This is the first redfish (and the first fish) I caught in Louisiana on November
28,1987. I caught it on a 5/8 oz. salmon casting spoon nickel plated with
chartreuse reflective tape while fishing from the bank in LaFleur Park on Prien
Lake. I was surprised when I landed it because the fish wasn't really hooked,
but had engulfed the whole spoon in its mouth and the spoon was wedged into its
mouth sideways. My wife and kids had fished a little with me and then went off
with car to a garage sale a little ways a way. When they got back I showed
them the redfish and my younger daugter, Briana, who had just turned four asked,
"Is it a salmon?" I replied, "No, it's a redfish." Her response was "Throw it
back!!" She had been a bit spoiled from living in Michigan and dining on trout
, salmon and walleye that I had caught. If you are wondering, she has expanded
her tastes and loves all types of fish now.
After fishing in southwest Louisina for eleven years, I had never caught a "bull
red". On February 13, 1999 I was fishing Dunn Beach (also known as Long Beach)
on the Gulf of Mexico. I was fishing mainly for Gulf whiting, which reach a
maximum size of about 16 inches, with small pieces of bait shrimp. My rod was
a 7 foot rod equipped with a relatively small spinning reel and 8 pound test
line (which was a little low on the reel, about 70 yds.). This monster of a
redfish took that litle piece of shrimp and most of the line, several times.
I had to wade out to the point where my waders were almost topped by the water
level several times. It took me forty minutes to land the fish. After that
long fight I was unable to revive the fish and so was forced to keep it. The
fish was 37 inches long, with a girth of 26 inches and weight of 30 pounds three
ounces. My biggest complaint: My arm was sore for two days. A little later
I caught a slightly smaller red (on a regular surf casting rod). The next
Tuesday I caught 5 more bull reds. So far this year I'm up to ten, after being
skunked on bull reds for 11 years. But my speckled trout fishing this year
hasn't been so good...