Outstanding Trout and Redfishing in the Chandeleur Islands

As we made our method roughly 200 ft over the Gulf, I might spot colleges of reds and bait between Louisiana and the Chandeleur Islands. There have been greater silhouettes as nicely, seemingly the bull sharks that come right here to feed on the smorgasbord that congregates across the island chain. Our transportation, a single-engine Cessna outfitted with a pair of floats, continued to get decrease over the water. Quickly the airplane was skimming the water’s floor, and the pilot was dialing again the throttle, touchdown the vessel in a few ft of water on the western fringe of the island. As we disembarked into the water, I seemed for any of the sharks I’d noticed from the air. With the coast clear, I waded ashore with Cajun Vista Lodge Capt. Theophile Bourgeois IV.

Landfall within the Chandeleurs

“You by no means know what you’ll discover on the market, from the assorted species of fish, birds, seashells or random treasures washed ashore. Years in the past, my dad made the information when he discovered an outdated waterlogged brick of marijuana washed ashore,” says Bourgeois, who’s selecting up the place his father left off. Capt. Theophile Bourgeois III was a larger-than-life determine who handed too quickly, a Cajun’s Cajun who cherished to share the wonders of Louisiana, the islands, and the epic fishing the area is thought for with as many people as doable. 

Although there are numerous causes to go to the island chain, the principle attraction is the fishing. The Chandeleurs sit roughly 50 miles from the Cajun Vista Lodge. On the market within the Gulf, the labyrinth supplied by the twisted shorelines gives construction to bait and predators alike. The principle draw is the redfish and trout, which seem in each dimension and numbers on the proper time of yr. Generally, Bourgeois says, anglers find yourself sitting on the seashore with sore arms earlier than the clock strikes 10.

One approach to attain the islands is by floatplane, as we did. Leaving from our base on the Cajun Vista Lodge, it’s about an hourlong flight full of loads of sights. Pilots sometimes scout for fish as they go and deposit the airplane as shut as they will to a college of feeding reds or specks. As soon as on the bottom, anglers wade alongside the shore. Composed of hard-packed sand, it’s straightforward to cowl floor on foot. 

Although the fish encountered can generally be fairly giant, the guides on the Cajun Vista choose to take a light-tackle method. They outfit friends with medium-light 7-foot spinning rods spooled with mild braid. The sand flats provide large expanses for fish to run with out obstructions to interrupt anglers off on, so there’s no must put the brakes on rapidly. Light strain lands fish and fills stringers. Simply be able to beat ft if any sharks present up.

In a characteristically Cajun method, lure choice can be stored easy. “It’s laborious to beat the bone-colored Bomber Badonk-A-Donk or an H&H spoon in gold,” Bourgeois says. “After which there’s our favourite ‘purple boys,’ an H&H purple-and-chartreuse cocahoe minnow with a ¼-ounce jig head. I’ll additionally deliver ⅛- and ⅜-ounce jig heads to regulate for various depths and dimension fish.”

When to Go

It’s been stated that the 2 finest occasions to go fishing are when it’s raining and when it’s not. Bourgeois has comparable emotions about his favourite islands. “You’ll be able to have profitable fishing on the Chandeleurs year-round, you simply must play the climate. April by way of June is tough to beat for large specks earlier than the summer time warmth will get to be insufferable.”

When the temperature drops once more, the fishing heats up. “The autumn is nice earlier than the fronts begin transferring in. One among my favourite occasions to fish the islands is definitely winter. It produces among the most fun fishing I’ve ever skilled, when huge colleges of redfish roam the island and you may really feel the drumming of 1000’s of hungry bulls at your ft.” 

Water temperature can be a key a part of the equation, explains Bourgeois. “When the water temps get into the 70s, we begin seeing nice trout exercise. As they climb to the mid-80s, the fish typically keep in deeper waters, so the fishing will get more durable. The best temperatures are from the mid-70s to low 80s.”

After the Storms

As barrier islands, the Chandeleurs chain does its half to assist shield coastal Louisiana from tropical storms and hurricanes. Its 50-mile width buffers the mainland by taking the brunt of the climate that rolls in off the Gulf, which suggests the islands have been badly broken many occasions over the past century and a half or so. Over time, settlements have sprung up and been knocked down by the whims of the climate.

The primary lighthouse was erected there round 1848, serving as a beacon for mariners crossing the large expanse of the Gulf. This solely lasted for 4 years till the sunshine and the lighthouse keeper’s quarters have been taken out by a hurricane in 1852. It was changed by a brick construction in 1885, which withstood just a few notable storms, together with a hurricane within the fall of 1893, although it was broken badly sufficient to wish alternative. 

A alternative was inbuilt 1895, and it stood for higher than a century, although not with out difficulty. Erosion took many of the land beneath it, leaving it and the keeper’s home standing on their pilings. Hurricane Camille took the dwelling down in 1969, and Katrina took the tower in 2005, earlier than dealing some of the hanging blows to Louisiana. 

Katrina wasn’t the final hurricane to wreak havoc on the islands and mainland. In 2021, Hurricane Ida blew by way of the Chandeleurs and hit the mainland not removed from the mouth of the Mississippi River. The robust winds didn’t do the islands any favors and destroyed among the construction.

Learn Subsequent: Focusing on Redfish in Louisiana

However the true devastation was felt by the oldsters that decision Louisiana dwelling; it was the second-most damaging storm within the state’s historical past. The 150 mph winds knocked down all the things of their path, together with the Cajun Vista Lodge and the city surrounding it. The storm surge, some 4 ft of water, took out the whole first story and many of the gear on the premises, together with the boats and planes.

Regardless of the adversity, Bourgeois wasn’t going to let the storm wipe out his father’s legacy. Slowly however absolutely, he constructed all the things again: the docks, the airplane hangar and the lodge. You’ll be able to see his distinctive stamp on all of the furnishings inside, lots of which have been hand-built by Bourgeois utilizing reclaimed supplies. The result’s a cushty lodge within the Cajun custom, full with the good meals you’d count on.

So, decide your favourite species, select the proper time, and don’t overlook to attempt the gumbo.