[cliffhall]

Ran all over our lease in Delacroix yesterday and only saw 3. For reference, this weekend last my my dad shot a limit in 9 minutes. Hoping the PALH armada pushes a bunch of ducks up to us after this weekend.

[cliffhall]

Do you mean you will check out on Saturday (5/2) at 10:00? I dont think I will be able to be down there Thursday evening but I could come early Friday morning and fish Friday and Saturday. I understand if you want to wait until everyone responds to try and fill that spot for both nights. At the very least, I will be down there for one of those days. I’m planning on bringing my skiff and having plenty of TOW with it in Venice by then so I can contribute to the trout side of things.

[cliffhall]

The rest of the things I need to mount my new fuel/water separator housing should be in Tuesday, yard work done for the fall, saved up brownie points all summer with the wife, duck gear is squared away……..I’m so ready for things to kick off. Next weekend may be the last weekend with social obligations then it’s ducks and specks from here on out. Can’t wait.

[cliffhall]

Id look at the north end of lake P from Goose Point to bayou liberty. Could run into reds there but sometimes trout will be on the grass beds this time of year. Bayou liberty and lacombe are also worth a shot. You don’t have to go too far into either of those bayous to find fish.

Other than that, I’d be looking at the passes in Catherine. I think those are going to pop off any minute. If there’s an incoming tide then all of those spots in Catherine are worth a try.

[cliffhall]

Absolutely legendary experience and group of dudes. Yall definitely made the LAFB Elite community proud.

In other news….let me know if y’all see any teal while running around down there.

• This reply was modified 4 months, 1 week ago by  cliffhall.

[cliffhall]

Where’s the live stream?!?!? I’m sitting on the edge of my seat over here.

[cliffhall]

This feels like back in the day when you would get really excited about a great movie coming out on the weekend. Idk if I’ve ever been so pumped to be a spectator and live through you guys.

[cliffhall]

McClovin nailed it. Depending on where you are, staying out of ponds until 10-11:00 may be your best bet.

Some of the stuff along the ICW from the Pearl to alligator point and further may be worth avoiding in general. It’s close to the Northshore and New Orleans so there is lots of money involved with those areas. I wouldn’t go deep into any of those areas until afternoon if I went at all.

I always liked having boats run around when I hunt places like Biloxi marsh. It’s a big area so it’s keeps birds moving around. Generally, hunters (at least the ones who know what they are doing) will be hunting in the ponds closer to lake borgne. The good news about BM is the grass is so short that you can see blind profiles from afar. If you see an obscure lump of marsh it’s probably best to assume it’s a blind.

The duck hunting kind of went to Pooh around Delacroix but places like Reggio and everything west and southwest of lake lery still holds hunters. The biggest concentration will be closer to the river and around Point A La Hache.

Venice is the Wild West and there is no telling what you will get. Lots of ridiculous goes down around the public stuff around baptiste collete.

[cliffhall]

It’s unbelievable. Like troutdawg said, hunting public land is almost not even worth it anymore. This upcoming generation is more willing to outlaw as well. You either need to be a millionaire or have a very helpful network to shoot ducks in SE Louisiana now.

[cliffhall]

That’s quite the adventure. I used to consistently push the limits of what’s reasonable to shoot ducks but coming home alive is now a priority lol. If we get birds this year and schedules align I could baptize you back into another money pit.

[cliffhall]

I have a duck lease but I’ll occasionally hunt Biloxi Marsh or Big Branch. I’ll bounce around on buddie’s leases depending on what the birds are doing as well. You down for another hobby that takes all of your time and money?

[cliffhall]

I’m not sure if the trestles are worth a look just yet. I’ve been proven wrong before but I wouldn’t spend much time there unless you are just wanting to put eyes on it. Every year is different but I started doing well there mid October last year, at least for bigger fish. Traditionally, those bigger fish have been thought to move on the bridges around the World Series.

[cliffhall]

How far are you away from Grand Isle? It may be worth traveling to Hwy 1 this late fall and winter if you are primarily looking for big fish. My neighbor caught a 5.5lber there last year and I know for sure he’s not dedicating himself to big trout as much as me. Sometimes just going where they are is what’s necessary. I make sure that when I fish areas like Pontchartrain, bievenue, or hopedale I’m only comparing myself to other fishermen in those areas on those days. You need to have a resilient mindset to chase big trout so comparing yourself to an appropriate sample is key. Just know that there’s a difference in wanting to catch the biggest trout in YOUR area and wanting to land your PB which may require you to venture out to other parts of the state.

Having said that, I also understand wanting to catch them in YOUR area. That’s ok too. It’s like hunting big bucks…..Kansas boys would laugh at a what’s considered a monster down here. It’s all relative. A 5lber in Vermillion Bay may be worth a 7lber in grand isle, Venice, or the chandeleur island chain. If you are ok with having that mindset then you can grind out big fish in V bay.

I’d also recommend you getting connected with other guys who are targeting big trout there. It can be hard to initially infiltrate those groups but you’d be surprised who you can connect with if you are willing to dedicate yourself and prove your intel worthy. Start doing that now and you may look up in a couple of years and be in the middle of a very formidable big trout network in your area.

[cliffhall]

Rest assured I’ll have fomo as I debate the meaning of life while reaching into the deepest and least convenient/accessible part of my bilge area while you guys run into multiple PB’s. If only one or two wrenches fly across my garage into the Sheetrock it will be labeled as a succes.

[cliffhall]

I tried every trick in the book but between staying at the beach an extra day this weekend, not getting to my fuel/water separator issue yet, and duck season coming up I’ll need this weekend to knock out chores and stay married. Let me know when the next one is planned and hopefully I’ll be able to contribute to the trout side of things.