The Speckled Trout Capital of the World- Lake Calcasieu
What about the Redfish?
 Editor’s
Note: Last week, I fished the Speckled Trout Capital
of the world – Hackberry, Louisiana, located on
Lake Calcasieu in the western section of the state.
In 2005, Hackberry Rod and Gun was destroyed by Hurricane
Rita. However, in 10 months, with a lot of hard work
and sweat, it was restored. Today, it’s better
and stronger than ever before, and the lake homes giant
speckled trout, big redfish and plenty of medium-to-
small fish. This week, we’ll take a look at fishing
from Hackberry Rod and Gun. But I won’t be able
to show you the delicious food I ate – gumbo,
fish and all your favorite vegetables, meats and desserts.
Life doesn’t get any better than it is at Hackberry.
Kirk Stansel, one of the owners of Hackberry Rod and
Gun, was my guide this past week on Lake Calcasieu.
Question: You catch a lot of big redfish here. What
has happened to the redfish, since Hurricane Rita?
Stansel: Since Hurricane Rita hit, the redfish have
gone nuts. We’re catching them on all the shorelines,
on the reefs and under the birds. If you’re fishing
with live bait, you’ll catch numbers of little
fish. If you f ish
with artificial lures, you’ll catch bigger redfish.
So, you can pretty-much select the size fish you want
to catch by the type of lure you fish. At this time
of year, all you have to do at Lake Calcasieu to catch
redfish is find a calm shoreline and fish down that
shoreline. You’ll more than likely catch your
limit of redfish.
Question: Why did the redfish come in so strong after
the storm?
Stansel: With all the organic matter in the water, there
was a tremendous amount of baitfish for the redfish
to eat.
Question: What was the fishing like for redfish before
the storm?
Stansel: On a good day, you could catch a limit. But
right now, almost everyone catches a limit almost every
day.
Question: How big are the fish running?
Stansel: They will be 20- to 30-inches long, depending
on the region you’re fishing, the type of ba it
you’re using, and the way you’re fishing.
As I mentioned, if you fish artificial lures, you’ll
catch bigger fish than if you fish with live bait, which
is why I prefer to fish with artificial lures if I can.
You can catch 15- to 20-inch redfish all day with live
bait on almost every cast.
Question: What’s your best bait for redfish,
and is that bait different than what will be your best
bait for speckled trout?
Stansel: I use a lot of spoons, particularly the ones
Mepps makes, when I’m fishing for redfish. If
the water’s dingy, the redfish really like splashing
the bait. By that I mean lures that put off a lot of
flash like spoons do. They also like scented lures like
the Mister Twister Exude lures, which work especially
well in stained water.
Question: Do you rig differently for redfish than you
do for speckled trout?
Stansel: Not necessarily. I use the same rods, reels
and lines. I just enjoy fighting a big redfish on light
tackle, like 10- and 12-pound-test lines. Many people
prefer 20-pound-test line. Most people believe they
break their lines because the lines aren’t strong
enough to hold the fish they’re catching. But
the truth is the line’s plenty strong enough.
People just have their drags set too tight. When fishing
with 10- or 12-poun d-test
line, you need to fish with a lighter drag.
Question: Why do you like 12-pound-test line?
Stansel: I prefer that size for several reasons. Lighter
line casts better and further than heavier line does,
and you get better action with your lures on light line
than you do with heavy line. Light line can be very
effective for catching big fish, if the anglers will
loosen up on their drags. Although there’s a little
more structure on Lake Calcasieu after Hurricane Rita
than there was before, there’s still not so much
structure in the lake that you have to worry about the
structure breaking your line. So, remember to fish with
a lighter drag than you probably think you’ll
need. We fish mostly over sand bottoms and oyster reefs.
Question: What’s the biggest redfish you’ve
seen come out of this lake?
Stansel: There was a 46-pound redfish caught at the
jetty about 5-years ago.
Question: On an average day, about how many redfish
will you catch?
Stansel: You easily can catch 20 to 30 redfish in a
day, as long as the weather’s nice, and you have
a good day of fishing, which depends on weather conditions.
To learn more about Hackberry Rod and Gun, go to www.hackberryrodandgun.com,
or call 888-762-3391. For more information about Mister
Twister’s top-quality products, visit www.mistertwister.com
Tomorrow: What about the Birds?
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