Michael was staying at our Greener Pastures Lodge on Lake Catherine and was interested in seeing what was beyond their dock. It was a cold day and we left at noon to let the sun warm things up. We had a great time covering a lot of water looking for fish. By the end of the trip he had a limit of redfish in the cooler and he was all smiles. We caught a beautiful sunset on the way back to the marina and it was perfect ending to a fun time.

As we pulled out the slip at Island Marina, I mentioned to Mr. Aaron that we may find a bite early, and then have a long lull until noon or after. Well, unfortunately the prediction became a reality. There were many factors (temperature, moon, tide, wind) that were just not favorable to keep the fish active throughout the morning. Aaron caught 3 slot reds by 9 then it went dead. We moved from spot to spot, and even tried a location that has produced every time I have fished it since October. Nada. Finally around 1 pm, the tide switched and we landed a slot, and a couple undersized fish. After Aaron called last cast, he connected with a great redfish. Half way to the boat, the hook was spit. Determined to get one more solid fish, one last cast was made and Aaron patiently worked the bait back through the same area. After what seemed like an eternity, the cork ever so slowly sank below the surface and bam! Fish on! Biggest redfish of the day. Perfect way to end a trip. It was a pleasure watching another great angler catch their first redfish.

Darryl, Chuck, and Warren slammed the redfish on Friday. We had to hit a few spots, but by 1pm, they had boxed their limits. Live Cocahoes were all the fish wanted. The water was still muddy in the area, but once we located the right shoreline, the corks started going under. Lake Catherine is full of reds right now. Trout, sheepshead, and bass catches have dropped significantly, but should pick up once the temperature rises and clean water moves in. Just a few more weeks until Spring!

On Thursday Steve came in from New Jersey to catch his first redfish. 11 knot winds and 30 degree temps didn't keep him from accomplishing his goal. He wasted no time loading the cooler with 10 reds and then played catch and release with another 12. From the first stop to the last, there were slot reds caught at each stop. After catching several drag screamers back to back at the last spot, we called it a day, leaving a hot bite.

Rick and Tom from Florida came in to catch some redfish this week. They were referred to Victory Bay Charters by their buddies who had a great trip with us last month. We got a late start to let the sun warm things up. Despite strong winds and muddy water, Rick and Tom put a three man limit of redfish in the boat by noon. Live cocahoes from Island Marina and Gulp Shrimp were just what the fish wanted. What a great time it was, watching them slam the reds and hearing about their methods to catch trout and reds in Florida. Looking forward to being on the water with these two gentlemen again.

A couple guys wanted to get out the house and spend a day on the water last week. Like most others, they were holed up inside for a week straight when it seemed like it would never stop raining. Since then, the Pearl River has been dumping loads of muddy water into the area around the marina, so I offered a run into the Biloxi Marsh, where the water would be clean. The plan to escape the dirty water was scratched when we arrived at Lake Borgne to find stronger than expected winds. So, we stayed around Lake Catherine in New Orleans and despite fishing in extremely dirty water, the guys still put together a great catch. Was it slower than recent trips I've run? You bet. But by slowing down the pace and sticking with corks and live shrimp, there was a steady flow of fish coming into the boat. What isn't pictured is the countless 15 1/2" redfish the group caught all day. Just a 1/2" shy of the legal size, but still a fun fight. The water is cleaner now and I'll be scouting this week to see what has left and what has moved in.