VENICE, La. – They may be a little rough around the edges, but the Mississippi Delta marshes cranked out many impressive limits Thursday, and that gives competitors plenty of motivation for day two of the Walmart FLW Redfish Series Western Division event at Venice Marina.
Hurricane Gustav – a strong category 2 storm that made landfall just west of the delta on Sept. 1 – took a big weed whacker to most of the marsh habitat and flooded the entire Louisiana coast. Three weeks later, southeastern Louisiana is still dealing with high water and widespread debris.
It may not be much to look at, but the fish don’t seem to mind. In most Redfish Series venues, mentioning
the elusive number 16 makes people ask, “Who got 16 pounds?” Yesterday in Venice, it was more like, “Which 16 pounds?”
Indeed, five teams bagged two-fish limits with weights averaging 8-pounds-plus per fish. Twenty-six teams averaged better than 7 pounds per fish. Needless to say, most were elated with what they caught, what they saw or, perhaps, some of both.
Day two dawned Friday without the scattered clouds of the previous morning. Day one actually became mostly sunny by midmorning, but a stiff southerly wind limited fishing options. With today’s wind switching to the north-northeast and falling to about 6 mph, anglers may be able to fish a wider range of spots.
Two teams tied for the top spot on day one. Blair Wiggins and Travis Tanner of Cocoa and Titusville, Fla., respectively, caught a limit weighing 16 pounds, 9 ounces. Britt Ordes of Slidell, La., and Mike Lambert of Jeanerette, La., matched that score.
Both leading teams will return to the scene of their big catches – Wiggins and Tanner on the west side of the Mississippi Delta; Ordes and Lambert in Delacroix to the northeast. As far as baits, both teams will employ the highly effective cork rig, which dangles a jig and a soft-plastic bait below a rattling or popping float. Jerking the cork creates sound and vibrations that stimulate nearby fish and call in others from afar.
Lambert, who will use the cork rig while his partner probes lower depths with a Berkley Gulp Shrimp
on a ¼-ounce jighead, said the cork’s commotion proves very effective in the delta’s current conditions: “The marsh is really beat up right now, and the water is really high, so you have to try different techniques. We’ve found one that works.”
Fishing a large pond with good numbers of redfish mixing with thousands of mullet, Wiggins said he and Tanner will work a topwater plug and a cork rig. On day one, they got what they needed and preserved their area’s potential for a follow-up shot.
“When we caught our last upgrade fish, we decided to cut out of there and leave them alone so we can start (today) fresh and have fish with no sore lips,” Wiggins said.
Throughout the delta marshes, the key elements that anglers will seek are forage (mullet, shrimp, minnows), current and clean water. The latter is often a function of tide stage, as muddy water gets pushed through grass, weeds and Roseau cane on the rising water and then exits filtered and clean on the falling tide.
In third place, Scott Ritter and Chad Billiot based their strategy on this timing. They secured one of their weight fish during the morning’s high tide, but their big bite came in the early afternoon when the tide was rolling out of the marsh. They, too, will return to their day-one spot in hopes of replicating their success.
Redfish prefer this cleaner water, so savvy anglers will fish the drains and creek mouths where the water is cleanest on outgoing stages. Spinnerbaits, jigs, soft plastics and ChatterBait-style lures will all produce redfish.
Several boats will fish the Southwest Pass jetties, which are known for consistent redfish productivity. Securing a limit at the pass is usually a safe bet, but the water can get pretty bumpy as this is the Mississippi Delta’s main artery for commercial ship traffic. Ship wakes combined with wind and tide can make it tough to hold a boat in place. Moreover, the current-fighting jetty fish are usually slimmer than the chunky marsh gluttons that just lounge around and eat all day.
Logistics
All teams will compete during the first two days, and the top five teams based on accumulated weight
advance to day three. Final standings are determined by the total weight from all three days.
Anglers take off at 6:30 a.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday from Venice Marina, located at 237 Sports Marina Road in Venice. Weigh-ins will be held at Venice Marina beginning at 3 p.m. today and 4 p.m. Saturday. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free, and the community is invited to attend.
The Venice FLW Redfish Series event is hosted by Venice Marina. The top award of $50,000 includes $20,000 cash plus a $15,000 cash bonus from Ranger Boats and a $15,000 cash bonus from Yamaha or Evinrude if contingency guidelines are met.
The top 50 teams in each division of the 2008 FLW Redfish Series, based on Land O’Lakes Team of the Year points standings at the end of the season, will advance to the $300,000 Walmart FLW Redfish Series Championship Oct. 30-Nov. 1 in Biloxi, Miss. The winning team at the championship will earn as much as $100,000.
Friday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:49 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 59 degrees
Expected high temperature: 81 degrees
Water temperature: 78 degrees
Wind: NNE at 6 mph
Humidity: 44 percent
Day’s outlook: sunny