The Speckled Trout Capital of the World- Lake Calcasieu
Big Trout on the Shoreline
 Editor’s
Note: Last week, I fished the Speckled Trout Capital
of the world – Hackberry, Louisiana, located on
Lake Calcasieu in the western section of the state.
In 2005, Hackberry Rod and Gun was destroyed by Hurricane
Rita. However, in 10 months, with a lot of hard work
and sweat, it was restored. Today, it’s better
and stronger than ever before, and the lake homes giant
speckled trout, big redfish and plenty of medium-to-
small fish. This week, we’ll take a look at fishing
from Hackberry Rod and Gun. But I won’t be able
to show you the delicious food I ate – gumbo,
fish and all your favorite vegetables, meats and desserts.
Life doesn’t get any better than it is at Hackberry.
Kirk Stansel, one of the owners of Hackberry Rod and
Gun, was my guide this past week on Lake Calcasieu.
Question: Kirk, why are the big trout on the shoreline
instead of under the birds or on the reefs?
Stansel: Bigger baits are moving up to the shoreline,
and since the big trout feed on big bait, they go where
the big bait lives.
Question: Why do you fish in a different place for
big trout than you do for average-size trout?
Stansel: You can catch big speckled trout anywhere,
but if you want to target trophy trout, you need to
fish where the trophy trout hang out. Today, we’re
catching numbers of these big trout where we normally
catch redfish. The redfish and the big trout prefer
mullet. Right now, the mullet are moving up on the shoreline
along the mud flats, so that’s where we’re
finding the redfish and the big trout.
Question: Why are the redfish and the big trout living
together on the shoreline and the smaller reds out in
the open water, feeding under working birds and on the
oyster reefs?
Stansel: Smaller trout and redfish feed on smaller menhaden
and shrimp. But the big fish want to eat bigger baits,
because they can expend less energy and get more food
when they eat big ba its
than when they have to chase a lot of little bait.
Question: What kinds of baits are you using to catch
the big trout and the redfish?
Stansel: Early in the morning and on slick, calm days,
we fish a lot of top-water lures like the MirrOlure
She Dog and the Corky, a Texas lure. The Mister Twister
grubs, the spoons, the Slimy Slug and the Exudes baits
have really been good in muddy water.
Question: What pound-test line are you using?
Stansel: I fish 12-pound-test line with a 2- or a 3-foot
piece of 30-pound-test leader that I attach to my main
line with a surgeon’s knot.
Question: Why are you putting a 30-pound leader on
your line?
Stansel: If you fish a lot around oyster shells, you
can really nick and cut lines. Also, a big trout can
swallow a lure and rake its teeth across the line and
nick or cut it. By using heavier leader, we give our
anglers a little more protection to prevent them from
losing the big trout. We’re also catching some
nice redfish that will be from 20- to 30-inches long
with sandpaper-like teeth that can really wear on a
line and cause smaller line to break easily. These redfish
will weigh from 4- to 10-pounds each.
Question: When you target big fish, how many do you
expect to catch in a day?
Stansel: On a good day, you’ll catch 15 to 25
nice-size trout and usually a limit of redfish, and
you’ll probably throw back at least that many.
But fishing varies from day to day. I’m happy
if we catch 10 to 12 trout that will weigh 3- to 9-pounds
each and produce a limit of redfish for each customer
that weigh 3- to 9-pounds each.
Question: How many people do you have in your boat
when you’re fishing?
Stansel: I usually take two or three customers with
me.
Question: How do you work your lures to make the big
trout bite?
Stansel: There are many factors that cause the big fish
to bite, including water clarity, wind and the amount
of baitfish in the water. If the water’s dingy,
slow down your presentation. If the water’s really
clear, speed up your bait. At this time of year, our
water temperature is hitting the 80-degree mark, so
we can work our baits really quickly to entice more
strikes.
To learn more about Hackberry Rod and Gun, go to www.hackberryrodandgun.com,
or call 888-762-3391. For more information about Mister
Twister’s top-quality products, visit www.mistertwister.com
Tomorrow: Trout Fishing Doesn’t Get Much Better
Than This
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