Louisiana Fly Fishing - Sight Fishing for Redfish, Cajun Style!

Two good old boys from Mississippi come Louisiana fly fishing for a great day's fishing, Cajun Style

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Dr. Eddie Johnson and Bob Smalley had heard the tales of Louisiana fly fishing. They perceived them as myth, the stories were way too wild for any reasonable person to believe. But still curious to find out for themselves they booked a trip. Filled with anticipation and exuberant excitement they headed south on their three and one half hour trip from Jackson, MS for their fly fishing expedition.

Arriving at the hotel the night before, they called the charter captain to talk over the weather. The report was encouraging. The fronts had blown through and tomorrow was to be blue bird and calm.

Finally, after weeks of waiting, the tales would either be validated or filed with the rest of the myths. The guys were determined to discover the truth about these fly fishing tales.

We arrived at the launch in time for day break and immediately launched the skiff and made our way south. The orange glow of the early morning Louisiana sunrise was beautiful and provided a much welcomed warmth to the chilly night air. We ran for miles as the captain steered the skiff through bayou after bayou. The bayous eventually ended. After the bayous we ran from pond to pond and then finally into open water. As the ponds gave way to open waters the skiff slowed and the fishing guide scanned the open expanses searching out our prey.

After a brief pause the charter captain gunned the motor and set a straight course for a distant point on the south side of the open bay. The winds were calm, making the ride across the bay pleasurable. Our anticipation and excitement could be controlled no longer. The jitters were kicking in big time as the captain slowed the skiff to an idle about 100 yards off the point.

As we idled in we were told that stealth would make or break the day. The captain said, "you can breath, but only if you have to". He smiled as he said it, but we understood that any motion or noise would seriously hinder our efforts to catch the big one. Way before reaching the point the captain killed the motor and climbed the poling platform.

The first man up took the deck and prepared to cast. Being poled through fish infested waters is an experience that goes way beyond words. It's something one must experience to fully understand. The mystique of Louisiana fly fishing is searching for giant fish in shallow salty waters. It's plenty enough to make your hair stand on end. Just the thought of seeing one of those giants laying on the bottom is enough to make a person tremble.

The captain told us to prepare as we approached a small cove about 200 feet from where he started poling. And sure enough, as we reached the cove the captain blurted out. "OK, there he is. 2:30 Moving right to left. Thirty feet off the boat." As I looked to my right, I saw something slowly moving in the water, near the bottom. It looked like a log, but the log was moving. The captain shouted, that's him.

Cast, Cast!

Continued on next page - don't miss the pictures - Louisiana Fly Fishing page 2