More Fishing at the Speckled Trout Capital of the
World- Hackberry Rod and Gun
Fan Casting
 Editor’s
Note: The first week in June, I fished at the Speckled
Trout Capital of the World – Hackberry, Louisiana,
located on Lake Calcasieu. In 2005, Hackberry 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 home to giant
speckled trout, big redfish and plenty of medium-to
small-sized fish. This week, we’ll take another
look at fishing in Hackberry. Kirk Stansel, one of the
owners of Hackberry Rod and Gun, a guide service in
Lake Calcasieu, was my guide at Lake Calcasieu.  Although
the weather was extremely hot (mid-90 degrees with high
humidity), I was cool wearing my new Under Armour fishing
shirts and shorts. Under Armour’s HeatGear Performance
Polos wicked moisture away from my body to keep me dry
and provided ultraviolet protection from the sun’s
intense rays. The Guide Shorts had mesh venting for
coolness.
Question: Kirk, we left the lodge this morning a little
bit before daylight and stopped about 30 yards from
shore where you told us to fan cast in different directions.
Now, most people will cast to the shore and retrieve
back to the boat. Why don’t you recommend that
style of fishing?
Stansel: When you’re fishing on a rising tide,
the baitfish m ove
into the shoreline, so the speckled trout and redfish
also move in closer to the shoreline. However, on a
falling tide, like we were fishing this morning, the
baitfish pull away from the shoreline, so the specks
and reds move out away from the shore to follow the
bait. This morning, we’ll cast to the shore, but
most of the time, we’ll be casting away from the
shore. The specks and the reds have moved away from
the shore toward deeper water, following the bait.
Question: How far off the bank do you usually catch
your big trout on a falling tide?
Stansel: They often will be 50- to 100-yards away from
the bank, feeding on the baitfish. So, we cast away
from the shore toward the middle of the lake. The redfish
often will be holding closer to the bank on the falling
tide. The redfish are more-structure oriented, and they
often will feed right up against the shore, even on
a falling tide. That’s when you see the redfish
tailing in shallow water. Most people never think to
cast away from the bank. But any time I have a group
of people fishing, I’ll ask at least one of my
anglers to cast out in open water away from the shoreline.
For more information about Under Armour’s cool
summertime clothing, visit www.underarmour.com
To learn more about Hackberry, go to their web page
at www.hackberryrodandgun.com,
or call 888-762-3391.
Tomorrow: Fishing Slicks
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