze. This area, although
an eyesore, is known for winter trout fishing. After the first few casts, he
determined the trout were biting shallow, and he caught several goodsized trout before jumping to the other side of the Intracoastal Canal.
Even though the view was much prettier in this area, the bite was slowing
as afternoon approached, and we only
caught a couple of
smaller trout. At that
point we headed to the
marsh, which is, in my
opinion, the most beautiful area to fish in
Louisiana. The water
was stained that day, so
John changed the lure
to a Lemondrop on a ½
ounce jighead. These
were certainly not ideal
fishing conditions, with
ominous clouds overhead and dark waters
below, but weather
doesn’t affect the weekend warrior’s decision
whether to fish. It only
affects how.
John caught
several beautiful redfish
that day, from 27 – 31”
in length. While we
were searching the shallow waters for signs of
Author, Linda Cuccia with a solid trout from their trip.
reds, he explained that
fishing for him is never
about filling a box and boosting an ego. For him, finding the fish, figuring out the technique they want on that day, attracting their attention,
and just watching them move in their environment is the ultimate rush.
That is his “catch.” However, on that day, in spite of the weather, we got
both.
I will never forget the first conversation I had with John Kendrick after
boarding his boat that windy Sunday morning. He asked me why the
publisher of Marsh & Bayou would send me on a fishing trip with him
when he wasn’t a charter captain and couldn’t promise fish. I said perhaps it was because he was the best. He laughed and said, “Nah, maybe
it’s because no one else wanted you.” Among his many other talents, the
man clearly has a sense of humor!