HACKBERRY -- HOME OF THE GATOR TROUT

Where and How to Catch the Trout

EDITOR'S NOTE: Don't stick your fingers in a speckled trout's mouth, or you may draw back a bloody digit. Speckled trout have sharp teeth that can puncture, cut or maim even an experienced trout fisherman. They often resemble young alligators when they approach the boat, swinging their tails from side to side. That's why many anglers call them "gator trout."

The guides at Hackberry Rod and Gun Club have a wide variety of places they fish. Besides fishing the deep channel running through the center of the lake and the shallow flats next to the bank, they'll catch trout, reds and flounder on the many oyster reefs at Lake Calcasieu. The little cuts, ditches and drainages that shrimp and baitfish travel to get to the Sabine Wildlife Refuge also provide excellent fishing. Too, in spring and summer, anglers often will locate large schools of trout underneath the birds that dive on baitfish in the open water. The trout and redfish force schools of bait to the surface where the gulls dive on them. Any time you spot gulls hitting the water and picking up bait, you can bet that a school of specks and/or redfish swim will below them.

In July and August, when winds from the shore blow into the Gulf and flatten the waves into gently rolling mounds of saltwater, you can catch plenty of fish on the beach. Anglers can watch the shoreline to see trout attacking the large schools of baitfish coming down the shore. "You may see an erratic wave pattern at some of the best spots on the beach," Terry Shaughnessy explained. "A cut or a break in the sandbar can create an erratic wave pattern by sucking schools of baitfish through the opening. Big trout will lay in the break in the sandbar and feed on the trout." A few miles out in the Gulf from the mouth of Lake Calcasieu, you'll see oil and gas platforms. At certain times of the year these rigs act like magnets, attracting large numbers of big trout for the anglers who fish the region.

Here's what most of the guides at the Hackberry Rod and Gun Club prefer to use -- 7-foot medium- to light-action rods. According to Guy Stansel, "You want a rod with a soft tip. Then when the fish hits the lure, the rod will bend and give it to the bait. The soft tip also allows the line to easily slip off the reel, keeping tension on the hook without tearing the hooks out of the fish's mouth, like a stiff rod may. The longer 7-foot rods also help us to make long casts and stay well away from the fish so we don't spook them." The guides prefer 10- to 12-pound Stren/Hi Impact line when fishing sub-surface lures. Terry Shaughnessy explains further, " But when you fish with surface lures, you may want to use small-diameter, braided line like Spiderwire. This type of line doesn't have any stretch to it, and you can set the hook faster. If you do use super-strong, no-stretch line, tie it to 2-1/2-feet, 20- to 30-pound-test monofilament from the braided line to the split ring of the bait. The monofilament makes the line harder for the fish to see and acts as a shock absorber when you set the hook on the trout." Most of the guides usually fish with Abu-Garcia, Shimano or Quantum baitcasting reels.

To catch the biggest trout you've ever taken in your life or large numbers of speckled trout, redfish and flounder for a fish fry or freezer stockers, visit Hackberry Rod and Gun Club on the banks of Lake Calcasieu.