[Captain Buddy Oakes]

In the last two days some solid trout up to 28 ½ inches have been coming to the dock for the wall. Good catches of solid Redfish are coming from the Cameron jetties, Weather conditions are good and should remain that way for the near future. Call the “DUCKETTS” toll free at 1.888.762.3391 and check availability. http://www.hackberryrodandgun.com I have attached some pictures from the last couple of days but you can see more by click here http://www.hackberryrodandgun.com/mediagallery/album.php?aid=2


Gerald Horst has written a book named “Louisiana Troutmasters” that chronicles the fishing experience and experiences of the best BIG Speckled Trout fishermen in the state. http://www.louisianasportsman.com/details.php?id=1628

Here is an article written by Gerald for the Louisiana Sportsman about the Lake Calcasieu area that if you did not find time to read I thought I would share with you.
Farthest to the west, except for little-fished Sabine Lake, is Calcasieu Lake, known affectionately as “Big Lake.” Six Trout Masters fish this lake regularly: Kirk, Guy and Bobby Stansel, Jeff and Mary Poe and Will Drost.
Fishing has been relatively good in the lake this winter, and all of them were upbeat about May.
“May is the turn-on month,” said Guy Stansel. “Everyone gets worked up in April, but May is the month. My personal thing is big trout. There are more big trout caught in May and early June than at any other time.”
“May is a great month, no doubt,” Drost said. “It is a transition month for a wade fisherman like me. The fish move off the shallows along the bank and in and around reefs.”
Mary Poe said May is the month. Lots of big fish are caught and numbers of fish are also there. The birds begin working hard, or “picking,” as Poe calls it, and feeding slicks become common as well.
“The fish are also at their heaviest in May,” she added.
The three Stansels, not surprisingly, share much in their approach to fishing this fabulous month in Big Lake. Each typically starts his morning by fishing topwater lures over reefs. Then, if topwaters don’t work or the bite plays out, they shift to soft plastics. One of Kirk’s favorites is a Texas Trout Killer, made by Texas Tackle Factory, on a ¼-ounce head.
At any time, whether fishing topwater baits or soft plastics, the Stansels stay alert for diving birds and most especially for feeding slicks.
Whether fishing diving birds, reefs or slicks, Bobby Stansel recommended that anglers use their trolling motors only to position themselves, then stop using them and drift through the area to be fished with the wind and currents. Trolling motors, he cautioned, will spook trout, especially large trout, in the 3- to 6-foot-deep waters in which they commonly fish.
Productive reefs that the three men fish include Long Point, Commissary Point, Cross Reef in West Cove, the Washout and Turner’s Bay. Which they fish is determined by wind direction. Those near lee shores will hold clearer water.
Favored topwater lures are a bone-colored Super Spook and a pearl-colored Corky for Kirk, She Dogs in chrome/chartreuse back or in clown color for Bobby and She Dogs in chrome with either a black or chartreuse back for Guy.
Guy admitted to being part of the “Corky craze” that has hit Calcasieu Lake, with his favorite being the Fat Boy in pearl/chartreuse back.
Drost, a self-described plug thrower, was an early devotee of Corky lures. He fishes plugs so exclusively that he doesn’t even own a jig head or plastic lure.
“I know that they’re effective,” he said, “but it’s just not the way I want to fish.”
Drost typically starts a May morning by wade fishing until the day warms up, and then gets back into his boat to fish from it. He starts with topwaters, and then moves to suspending baits if the topwater action isn’t good. May has a lot of calm mornings and windy afternoons, he pointed out. But anglers shouldn’t let wind discourage them from fishing topwater lures. It gives them better action, according to Drost.
I like topwaters,” he said. “They allow me to make long casts and cover a lot of water. I use topwaters to find fish. If I get blow-ups, slaps and short strikes, I can come back with another lure and catch them.”
Drost’s color selection for his lures changes in May away from chartreuse and pink combinations towards more gold, silver and especially bone.
“When I see that sandy green tint in the water, it sets off a light bulb in my head for bone,” he said.
A bone Zara Super Spook is Drost’s favored May lure. He also throws clown-colored or white Spooks with chartreuse heads. Black, a favored winter color, is seldom used in May. Drost admits to throwing jointed Thunder Sticks as well during the month