After Trey and I’s bass fishing trip, it wasn’t until Halloween that I made another trip out. This time it would be to the marsh to hunt for reds for an upcoming tournament later in the week. The tournament, which was Redbone’s Festivus Tournament in Cocodrie, can be summed up like this… I lost track of time and was still fishing during the weigh-in. Oh well. But the fishing on Halloween was pretty fun!

I launched from Coco Marina. The marsh there is broken up into sections by canals and bayous. I immediately went to canals where I knew there were oyster beds, or marsh ponds where I’d regularly see fish. There were birds diving over many of the canals so I started there. Throwing a Vortex Shad, I started out picking up some trout.

I soon made my way to the ponds but wasn’t seeing many reds. I headed to the same pond where I’d told Karl to go two weeks earlier, and that’s where I caught the first slot red for the day.

After weaving my way through a few linked ponds, I made my way into a small narrow canal. I had picked up some fish here last year and figured it was worth a shot. I was still casting the Vortex Shad and picking up a few small trout and rat reds at the mouth. As I progressed down the canal, I started getting a few hits but no hook ups. A little ways further down, I started seeing some nervous water. I casted a wake bait over that way and got a few rat reds to hit it. I figured if there were still fish there, I’d keep tossing that thing, even if they were small. Third consecutive cast got a blow-up and as I set the hook, I could tell it wasn’t a little guy.

Not a “mack daddy” bull red, but still a small bull.

Soon, I was back in the main bayou and heading back to the marina. I decided to stop one last time under some birds and picked up a few more trout.

After the tournament, the next trip down to the marsh would be to fish, hang out, and help film with the guys from Jackson Kayak and JK Media House for three days! That report to come soon.