Devin
Forum Replies Created
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Thanks for taking time to post a report. You didn’t have much time to figure something out, but it was worth the try.
I’d definitely look that motor over real hard. I’m assuming you only put non-ethanol in it? It sounds like water separation. Do you have a fuel/water separator? Anything in the bottom of it?
Get those carbs rebuilt in time to take advantage of the fishing being good.
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“we somehow managed to salvage a trout day even after we had moved on to plan redfish.”
I’d be happy with that.
“It felt like a very transitional day.”
That’s exactly the vibe I got reading your report.
“and I don’t expect the pattern to be the same.”
That’s smart. I do think the bird pattern is kicking off and that’s something you’re gonna wanna keep an eye out for.
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Great report! I love to see a plan coming together. Way to knock it out of the ball park. Also, great use of this forum to achieve your fishing success. That’s what I’m talking about.
Envisioning this forum working is one thing, seeing it happen in real life made my weekend. Thank you!
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Given the conditions this is what I would’ve done if I had to fish that same area. Note how all the spots are oriented out of the wind and, as often as I can, I am staying out of the wind running there.
There are definitely some rough patches along those routes, anywhere there’s enough runway for a 20 knot SE wind to make chop. But however bad those are, they are all brief and more protected compared to the unholy ass whipping you got going face-first down the MRGO.
I probably would’ve caught a limit of reds at Redfish 1 and been pleasantly completely out of the wind, since that canal runs near-perpendicular to a SE wind and is protected on each side by high spoil and trees.
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The day @timbofishn went the wind was blowing out of the NE at a pretty good clip (10-15 knots) but that put him in the lee of the land moreso than a 20 knot SE wind would provide. The day @olw3rd went the wind blew out of the SE as well but it was blowing 5-8 knots, way more doable than 20. Plus he was done by the time the wind picked up later in the day.
Attempting what they did would have been a good idea if the wind were blowing across the MRGO (not straight down it) or laid down or both. But when the conditions changed, that was your cue to do something else, even though they whacked the fish.
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Thank you so much for taking time to post a report. I’m more than happy to help figure out what could have gone better so you will catch more fish on your next time out. I know it can be tough to ask for help, so I appreciate you. I definitely see some obvious things that can be tweaked. I’m gonna hit you with a lot of feedback. I hope you’re ready to read.
First, I looked at the water levels for Shell Beach and Bay Gardene and they weren’t super high, but not bottomed out, either. You had plenty of water to get around the shallow spot at Brady Lagoon, etc. so that’s good.
The very next thing that needs work is your wind call. See here:
“We were getting beat up pretty good not to mention soaked.”
That should not have happened. In almost any wind it’s reasonable to assume that you can fish spots and navigate to them in the lee of the land.
I am being as respectful and ginger about this as I possibly can: You have got to get your wind calls right and failing to do so really screwed your trip. Look at the attached pic and see how the MRGO is oriented NW to SE. Then see the SE wind blowing up it (represented by the wind particles). Navigating a boat down the MRGO in a 20 knot SE wind is the worst way you can possibly go about it. The MRGO is basically a bowling lane, that 20 knot wind the bowling ball and your boat the bowling pin.
What I would have done different is fish the north side of the Rock Dam, where it would have been calm, or visit the marsh on the east side of the MRGO (south of the Dam) via the green route like what you see in the attached picture below. That route keeps me out of that SE wind, and I can fish some of the shoreline once I get there, though I would stay out of the MRGO due to the wind.
Or even all that marsh between Brady Lagoon and Bayou Pisana would have been worth trying since you would have basically been stuck with that. You may as well fish there because you can’t access the MRGO in a friggin’ 20 knot SE wind.
“but the water was blowing out”
What do you mean when you say that? There’s no way the tide was falling yesterday while you were out there. It was definitely ripping in with the rising tide combined with the 20 knot SE wind.
“Switched over to a green sparkle beetle, nothing.”
If the bait that worked on the last few trips isn’t getting bit at all, switching colors/baits isn’t going to help.
“Decided to run into the marsh…”
Praise the Lord, this was a good move. Get out of that obnoxious wind.
“…and fish a few spots on the way back to the pass…”
What pass?
“…There were shrimp jumping everywhere and baitfish popping birds diving the area looked perfect but no trout.”
WHAT PASS?!?!?!?! Arggghhhh lol jk but seriously
I’m assuming you mean the mouth of Bayou Pisana. That sounds really good. Whatever it is you’ve got going on there, be ready to fish it again and downstream of it as the brown shrimp make their way out of the marsh. FWIW, I’ve fished there a bunch over the years and never really found trout stacked up their. That could change. I could tell you more about this spot you found if I knew where it was. Email me if you need to.
“The only positive thing I learned from this trip is that I now know how to use a flipper, after watching Devin’s video, it worked!”
If it makes you feel better, I got lots of practice in Fourchon, too.
Real quick, I’d like to clear something up: So, when you say you left for the south side of “the wall” you really mean the Rock Dam? Just to be clear, because further up the MRGO to the northwest is the Great Wall of Chalmette, and it can be easy to confuse the two.
So I am assuming you went south of the Rock Dam to fish the coves that I mentioned in another posts. Can you confirm that for me?
“By this time it was around 11:30 so I decided to lick my wounds and put the boat on the trailer.”
Good call. The fish won the battle but not the war.
“the biologist said of all the people he talked to zero was the number no one was catching”
It was definitely a tough day with that kind of wind, but give me a minute and I’ll share what I would have done in that exact same area to catch fish.
“since every time I plan a trip the spots look great on GED”
Doing that kind of planning is good, but the icing on the cake is sharing that plan here. If you did then every other swinging dick in this forum would’ve looked at that plan and said “hell no”. Your last post was something about launching from Bayou Lacombe, not a word about the south side of the Rock Dam.
I know it’s kinda weird posting your route and fishing spots, but that really is a great way to learn picking out good fishing spots faster. I wouldn’t post that to Facebook, but here you’re good. Otherwise, I’m not 100% clear on where you went. I could offer further feedback if I did.
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Also, I would look hard at fishing in the lee of Comfort Island. It’s probably “on” right now, as it usually turns on when the Long Rocks do. You are gonna take an ass whuppin there, but nowhere as bad as I would in my tin 19′ boat, and I would try it if I were fishing there in those conditions.
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“What conditions would turn you away from going out for an afternoon trip?”
Depends on the time of year.
I wouldn’t dream of it when it’s hot as balls out in July. Not for speckled trout, probably not for redfish. Everything definitely bites better first thing in the morning when it’s hot.
Right now it’s not hot.
During fall I would shoot for when the falling tide is falling the hardest to maximize the white shrimp pattern.
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That’s a *strong* SE wind that’s predicted! I wouldn’t try fishing spots that are wide open to it like 1, and even 5 and 6. I’d try to fish stuff that’s protected from the wind like 4, 7 and 3.
Fortunately, you’re in a good boat to handle crossing chop that wind will make, but it’d be a royal PITA to fish in it, even with a big glass boat.
Your call on the MRGO being choppy is correct. I wouldn’t bother with it, not unless you tried fishing spots protected from the wind on the north side of the MRGO.
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“and was plagued with Spanish Mack’s!”
They are definitely making a comeback. They practically disappeared during The Freshening but now they’re back in a full force I don’t remember seeing before the river came up.
I’m glad to hear the Long Rocks produced. It just should this time of year through June, even parts of July.
Great report, thanks for posting!
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LAFB Elite Community is really firing all eight cylinders this week. All great advice here.
I’ll fish whatever shoreline is sitting in the lee of the land. I’ll also push into the duck ponds that were created by Katrina. Yes, it’s shallow as all get out, but it can be real good for redfish, especially sight fishing.
It’d be great for the grass to grow back like it was in 2015 before they started dredging. The bass and redfish action back there was even better back then, believe it or not. lol
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You won’t be fishing the same spots, but it’d be the same area and you’d be out of the wind. I think you could make it happen doing that. I’d also look hard at Redfish 1 and the pond at the top of it.
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Maybe just try this instead…
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Okay, so you really did do your homework, here’s how I would categorize your spot:
Category #1: I would rather fight Mike Tyson than fish these spots:
Fish 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 13, 14, 11, 24 and 18
Mike Tyson will mercifully knock me out much faster than the brutal ass whipping I would take over a period of hours fishing those spots. No and hell no.
Category #2: these spots are either “doable” or protected from the wind:
Fish 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 15, Structure, and 23.
Your route getting there is the worst one you could have possibly picked. I am assuming the yellow route is how you’d arrive, then you’d boat from there. That whole way you are facing into that brutal 20 knot wind. I’m going to make another reply to your post showing what I would’ve done, routes, spots and all.
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Whoops, just saw this, I will provide feedback ASAP.
