The Redfish Were Cooperative

Tom Jindra with a 16-pound redfish that he caught near Port Sulphur, La

I've spent a lot of time on the road this fall, so I was happy to finally hit the water Friday with Capt. Peck Hayne. We launched the boat at Port Sulphur, La., and headed into the marsh, the rising sun behind us.

A crab pattern fooled this 8-pounder

Despite an 8-pounder that took my crab pattern shortly after we started, the early action was pretty slow. It wasn't until mid-morning that we began hitting targets on a regular basis and, shortly after lunch, Peck pointed out a cruiser about 50 feet out at 3 o'clock. My first couple casts fell behind the fish, but I finally placed the fly properly. I allowed the crab a moment to sink, gave it a strip, then waited for the redfish to pick it up.

Despite a swirl that indicated a strike, I felt nothing after I set the hook with my rod. I was stripping in line, thinking I'd blown the fish, when I realized that the red was charging the boat instead of running away. I took up slack as quickly as I could, then let the fish run after it passed the boat. Moments later, the handle of my reel was spinning, and I watched the line peel off the spool.

I finally brought the 16-pound red to the net, slipped the hook, posed for a couple photos, then returned it to the water. If you'd like to meet that fish for yourself, give Peck a call (cell phone: 504-583-4777). He should remember where we left it.

MY TACKLE
Rod: 8-weight BVK from Temple Fork Outfitters
Reel: Galvan T-8 Torque
Line: Bruce Chard taper from Jim Teeny
Leader: Nine-foot hand-tied leader, Maxima Ultragreen, 15-pound tippet
Fly: Size 2 crab