Bull reds over 30 pounds are not at all uncommon across the coast this month. This large redfish, which took several minutes to boat, likely weighed more than 25 pounds. Photo by John E. Phillips

When given a choice of which guide to fish one day, two anglers made a decision they'd soon regret: They chose to go with Capt. Jeff Poe, owner of Big Lake Guide Service on Lake Calcasieu. I, on the other hand, chose to go fish with Poe's wife, Mary, also a captain, and raised on the banks of the lake.

Mary Poe looked at me and winked as she and I went to her boat for a day of fishing on the lake. Then she said, "We're going to kick their butts today. I know where there's a big school of redfish in shallow water. We're going to limit out early, and Jeff will have to hunt fish this morning. We're gonna have a good time."

There's nothing worse than … well -- the rest is common knowledge. Captain Mary planned to prove that she could find and catch redfish as quickly and in numbers as big as any guide on Lake Calcasieu. She'd particularly enjoy outfishing her husband. These male anglers had thrown down the gauntlet when they picked Jeff.

When we arrived at a shallow bank, Captain Mary explained, "These reds are holding on a shallow-water oyster reef that's just under the surface. They're here every morning, and they'll hit a popping cork on top with a Cocahoe Grub made by H&H below it." Poe fishes with a 2-inch slotted popping cork on 12-pound-test line. Then, 18 inches below the popping cork, she ties a 1/4-ounce lead-head jig with the 3-inch long soft-plastic Cocahoe Grub.

As I prepared to make my first cast, Capt. Mary said by way of instruction, "Cast the cork to the bank, pop the cork two or three times, and then let the jig sit dead in the water."

As soon as the jig hit the water, I saw several giant swirls, and thought that I might have spooked the reds. But after I popped the cork twice, I let my bait sit still in the water. Instantly my cork dove for the bottom, my rod bent, the drag screamed, and I had just about all the redfish I could handle.

For 45 minutes we enjoyed nonstop action, catching redfish weighing from 12 to 22 pounds each on almost every cast. Interrupting the excitement, a voice rang out over the CB radio: "Mary? This is Jeff. Are y'all doin' any good?"

Mary picked up the microphone and, with a big grin, answered, "Yeah -- we're wearing the redfish out."

After a long pause, Captain Jeff said, "We haven't found any fish. Do you mind if we come over and join ya?" Before she keyed the mic, Captain Mary laughed and told me, "I said we'd beat 'em."

Regaining her composure, Captain Mary said into the microphone, "Come on over. John and I are just about tired of catching these redfish."

In a few minutes, we spotted Captain Jeff and his party coming. Mary told me, "OK, John -- let's get two on our lines."

Each of us cast to the bank, popped the corks, let our baits sit still in the water and then held on tightly as the big redfish attacked both grubs. Captain Jeff and his party used their trolling motor to get in close to us. By the time we'd boated both redfish, Captain Jeff had positioned his boat less than 10 yards away. Mary and I both released the two big reds, weighing from 18 to 20 pounds each, all the while giving Jeff and his party a good look at the fish we'd been catching all morning.

"Y'all can have this spot," Captain Mary announced. "There's still plenty of redfish here. We're going to look for speckled trout now." With that, she weighed anchor and used her trolling motor to move out to deep water, where she cranked the big engine.