More on Hackberry Rod and Gun Club at Louisiana's Lake Calcasieu
How to Catch Redfish in the Marshes of Lake Calcasieu
 Editor’s Note: Hackberry Rod and Gun Club on Lake Calcasieu, in Hackberry, Louisiana, is one of the premier speckled trout and redfish destinations in the South. People from all over the nation make pilgrimages to Hackberry each year to pull speckled trout and redfish from the bounty of Lake Calcasieu. Kurt and Guy Stansel, near Lake Charles, Louisiana, plow the waters of Lake Calcasieu in their boats almost every day of the year, searching for speckled trout, redfish and flounder. The Stansel brothers guide fishermen to the fishing trips of their lifetimes. This week, the Stansel brothers will tell us how to catch specks and reds in bad weather, and Michael and Dan Sheldon from Sheldon’s, Inc., the makers of Mister Twister and Mepps lures, will talk about testing the new Mister Mino and Mister Shad lures at this top fishing spot.
Question: Kurt, you said on windy days you fish for redfish in the marsh. How long can you c atch that redfish in the shallow waters?
Kurt Stansel: The redfish will stay in the marsh until the water temperature climbs to the high 80s or low 90s. Then they leave the marshes for the summer and return again in the fall.
Question: How strong a wind can you fish in if you go to the marsh?
Kurt Stansel: As long as we can get across Lake Calcasieu without swamping the boat, we can fish, but another important ingredient is to find clean water in the marsh. We locate clean water by winding our way back into the marsh and getting into some really-protected areas where the wind hasn’t turned-over the water.
Question: Once you figure out where the reds are by watching the birds, and you can determi ne how to get to them or have them come to you, what lures do you fish?
Kurt Stansel: We like to fish the Mister Twister RT Slug weedless, if we’re fishing it through grass, or if we can we like to fish it on a jighead. The advantage to fishing the RT Slug on the jighead is that the jighead gives it extra weight, making the lure easier to cast on a windy day. We also like to use the Mepps Little Wolf Spoon. Under windy conditions, that Spoon is heavier than the Slug, so it casts better. As long as we can fish the Little Wolf in open water, we can get the redfish to take it. The redfish go nuts over that Little Wolf Spoon, and I particularly like the Little Wolf that has the orange stripe on it, either in the 3/8- or 3/4-ounce.
Question: When you’re fishing in weeds which you often have to in the marsh, how are you rigging your RT Slug?
Kurt Stansel: I rig the RT Slug on either a No. 4/0 or No. 5/0 Gamakatsu hook rigged weedless, just like you’ll rig it to bass fish.
Question: What colors do you like best?
Kurt Stansel: I really like the darker colors best. But usually when the redfish are schooling like this in the marsh and feeding heavily on the baitfish, they will eat almost any color. Funky chicken and fire tiger are two of my favorite colors. And Chuck Byrd of Mister Twister has really done well with the Mr. Mino down here. I really believe that it’s going to be a great bait because it’s hollow and has a great swimming action. It looks just like many of the baitfish we have here in the marsh. I really believe that the Mr. Mino will be a highly-productive speckled trout and redfish bait. It has a good darting action, and some of the colors are phenomenal.
Question: Kurt, what size redfish do you catch in the marsh on windy and rainy days?
Kurt Stansel: The fish in the marsh will usually be 23-to 25-inches long. Our slot limit is 16 to 27 inches, but you’re allowed to keep one redfish per day per person larger than that 27-inch slot. The limit is 5 reds per person. Usually on windy days, if we can get across the big lake and into the marsh, we can catch redfish. This reason is why we can fish just about every day of the year here at Hackberry. About the only months we don’t fish is in January and the first part of February.
To learn more about Hackberry Rod and Gun, call (888) 762-3391, email captainbuddy@hackberryrodandgun.com or visit www.hackberryrodandgun.com.
For more information about Mister Twister’s and Mepps’ top-quality lures, visit www.mistertwister.com and www.mepps.com.
Tomorrow: How to Catch Hemmed-Up Redfish |
