Sometimes these reds will be feeding with small trout, which are very easy to locate. Simply locate gulls feeding over the feeding fracas and throw in a soft plastic. The strike of a smallish speck will likely ensue.

More challenging, however, is catching the big redfish that dwell below the small ones and on the outside of the school.

Start by trying a heavy, fast-sinking bait like a one-ounce gold spoon. Begin by chunking the lure past the schooling action if possible and simply drag it along the bottom, all the way up to the boat. I like using spoons because I can throw them far, and when I use a large one, very few small trout bother with it. If you don't get hits by dragging it slowly, then try ripping it through the water as quickly as possible.

Another good lure is a Hoginar, which basically looks like a hunk of useless lead. But it can really do a number on the reds. Use the same pattern for it as you would for the spoon.

If you're having a problem finding the reds, back off from the school a bit and start casting on the down-current side of the school. This is where any wounded shrimp or baitfish will end up, which is why the reds like to hang around there. Trout are messy eaters, which works to the reds' advantage.

For anglers who prefer fishing with live bait, chunk a whole crab on a Carolina rig and drag it along the bottom. I am usually a proponent of using crab with a cracked shell, but in this instance, use the whole crab (with pincers removed) and drag it slowly across the bottom as if you were fishing for flounder.

While these reds may be feeding on shrimp, they can't resist a crab, and leaving the shell on will help you avoid strikes by smaller fish. The point here is to catch the big reds and avoid any other scavengers that might come along for the ride.

The most exciting way to score on reds in the Lake Borgne system is by topwater fishing, according to Capt. Billy Bucano of Tightline Charters.

"Fishing these bad boys and girls of the marsh on topwater baits will make your heart race when they explode on the line," he said.

The best topwater action is located within the marsh on the east and west sides of Lake Borgne, and also along the shorelines where sight-casting to them is possible.

I have fished Lake Borgne twice, both times along the southern end of the ecosystem and both times with Stephens. We caught reds on topwaters in the Shell Beach and Bayou Dupre areas early in the morning.

We scored by using key topwater redfish principles instilled by my late mentor, veteran outdoor writer Ed Holder.