Photo by Ron Sinfelt

Louisiana coastal anglers are seeing some of the most spectacular redfish action in recent history. From the marshes surrounding Lake Sabine to the Chandeleur Islands, limits of redfish are the norm for those with knowledge of local hotspots and seasonal patterns. The question, however, is: What part of the state offers the best chance at catching big reds? The vast wetlands of the west or the Mississippi Delta region to the east?

Let's look at both regions, and ask the anglers who doggedly pursue redfish there what they have to say.

WEST COAST
The Sabine River basin has been producing many redfish over the last few years, yet some of the most productive areas are rarely targeted by anglers. Take Black Bayou, for example: This huge drainage begins near Hackberry and runs to the Texas border, draining hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile estuary.

Shorelines lined with clams and shell middens (areas in which Native Americans prepared, dined on and discarded the shells of clams, oysters and mussels) are present here, and are great places for targeting winter reds. Watch for the high outgoing tidal movements or the last hour or so of rising tides for the best action.

"It's hard to beat small fresh chunks of mullet fished on the bottom," said Capt. Albert Bates, who frequents the area. He rigs his mullet on a fishfinder (Carolina) rig, which consists of an egg weight rigged above a swivel and attached to a leader.

"I don't stay at one spot too long. If I don't get a bite fairly soon I will move to another and usually by the time you have hit a few you'll have reds in the ice chest," Bates said.

Anglers should not balk at targeting shell deposits north of coastal systems, even when the bays are flooded with fresh water. Redfish have a high tolerance for fresh water, as is evidenced by their stocking at inland lakes around the country. It's common for anglers to catch blue catfish and gaspergou (freshwater drum) right alongside redfish.

"A lot of people miss out on good redfish because they think an area is too fresh for them (reds)," the late outdoor writer/redfish expert Ed Holder once said. "But I can't tell you how many times I have cast to reds among largemouth bass, for example,"

Moving up the bayou system and the stretch of the Intracoastal Waterway between Orange and Lake Charles, anglers can catch plenty of reds around mussel beds. "An old-timer showed me some mussel beds after a big norther blew through," said veteran guide Capt. Skip James. "They're not very big, but there is something on them the redfish love, and I think they eat some of them as well."