S pring fishing this year has had its challenges,
with unpredictable changes in weather, unusually high
water levels, and the opening of the Spillway. Many
fishermen are wondering where, when, and how to
catch fish in conditions such as these. However, none
of these factors affect The Dinosaur, a nickname Capby Linda Cuccia // Marsh & Bayou Staff Writer
tain Dudley Vandenborre has given himself. Capt. Dud- Photo Credit: Bach Imagery
ley has been on the water fishing independently since he was a child, and he’s
learned that fishing is possible in just about any conditions. “It’s just a matter
of finding them.” And find them, he does.
Our crew set out on a lovely
March day to fish with Gus Maggiore, owner
of Gus’ Tackle & Nets on Old Spanish Trail in
Slidell, and his beautiful daughter, Erin, who is
studying nursing at Southeastern University. At
first glance, Erin is shy, sweet, and unassuming
in her 110lb frame; but give this girl a fishing
pole, and you’d better watch out. She is quite
adept at fishing and can
even use a baitcasting
reel. Erin has been fishing
since she was three years
old, and she says her Daddy
taught her everything she
knows. “Daddy took me fishing every weekend up until I
was in high school.” Now, they
just fish together whenever
they get the chance. The closeness between them was evident
on the boat, and I watched Dad
beam with pride when Erin
caught fish after fish.
Capt. Dudley led us out to an
area called Unknown Pass, which he
explained was his grandfather’s favorite place. My intention was to ask him how he fished with
the current conditions, but this captain is not one you lead
with questions. When it comes to Capt. Dudley, you simply sit
still and listen. I honestly couldn’t have moved if I wanted to.
He tells stories of his childhood, of the freedom of fishing as a
young boy without guidance or supervision, of preparing his own
meals at the camp, and of avoiding the complications of life by
staying away from the demand of technology. He doesn’t have
an electronic “fish finder,” he makes telephone calls instead of
texting, and he handles all his business by word of mouth and a
handshake. “I may be a dinosaur, but I’d rather be out here enjoying fishing than sitting behind a computer any day.”
Even Capt. Dudley’s daughters laugh about his “old school”
ways. His oldest, Jen, has been trying to get
his Deadly Dudley lure business online for
years. She says, “My dad? He’s the best
man I know. He literally calls every day to
see what’s going on with my boys. Drives
me nuts, but how can that not be the best
man around?” Both of his daughters would
like to see him texting, utilizing social
media and e-commerce, booking charters
through the internet, and keeping up with
changing times. But Capt. Dudley prefers
to keep things as they are.
When I asked him about the Spillway,
and the water clarity and salinity, he said it
didn’t worry him at all. “The fish are always
going to be somewhere.” And he has a
sixth sense of where they’re going to be
that cannot be taught or learned.
That afternoon, we filled the ice chest with beautiful reds and
sparkling trout, when so many other captains were coming back
to the docks empty. I noticed several things that Capt. Dudley
does during a charter to ensure his clients catch fish.
First, he always fishes too. Some charter captains leave the
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May 2016 www.marshandbayou.com
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