You all know by now how much I truly love the state of Louisiana and specifically PAC Kayak! That is why no road trip across the western gulf coast would be complete without a stop there. After battling tough weather conditions in Freeport, I was looking forward to getting back to my second home! The crew loaded up and we set out to make the six and half hour journey east! Did I tell you that I love Louisiana sight fishing for Reds?
Pack and Paddle
PAC Kayak is located about an hour south of New Orleans with Houma being the closest bigger town. It is right in the marsh and is a kayak marina. You read that right, a kayak marina. Eddie and Lisa Mullen developed a kayak specific launch and tackle shop dedicated to the kayak fishing community. Located on the water in Point Aux Chenes, Louisiana, it has become quite the destination for kayak anglers. It is known around the nation and even internationally.
The fishing that is available within sight of the launch is only surpassed by the community they have helped build. I originally stumbled across this location after John Williams, owner of Pack and Paddle in Lafayette. He introduced me to it on a Jackson Kayak shoot years ago. John’s kayak and outdoor shop has always had a great relationship with the community in Louisiana. I was super pumped that he would be joining us on this part of the trip! We met up at his shop and enjoyed a great night of storytelling before heading to the water at PAC.
I truly consider the folks at PAC family, and it has quickly become my second home. You can imagine my excitement to visit and share the area with Richard, Jake, and Michael. All had decided to come along after our trip in Freeport.
Louisiana Sight Fishing is Weather Dependent
The weather followed us and the wind was still strong with cooler temps. It had been this way for a few days now. This typically means the fish are starting to feed again and they have overcome the initial shock of the cold front rolling in. So it was with high hopes that after getting settled in, we hit the water.
A few months earlier I had found fish super shallow just to the Northwest of the launch. This lead the way as we moved back into that area. The wind was coming out of the North so it had the water pushed out. This meant that if the fish were up there, they would be feeding. You do not see a huge tide swing on the Gulf Coast, but the wind can increase the flow, especially when it is consistently blowing the same direction for several days.
Finding the Reds by Sight
The larger movement of water can get the fish fired up as it can move the bait around a bit more. This is exactly what we found. It was not your typical sight fishing conditions, with the high winds and overcast skies, but we were able to watch the surface and sometimes actually see the fish feeding with their backs completely out of the water. This made for a very interesting situation.
Mixed emotions of frustration because the overcast skies and wind made it a bit hard to see the fish until you were on top of them, and the shallow water made it hard to get even the kayak into some of the areas. Then excitement, when you saw a fish feeding so shallow its back was out of the water and you were able to get the cast on it! What a ride all day of hard work and then reward! The decision to fish at PAC was paying off once again, proving that even in not so ideal conditions, you could still have an amazing day on the water!
Wiley X for the Win!
On this trip I found all my success sight fishing. Having good, polarized sunglasses was super key and being able to stop the boat in the wind to make an accurate cast before running the fish over. I was wearing the Wiley X Peak glasses with the copper lenses which I find work great when you have more overcast conditions.
As I mentioned, stopping the boat was super key to my success and I was able to do this with the Micro PowerPole. I could tap the remote after seeing the fish and with the softer mud bottom, the boat would stop slightly allowing me to grab the rod and make the cast.
Louisiana Sight Fishing for Reds: My Set Up
For my tackle set up, I was using a 7’ Medium Spinning Rainshadow Judge blank with a Moderate Fast action. The reel was spooled with 20lb Seaguar Smackdown and tipped with about 1.5 – 2 feet of 20lb Gold Label Fluorocarbon. I caught every fish on a ZMan Dizel Minnowz in the Redfish Toad color, and I had it rigged on a 4/0 ZMan Chinlockz so I could cast into the grass and bring it off the bank without getting snagged.
Sunglasses: Wiley X Peak!
Anchor: Power Pole Micro Anchor
