The Speckled Trout Capital of the World- Lake Calcasieu
Trout Fishing Doesn’t Get Much Better Than This
 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, tell me about a really-good day of
trout fishing you’ve had rec ently.
Stansel: I have a place in mind where I can catch some
big trout. I usually stop 200- to 300-yards short of
where I want to fish and use my trolling motor and the
wind to get closer to the spot where I think I’ll
catch the trout. We have to be extremely quiet and not
spook the fish. Big fish are extremely spooky, because
they’re older, have been around for a long time
and know what happens when a boat comes by and slows
down. You really have to stalk them as you do a whitetail
to get close to them. You want to make as little noise
as possible, if you’re trying to reach an area
to fish for big trout. When the fish are holding in
only 2 or 3 feet of water, they’re much-more spooked
than they’ll be if they’re concentrating
in deeper water. So, I always use the wind to set up
and drift my boat into the place I want to fish. I use
my trolling motor as little as possible to drift along
the shoreline. Once we start fishing, my anglers and
I will be fan casting. Some of my fishermen will be
casting away from the shoreline, some will be fishing
parallel to the shoreline, and others will be casting
and retrieving to the shoreline to find where the fish
are holding.
Question: Why are you having some of your clients cast
away from the shoreline, even th ough
the fish are holding on the shoreline?
Stansel: Because you never know where the trout will
be. Sometimes, the trout will be holding tight to the
shoreline, but oftentimes, the fish will be holding
50- to 75-yards off the shoreline. Therefore, by fan
casting all the way around the boat, you can locate
and take trout that are related to the shore, even if
they’re not holding immediately against the shore.
The shoreline is the structure you’re fishing,
but the fish aren’t necessarily holding right
up against the shore. The bait will move into the shore
and out away from the shore, depending on whether the
tide’s coming in or going out.
Question: Tell me about this great day of fishing you
had.
Stansel: On this particular day, we went down this one
shoreline and had trout blowing up on our top-water
lures, but not taking them. We started catching a few
trout that weighed 3- to 4-pounds each. We were catching
just enough fish to keep fishing on the shoreline. We
were making our third drift down this same shoreline,
when the trout really turned-on to the bait. The drifts
may take an hour, and we were in our third hour of fishing
before the action really picked-up. We ha d
several fish on, but lost the fish that would have weighed
in the 7- or 8-pound range. However, we did boat a 9-pound
trout that was 31-inches long. We caught a large number
of big redfish, but the bite didn’t really turn
on until about 10:00 am. I believe the fish were there
the entire time because the bait was in that area, but
they just finally turned on to the bait.
Question: How do you get a big fish to the boat?
Stansel: Remember that trout are very soft-mouthed,
so you want to set your drag lightly and really play
the fish. Don’t get in a big hurry to land it.
You want to have your drag set lightly, so when the
trout makes a run, it can pull the drag off easily without
tearing the hook out of its mouth. You don’t want
to horse the fish in like you will a bass, a red snapper
or even a redfish. You really need to have a light drag
and a rod with a really-light tip. Then when the fish
makes a run, the line will have some give in it, and
your hook won’t break or tear a hole in the fish’s
mouth. I like light- to medium-tackle when we’re
fishing for big fish. Remember, even though the fish
may be big, they have soft and tender mouths, so you
don’t want to put a lot of pressure on them.
To learn more about Hackberry Rod and Gun, go to www.hackberryrodandgun.com,
or call 888-762-3391.
Tomorrow: What about the Redfish?
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