All of his articles can be found HERE.
Here is last Friday's article by Bob Marshall.
Fishing Fridays: Redfish Bay, Heading south is well worth the trip
They say spending a day fishing is like taking a week's vacation. Well, going to Redfish Bay south of Lafitte is like going to another state -- such as Florida or Texas.
Gone is the marsh, or fragments of marsh, and the cane islands and spoil levees we normally associate with southeastern Louisiana. Instead, you find your boat drifting past long, curving shell reefs exposed to the hot summer sun, fringed by a combination of mangroves and green summer grass. Your hull isn't bouncing over cafe-au-lait water, but floating through shallows clear enough to see the silver streaks of mullet scattering ahead of your bow. It's a scene you might expect to encounter in the Everglades of the Laguna Madre.
Except there is one major giveaway that this still is Louisiana, not Texas or Florida: You have a chance of finding plenty of fish during the summer months.
"You can find reds in here year-round, but specks really like this place in the summer because there's a lot of water moving between Hackberry Bay and Barataria Bay, so you get a lot of bait coming through here," said Sidney Bourgeois, co-owner of Joe's Landing in Lafitte.
"When the water is moving through here, pulling shrimp or mullet or pogies, the fish kind of stack up on the down-current side of these reefs and just wait. It can be a great place."
It has another bonus as well: Most anglers ignore it.
"I guess everyone is so focused on either Little Lake or Barataria Bay, they just kind of run around this without stopping," Bourgeois said. "It's a little out of the way if you're heading to the hot spots in those places, so it never seems to get much traffic."
And that only adds to its lure for anglers who enjoy a fishing experience that includes pleasant scenery and fish.
GETTING THERE
From Lafitte marinas head south of the Barataria Seaway to marker 28, then head southwest for about 1.5 miles. It's about a 20-mile run. The best chart is Standard Mapping No. 8 Barataria Bay.
GEARING UP
While you might find a speck up to four pounds here, most of the fish will be between school-size and 2 pounds, but there can be reds and some hefty flounder. So medium-light to medium action gear is a safe bet.
Topwater baits work early and later, but live shrimp, croakers and cockahoes are the top producers. Due to the shallow water, a weighted cork is a good idea, but Carolina rigs are a favorite here as well. If the fish are feeding aggressively, you can switch to plastics.
A trolling motor is really a must because it will allow you to move around this shallow area without clouding the water and spooking fish. But you'll also want an anchor or pole to hold you once you locate a school.
FISHING IT
This is a great place as long as you have a tidal range of one foot or better and a wind from any direction but the east. It's especially good for those days when the wind is from the west and southwest, a direction that typically turns Little Lake and Barataria Bay into a muddy soup. Redfish Bay, by comparison, has protection from those quarters, plus its shell bottom means it won't muddy as quickly.
Approach the first set of islands with the trolling motor looking for current lines off the ends of one of the islands. Trout and reds like to lay down-current from the reefs, hoping to pick off meals pulled around or over the shells by the current. Every reef looks so fishy it's tempting to stop at the first spot, but you'll increase your chances of success by taking a few minutes to scout for any spots that also show bait activity.
Anchor about 30 feet off the end of the reef but also about 10 yards up-current. This will allow you to cast down-current on either side of the current line. Bring the live bait with some hopes of using the rod tip. If you're throwing plastics, start your retrieve before the lure hits the water or you'll end up hooked to shells on almost every cast.
If you first stop doesn't produce after about 10 minutes, pick up and continue moving.
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