HACKBERRY -- HOME OF THE GATOR TROUT

What Bonus Fish You Can Catch

EDITOR'S NOTE: Don't stick your fingers in a speckled trout's mouth, or you may draw back a bloody digit. Speckled trout have sharp teeth that can puncture, cut or maim even an experienced trout fisherman. They often resemble young alligators when they approach the boat, swinging their tails from side to side. That's why many anglers call them "gator trout."

Although Lake Calcasieu and Hackberry Rod and Gun Club have built their reputations on trophy trout, this estuary area also produces good numbers of redfish and flounder. The next day with Kirk Stansel, I caught a really nice 10-pound redfish, and Stansel took a 2-pound flounder. "On a good day of fishing we'll often catch our limit of 25 speckled trout per man, 5 redfish per man and 3 or 4 flounder and be back at the lodge before 11:00 a.m.," says Stansel. "We fish every day. So besides knowing where the speckled trout are holding, we also know where to find the redfish and the flounder. In a morning of fishing we'll often catch a limit of bonus fish besides our trout limit."

Here's some of the lures Hackberry anglers suggest:

Topwater Lures:

The Slap Stick made by Bill Lewis Lures -- A minnow-like, shallow-diving, lipped crankbait, this lure floats on the surface but when twitched or retrieved can swim under the surface. The Slap Stick produces best on calm days with clear water when an abundance of baitfish feed on the surface. After the bait hits the water, I'll let it sit for a minute. Then I'll give the lure a medium retrieve, twitching it as I retrieve. This lure also produces well when you let the bait hit the surface and twitch it three or four times, allow it to float back to the surface and then twitch it again.

The Top Dog by MirrOLure -- Work this cigar-shaped floating lure in clear water on calm days with plenty of bait on the surface, similar to the Zara Spook. This bait darts from side to side on the surface, and on calm days leaves a zigzag trail the trout can see and follow. The Top Dog also has a big rattle inside to make it sound like an injured croaker.

The Bait Buster made by DOA -- Deadly On Anything -- You can cast the Bait Buster, a smaller version of the Adjuta-Float Mullet that has fish scent impregnated in the lure's plastic, out near schools of mullet. Twitch it just under the surface to give it an erratic action that calls big trout. The Bait Buster works extremely well on schooling trout when the trout feed on the surface and when you fish for big, loner trout holding on the edges of schools of baitfish.

Sub-Surface Lures:

The Slimy Slug by Mister Twister -- The Slimy Slug, a soft-plastic, year-round bait, resembles a needlefish or a ribbonfish. Fish this bait with a variety of actions through several different stories of water, on a 1/4- or a 1/8-ounce lead jighead with the hook left open to catch trout in either clear or stained water. Stansel prefers to fish the Slimy Slug fast and reel it just under the surface to create a swimming action. He also likes to let it fall to a great depth and hop it across the bottom. Favorite colors of Slimy Slugs include a pearl belly with a green back, a pearl with metal flake, a red-and-black back with a pearl-colored belly and the tomato shad, an orange-and-chartreuse bait with metal flake.

The Terror-Eyz by DOA -- Fish this bait by swimming it through the mid or lowest story of the water. You can hop or drag it along the bottom like a worm. Also you can fish a Terror Eyz any way that you can fish a grub. Like the Slimy Slug, when you fish this bait close to the bottom, it will produce flounder as frequently as it does speckled trout.

TOMORROW: WHERE AND HOW TO CATCH THE TROUT