Bourbon St. and Big Reds

Here in Montana all of our hunting seasons have closed and trout fishing is more of an excuse for a cold walk than a productive endeavor right now.  So my wife, Brandy, and I headed to New Orleans for some fun in the French Quarter and fly fishing for over-sized redfish in the marsh of Louisiana.  We were met by my Florida buddy, Rich and his wife.  As we were running to the fishing grounds on day one in the skiff after only 2 hours sleep I was tempted to crawl into the fetal position but I didn't want our guide giving up on us before we even got started.  Bourbon St......if you've been there, you know what happened to us. 

Overall the fishing was typical saltwater fly fishing, weather and water dependent.  We battled both for a couple days before conditions finally came together to give us a glimpse into the potential of this fishery.  We had light winds, blue skies, and relatively clear water which allowed us to make a bunch of quality shots on mid-sized redfish.  Rich and I both boated at least 10 reds in the 6-12lb range on the last day.  It always amazes me how one day, or even just a couple hours, of good fishing can turn a whole trip around.  Up to that point, the only fish landed was a big 22 lb redfish that I had tagged on day two.  

We had a great trip, escaped the cold MT winter for a while, ate some unbelievable food, and managed to catch a few fish.  I may head back to the marsh someday for a shot at a 30+lb redfish, I'll just steer clear of Bourbon St. if I do.