The "Real" NOLA pics

Moon took these photos for us on our most recent trip. The colors on the sheepshead are amazing. Fantastic shots man. 

Happy Thanksgiving 2012

Hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving.

NOLA

We had tough conditions, no sun, heavy clouds and blown out flats but we persisted and when other guides were calling it half days, Captain Greg Moon was fishing his ass off. If I haven't said it before, Moon is one hell of a guide. He fishes hard and his love and understanding of the sport really shows. The fish were scattered, spooky and hunkered down in the Louisiana mud. We managed to make a few eat and had a hell of time.

Phil scanning the flat.

Finally got one of these guys to eat. Sheepshead have been teasing me for years.

Some of the destruction left by Isaac. Pictures don't do it justice. Houses were moved from their foundation and left resting on the levy and the houses that remained in place were stained with a marsh water mark. These houses weren't just flooded, the water mark was on the roof of most houses. They were destroyed. Everything was destroyed. People were tearing everything out so they could start rebuilding. Trash, soaked drywall and everything you could imagine (including some tombs) were piled on the levy out by the road.

Captain Greg Moon

The first toad of the trip.

The conditions were tough and we fought wind and clouds that lasted all day but persistence pays off. When we were able to see the reds (before they left a mud boil) they weren't exactly interested in eating and most shots were within the 20ft range. The fish were hunkered down in the mud, not glowing happy fish. When the sun finally did come out to warm the water, the red's attitudes began to improve.

http://louisianaflyfishingcharters.com

Halloween!

DIY Compost Tumbler

Compost Tumbler

50-gallon barrel (used for firefighting foam)

Cedar and Pressure treated scraps collected from local construction scraps

Old fence post.

I am a cheap skate and get more pleasure out of building things with found materials. Construction sites are notorious for trashing wonderful scraps. Fences are going up all over the place and this means great Cedar scraps. Spent an afternoon outside building this. It took a while because Tater made me take breaks to chase field mice that have invaded the yard (another byproduct of the local construction). Our count on field mice is...Tater with 4. Mouse Trap with 1. Hunting field mice with Tater is so much more fun then the old fashioned mouse trap and it is much more exciting. 

Man Room/Fishing Room

Been working on the man room and daydreaming about living the sporting life again. Fall is here and I find myself thinking about flushing pheasants in North Dakota and chasing bull reds in New Orleans. This room reminds me of all the great adventures we have had and all the adventures that are to come.

The New Gardens and the response to the Rabbit

The other morning, while enjoying a morning coffee on the back porch, I was shocked to find that all the freshly sprouted greens and beans had been eaten down to the ground. The Rabbit had fired the shot heard around the yard. In response to this act of aggression, a fence was placed around both gardens. The hummingbirds calmed me down as they spent the morning chasing each other off the feeders. So far the fence has kept the rabbit out. 

Smallmouth

(Smallmouth)

 River bass are cool fish. Stronger than their lake/pond cousins and these guys were very healthy. The river was full of all different sized bait and the places that looked fishy, held fish. 

Backyard

Hummingbird

The Carp Won Today.

They were tough today but it was still very fun. The water level continues to drop on the lake and the flats change with it it. Had to hunt for the carp in the deeper water which made spotting them more of a challenge. I also needed heavier flies to get them down to them. Next time I will be armed and ready with all sorts of size and weight flies. You won this time Carp but I will be back very soon. 

(Found a pile of crappie by the parking lot. What a waste.)

Update on the Texas Coast Box

My Texas Coast fly box has dwindled down to a few beat up flies that have each seen their share of fish. It is time to update and refill that box. First up, baitfish pattern. Thanks for the help Moon. This week I will test it on bass and see what they think of it before I tie up a bunch on Gamakatsu hooks. 

Summertime

Carp save summer fishing. They are always out there (sometimes they are just harder to find). We had a sky full of clouds but found them on a sandy flat. The sun would peak out just enough to give their glow away but it was a challenge to tell what was heads or tails. I made several perfect casts right on their tail which were rewarded with a flash off the flat. One thing that I have decided about carp is that they have no real pattern when feeding and anticipating their direction of travel is almost impossible (especially if you can't tell what is their head and what is their tail). It is best to just drop it right in their face. This works much better than dropping it right on their tail.

Independence Day Carpin'

Casey and I hit Ray Roberts again. The carp had moved a bit and the wind had muddied the water but just around the bend was clear water and carp. A little walk never hurt any one.

Triple Digit Summertime Carpin'

 

Golden Bonefish Bitters?

Summertime in Texas means triple digit temps and carp in the shallows. Can't wait to see what the carp think of this one. 

Garlic

Last fall I had some garlic sprouting in the kitchen. I read how easy garlic is to grow and decided to plant the little cloves. They sprouted pretty quickly and I had no idea when to harvest them. After some research I found out that as soon as the leaves start to dry and turn brown they are ready to harvest. I pulled them out and placed them in the shade to dry. A few days later and they are ready.