MONDAY MORNING UPDATE

GREAT WEEK FOR FISHING AND CATCHING UNTIL THE COLD FRONT SHOWED UP

The early part of last week was off the charts for those fishing in southwest Louisiana. Limits of trout, flounder and some days Redfish were  plentiful for our fishermen.  The Flounder run is officially on and are being caught on Berkley Gulp curly tails and Hackberry Hustlers both rigged on a light lead head and fishing slow on the bottom.  Most all of the flounder are coming from the drop offs along the ship channel. Speckled trout are getting bigger every day and Captain Darrell Guidry has been catching good solid trout fishing over oyster reefs. Best presentation has been under popping cork and a light lead head.  Call 888.762.3391 and let us hook you up with a trip on the famous Lake Calcasieu. Only a few more days before we start duck season and don’t book fishing only trips. Instead we will be offering our famous BLAST AND CAST. Blasting away at ducks in the morning and catching fish in the afternoon.

The 2019/2020 Duck season in Southwest Louisiana will open Saturday

We are totally booked up opening weekend but have a few openings before Thanksgiving

CALL TOLL FREE AT 888.762.3391 AND CHECK AVAILABILITY NOW BECAUSE WE ARE BOOKING UP DURING THE FIRST SPLIT WHICH IS 30 DAYS LONG THIS YEAR

Don’t miss this opportunity to arrange one of our VERY POPULAR trips we call our Blast and Cast. What could be better than blasting away at ducks in the morning and catching redfish and

Trout in the afternoon? – The only thing I can think of is Tina’s fantastic GUMBO.
 

Call toll free at 888.762.3391 and check availability.

“THE DOCK SHOP”

AT HACKBERRY ROD & GUN

GIFT GIVING SEASON WILL BE HERE BEFORE YOU KNOW AND WHAT A GREAT PLACE TO GET SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR THAT SPORTS PERSON IN YOUR FAMILY

PAULINE AND ASHLEY HAVE GREAT FOOD ITEMS, STYLISH LADIES CLOTHES, JEWELRY AND ITEMS FROM HUK – UNDER ARMOUR – AND OTHERS FOR MEN AND WOMEN

Call toll free at 888.762.3391
or email us at dockshop@hrandg.com

Congratulations

Best techniques and lures to catch tripletail.

“Got two under this one,” I shouted, “and the one on the right looks pretty big.” I shut off the trolling motor and let the boat’s momentum take us closer to the buoy before I sent a LiveTarget shrimp sailing in the Tripletails’ direction. Trying my best to keep the fish from spooking, I side-armed the cast so the lure would hit the water with minimal splash. As I intended, the fake crustacean landed softly, some 4 feet away from the eventual target. Mission accomplished!

But that wasn’t the only critical part of the presentation. I still had to persuade at least one of the tripletail to eat. I had barely let the artificial break the surface when I started cranking it in slowly, very slowly. Keeping the rod high, I guided the lure by pointing the rod tip to one side or the other. As my shrimp counterfeit passed the crab-trap buoy, one of the prehistoric-looking slabs turned and slurped it up. Sometimes tripletail fishing is that easy.

The ensuing tug-of-war was exhilarating in more ways than one. The tripletail yanking on my line was well above average, but it was its savvy rather than its brawn that made me sweat the tussle. First, it made a U-turn around the buoy rope. Then it dropped out of sight, dashed toward another crab-trap marker nearby and made a hard right the instant it swam past the rope. Luckily, the 10-pound braid held up to the abrasion, and a few minutes later, after some fancy boat handling, we brought the plump 13-pounder aboard.

Tripletail are warm-water pelagics found across the tropics. In U.S. waters, they roam as far north as Massachusetts (although rarely above Chesapeake Bay), south to Florida and west to Texas. The name comes from the dimensions and placement of the dorsal and anal fins, which resemble additional tails. A triangular head with the eyes on top and close together in addition to a large mouth are features of a fish that attacks its prey from below. Their favorite foods? Tripletail love shrimp and small crabs, but they are opportunistic feeders that gladly make a meal out of small baitfish and the young of numerous species seeking shelter around buoys, weeds and other floating debris.

Although I have caught tripletail inshore and offshore at different times of year and in many places, October along the Gulf Coast is hard to beat. The premise is simple enough for anyone with a boat — or a kayak, if you are adventurous and have the stamina required to paddle across long stretches of open water like a Viking — to target the fish with reasonable expectations of succeeding.

The month of October is the start of the commercial-crabbing season across the Gulf Coast. That means thousands of traps, with their respective marker floats attached, appear along the Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas coasts, providing a plethora of hangouts for tripletail that anyone not legally blind can easily spot.

And another great thing about the crab traps: Dozens of them are usually set close together, making it possible to hop from one buoy to the next — and the next — making for lots of opportunities at tripletail fishing.

Tripletail are not the most skittish fish — you can often get within a few feet, and they still refuse to leave their post below their chosen floating object — but it is a good idea to get only as close as you need to confirm their presence.

Exactly how close that is will depend on water clarity and the conditions. If there’s a bit of chop and the water is murky, you might need to get almost a rod length away to know for sure. Luckily, the decreased visibility makes it more difficult for the fish to see you.

When it comes to spotting tripletail, tower boats have a distinct advantage. Someone looking down from 8 or 10 feet above the surface detects fish from a much safer distance than someone standing on the deck.

My flats skiff is not equipped with a tower, but it has a casting platform, and you would be surprised how much difference the extra 15 inches of elevation makes when looking for fish. If you have a sturdy cooler on board, don’t be afraid to use it as a perch.

Tripletail abound across the Gulf Coast from late spring to the middle of fall. Some float on the surface, away from structure or flotsam, but many gravitate towards navigational markers, weed lines and, of course, crab traps.

Seldom will you find more than a single tripletail under each trap marker, but it can happen. I have encountered pairs on a number of occasions, and three a couple of times. Both times I came across a trio of tripletail, they were daisy-chaining, a mating dance associated only with tarpon up until recently. I witnessed this little-known spawning ritual off Jekyll Island, Georgia, tripletail’s only confirmed spawning grounds in U.S. waters.

I fished there with Capt. Greg Hildreth — a friend who guides in that area — and a biologist for Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources. Our efforts contributed to that state’s tripletail-tagging program.

This species’ talent for camouflage is remarkable. The fish can change color just enough to blend with whatever flotsam they choose to hang around. When free-floating, they often lie on their side, on or just below the surface, and they take on a two-tone coloration. Somehow they manage to make half their bodies pale, almost white, while keeping the rest some shade of brown. It’s easy to mistake a tripletail for a clump of weeds or drifting debris, so pay close attention even when no trap buoys or channel markers are nearby.

While tripletail typically run in the 2- to 5-pound range, larger specimens are common. It’s possible to catch a couple of 8- to 12-pounders, along with a bunch of smaller ones, if you spend a few hours checking the crab traps. And finding a bruiser in the 20-pound class is not out of the question.

To Mercury Marine for their support of our friends that were affected over in East Texas from the flooding from DORIAN

WORLD CLASS FISHING IN COSTA RICA

Access Maverick’s brand new website  maverickcostarica.com
Contact:
   Christian Rojas
   christian@maverickcostarica.com
   Fishing Director & Tour Manager
   Toll Free: 866-888-6426

THIS WEEKS YUMMY RECIPE

HR&G TASTY REDFISH DIP

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 pounds steamed redfish filets
• 1 tablespoon HR&G seasoning – or your favorite spice
• 1 large package cream cheese
• 1/2 lb margarine
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
• 3 dashes Tabasco Sauce
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

Season redfish filets with seafood seasoning and steam until flaky. In separate pot melt margarine: add onions and soften. Melt in cream cheese. Add in chives, Tabasco Sauce, lemon juice and garlic. Stir well. Break up redfish into very small flakes and stir into cheese mixture until well mixed.

Serve hot with Ritz crackers or small rounds of fresh French bread.

Serves 10.

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