BIG LAKE It would be very interesting to know how many redfish have been caught on Big Lake in 2008......no doubt in the tens of thousands. Hackberry's Captain Kevin Broussard, one of the many excellent saltwater guides on the lake, reported Tuesday that three of their boats went out and all anglers on each boat caught limits of reds.
There are numerous areas on the lake which are loaded with redfish but some of the heaviest concentrations are on the east bank, The Weirs (Lambert's and Grand Bayous) as well as southeast bank to Old Jetties area. Broussard also mentioned a recent trip with his dad, Phil Broussard (Kevin's most challenging under study) where they caught a double limit of trout while fishing in the Prien Lake area of Big Lake. Prien Lake is located in the northern portion of the fishery.
They were working soft plastics along the drop/edge of the ship channel. Many local anglers refer to this pattern as working the shelf or the ledge of the channel and most fishermen target the 6 to 12 feet depths when fishing this pattern. This can be a super approach for both mid-winter as well as mid-summer tactics when the fish population is trying to find a place to escape temperatures.
Captain Broussard also stated that Turners Bay is still giving up good catches of trout whenever the water conditions are stable. High winds will stir things up and it takes a day or so for water conditions to clear. If water conditions are good, the fish will bite in Turners. Other reports say that some big trout are being caught by anglers wade-fishing in West Cove area with anglers slowly working Corkies, Gulp! Jerk Shad, Sinking Minnows and DOAs.
