Got a last minute call from a friend looking for a partner to make a run in his new boat that he built, maybe scout some areas out for this upcoming winter. Sought the approval from the wife and got it without too much apprehension. I think she was ready for me to be out of the house after spending some quality time together riding out Isaac.

We headed down to the coast, not really knowing what was going to be open or what to expect fishing-wise. I often hear people praising the fishing just before and just after landfall, suggesting that it is one of the best times of the year to go. We really just hoped to have some good clarity so we’d be able to sight fish for reds.

Little’s boat is pretty badass, amazing to think he designed and built it himself, out of his garage. He has a thread of the build on microskiff.com – http://www.microskiff.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1345433649

Luck would have it that the ramp at the place we intended to launch was open, though we were one of only a handful of trucks in a parking lot that would normally be packed any other Labor Day. We launched/fished an area that saw a significant surge as the storm rolled through. Folks had been real busy cleaning up their homes/businesses, debris lined the road and utility crews were a common sight. I’m not gonna lie, I felt a bit guilty that we would be going fishing, but I’d imagine the money we spent launching and at the gas station on the way down was welcome.

Fishing was pretty good, all things considered. Clarity in spots was decent, other spots not too good, no where was excellent, but we were still able to see some reds and boat a few as well.

It didn’t take long for Little to connect with a bull. It proved to be his personal best, the biggest on the day, and biggest for the boat thus far at 28lbs. Usually we don’t see bulls in the marsh until late Fall, maybe Isaac helped speed up that migration. Maybe it was luck, he did have a 10 on his tail(my lucky number).

Props to Little for hooking up with the big red. I’d like to think it was my excellent poling skills, but I’m sure the bottom of his new boat would say otherwise. My biggest on the day was probably around 10lbs, not a true bull, but not a slouch either. Something that surprised me today was how much harder redfish fight when they have some deeper/open water to run. Maybe it’s the oxygen, but reds the same size in the marsh usually give up a lot sooner than they were on Monday.

Had a great time fishing with Little, his new boat is awesome, perfect for chasing bulls in Louisiana. Hopefully I’ll get the invite again this winter when we hit prime time.