Reef in west cove
 

New to fishing big lake, been a few times never really caught, been researching alot, thinkin west cove is my best bet since i have a 14 foot aluminum with a 25 horse, I really want to get back into fishing, and am planning to buy a new boat when i figure out what would be best for the lake, I used to bass fish alot, but got all my gear stolen so i thought i would start over since the couple times i fished salt i had alot more fun than the river, any other help would be appreciated, and I know this is a long shot, but would there be any chance someone could message me the coordinates for the west cove reefs, thanks alot.

You can go ALOT of places in the Calcasieu Estuary with a 14' boat...
The Prien Lake area is excellent in a small boat.
You can launch at the Jetties also and be within 5 minutes of safety if weather or a similar emergency arises.
If you watch the weather closely you can usually fish anywhere in the lake depending on where you launch... Hebert's, Calcasieu Point, Prien Lake Park all can be used to access different areas of the lake.

Yes West Cove is good too but if you live in Lake Charles there are better viable options in my opinion.

I've fished the ship channel a few times by 2-10 but other than that im pretty lost as far as fishing Prien and Lake Charles, and where the fish are to be found

you can make a trip during oyster season and find all the reefs you want

Most of WC is a reef you just have to spend your time fishing the area and learning it !!

x2

I fish the jetties a lot in a 16' V hull aluminum boat. We fished it in a 16' flat bottom jon boat growing up. With the ship traffic, strong tides, and slow rollers from the GoM, it can be a challenge and is definitely not something for the inexperienced boater. The crew also needs to be experienced in keeping the boat balanced and communicating when a wake or a big wave is about to hit. I suppose things would be even a bigger challenge in a 14' jon boat.

The pogey boats were the worst for big wakes, and it may get easier now that the plant is closed, but some of the other ships can throw a big wake if they fail to slow down (as sometimes happens). A 10-15 knot S wind can also combine with a fast outgoing tide to create challenging conditions as far north as the ferry.

Wherever I'm fishing I try and launch the boat close to where I want to fish. Changing conditions can really make the ride back to the ramp slower and less pleasant. In my boat, I keep the max distance from the launch 2-3 miles, and even that has seemed very uncomfortable sometimes during the ride back.

ok thanks for the info, i didn't know the west cove consisted of so much reef. Ya'll have been real helpful, along with this site.

Wait a few more months and go in the middle of WC and you will see the most fished reef by all the boats, cross reef. It's a huge reef and is pretty productive starting around April/May.

Attachment 63629

Right around here. Stretches out a half mile or so in all directions.

Go to that area now and you just may run into a little surprise. ;)


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