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Can you reasonably expect to get a big redfish on the fly in Louisiana? There has been so much hoopla of late about Louisiana redfishing that the state is at risk of getting a bad reputation due to inflated expectations on the part of anglers. Like the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, or even Montana, Louisiana can be shut down for days on end by bad weather. Murky water, high wind, and heavy cloud cover can all make it very difficult to score any redfish, much less big ones. But the possibility is certainly there.
All of the above is a roundabout way of telling you a bang-up success story about Louisiana redfishing. We received it last month from Captain Kenny Ensminger (www.fishing charterslouisiana.net), who says a recent client took a 34-pound red this past November 16 in Biloxi Marsh. The lucky client was Michael Brennan of Houston, Texas, who was fishing with his two teenage sons. I started poling Mr. Brennan down a shoreline at 8:40 in the morning, Ensminger writes. At 8:55, a huge tail came out of the water about 15 feet in front of the skiff. Michael made one cast with his 8 wt., and the big red ate his fly. It took 30 minutes to bring him to the net.
As big as this fish is, its not that unusual to bring one that size to the net in Biloxi Marsh. Its what happened next that makes this story so good. Seems both of Brennans sons went on to catch behemoths of their own. One caught a 30 pounder and the other caught a 29.5 pounder. Is that a triple play or what? Just dont expect the same if you go to Louisiana this winter. The fish gods may not smile on you, OK?