When your number one goal is to force your competition to submit to your prowess and strength through a simple tap out , the end of the fight becomes cut and dry , and there is a true winner ; but when it comes to battling redfish from a six-foot casting platform in 16 inches of gin clear water , sometimes you fall prey to the battle that you actually instigated . However , when UFC all-star Clay “ The Carpenter ” Guida climbs aboard the boat and to the top of the casting platform , he dominates the redfish like an opponent in the octagon . For those of you who ’ ve seen Clay on TV battling it out in the trenches of the UFC , you may think of a wiry guy with long hair who does back flips off the cage , at least that ’ s the first thing that came to my mind when I received a phone call from him to book the trip ; but contrary to what ’ s seen on TV , Clay is a very focused , wellrounded , knowledgeable angler who exudes positive energy all day long .
Clay and his long time buddy Sean Russ came to New Orleans for a couple days of vacation to take in all that south Louisiana has to offer and his trip wouldn ’ t have been complete without a day on the water chasing one of his favorite species , redfish . The duo wanted a day in shallow waters sight fishing reds until they were whooped and that ’ s what they got .
Clay is a big outdoor enthusiast and after retirement even wants to try his hand in the guiding world around his native Illinois waters , he ’ s a huge advocate for getting kids and families on the water and away from the digital world . When I asked him about what draws his outdoor passion to kids he said , “ Teaching children how to fish at a young age is a very valuable and under utilized past time , it ’ s a fun hobby that not only shows kids how to feed themselves ,
“ Teaching children how to fish at a young age is a very valuable and under utilized past time , it ’ s a fun hobby that not only shows kids how to feed themselves , but it also teaches them outdoor survival skills that they won ’ t get from video games and
electronics .”
-Clay Guida but it also teaches them outdoor survival skills that they won ’ t get from video games and electronics .” With the sun getting higher in the sky with every minute , I took Clay and Sean to an area where I knew the fish would be , the wind was perfect , the sun was at our back and the conditions were as if I had drawn them up myself . As the engine came to a halt in the crystal clear waters of the pond deep in the Delacroix marsh , it wasn ’ t seconds later and there was a redfish swimming 10 feet from the boat . rods were still in the rod holders and everyone was still seated . Sean jumped up first , grabbed the Matrix Gold
The
Spoon and had a gorgeous golden redfish hooked up . During the battle you could see three other redfish trying to take the spoon out of the mouth of the redfish being fought , so Clay grabbed his rod with a Matrix Craw on it and a Slayer weedless jig head and he pitched to one of the three followers and bam , just like that , a double hook up was in play .
Continued on pg . 37 by Capt . Casey Brunning
Marsh & Bayou Staff
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