Every year, I need time on (and near) the water with those that I care about the most for my heart to feel full. Since I’ve been in middle school, spending time with my Dad fly fishing for Redfish in Louisiana has been something that has not only produced some unreal fish, but some of the best laughs, meals, and conversations as well. Luckily enough this year, we were able to return to the bayou to celebrate a birthday and chase after some nice fish.

Fishing in the spring can be a great time in Louisiana – the colder weather of the winter is gone, but big fish can still be found. For this trip specifically, we were fortunate from a weather perspective as Mother Nature held up. Not terrible winds, some sun in the sky…two blessings when you are in the marsh. Especially when you are fishing in a limited number of days and need to make each hour count.

As for the fishing itself on this strip, solid would probably be the word. Although nice weather was had, we were in a bit of a transition period after a cold front the week before, which didn’t have the reds schooled up (which typically makes life much easier). With that said, after putting in the hours, we were able to find some outstanding fish and make our opportunities count.

Not seeing large groups of fish had us actively searching the shoreline. After a slow first couple of hours on our first day, we started to see “single” reds swimming parallel to the shore pushing big wakes and having their backs out of the water. Close casts with dark colored flies were the trick here due to some murky water. Upon the proper fly delivery, we were provided with a handful of nice reds throughout the day – there really is nothing like the search and pull from a bid redfish.

In addition to this, we were able to land an extremely nice black drum on Day 1. As those who fish the marsh will know, these fish are absolutely catchable on the fly, but have the fraction of an attitude (and appetite) of a red. Slow strips and having the fly fall slowly right on this fish’s nose did the trick!

As for Day 2, it was a bit of a grind. We started off super hot by catching a nice red after spotting it from what seemed like a football field away (always awesome), but then really didn’t see a ton of life until the early afternoon. Fortunately, everything seemed to turn on in a major way in the last couple hours of day light. It seemed like we were starting to spook a good number of fish in the muddy water, and then we ultimately found some very large fish on the bank. We were able to make our throws count, and land a couple of very nice fish before we needed to head back to the launch. Similar to the day before (and most of the time in Louisiana), tight throws led to aggressive fish, and we were able to end our trip on a high note. Both of the fish below were high and happy, ready to eat a fly!

As I’ve shared on this site before, time on the water with my Dad will forever be one of my favorite things on this planet. Beyond lucky to be able to do this together, and getting to celebrate his birthday along with the fishing this year was icing on the cake.

Tight lines,

Joe e