Delacroix Report:

Windy day in the Delacroix marsh. The wind was light until about 8:30 AM then it got progressively brisk up to about 20 K and steady out of the North West. We found some clean water on the inside with a good falling tide and got into a steady bite on trout up to 2.5 lbs. All artificial today, my guest was a purist! The fish were glued to the bottom in 12 feet of water. Casts up on the flat were inhaled by nice sized flounder. The trout wanted tightlined plastic in smoke with a red tail color. As the wind picked up and the tide waned, we hit a couple of other spots picking up trout at each stop. Same lures and technique. Ended the day with a few fish short of trout limits, a dozen flounder and a few reds and drum. The system is definately full of river water and the color is stained, but the fish do not seem to mind. Good luck out there this week!

Captain Jeff J. Dauzat

Turkey hunting:

Tough hunting this last week. Strong winds have plagued us. The weather yesterday was no treat either. We got over 4 inches of rain starting yesterday at 6:30 AM and ending around 8 PM. We had to wait in the truck until a break let us get in a couple of hours of productive hunting. The birds were still in the trees and hammering. We had 3 gobblers sounding off in the same area. My guest and I were able to sneak down a logging road and set up within 80 yards of the most vocal bird. This gobbler was answering everything, owls, crows, woodpeckers and my seductive tree calls. His active calling was triggering the adjacent birds to sound off too. The other birds had flown down and were closing in on us fast. The closest bird finally flew down to the edge of a fresh cutover and was looking for the hen he heard about 90 yards away. I yelped stringed to him which he immediately answered and so did one of the others. This bird was maybe 125 yards away and moving up the hill on the edge of the cutover. Then we picked up a hen running down the bottom toward the cutover. Not good news for turkey hunters! The birds shut up and moved out into the cutover. I yelped and cut it off with a series of cutts and the third bird sounded off behind us. We turned around on the tree to get ready. We could hear him walking in, but could not see over the break in the ridge we were on. I purred and clucked only to hear the bird follow the other side of the ridge into the cutover. He was only 50 yards away but we could not see him. He must have seen those other birds. 3 gobblers within 100 yards and no shot. We decided to slip out and give it another sit later in the day. Bad move because the bottom fell out and it poured until about 3 PM. We were able to venture out and found a hen and two gobblers, one in full strut in a green field on a long electrical powerline. We watched for a while to see which direction they were going and the rain returned with a vengenance. I have an enclosed box stand there, so I advised my guest to get in the stand to stay dry and see what the birds were going to do. I drove around to the other side of the birds and watched them down the powerline with binoculars. We were in frequent communication via cell phone. The 3 birds were soon joined by 2 jakes, a hen and another longbeard. These birds milled in the field for over 2 hours shaking off the rain. I did not realize that birds would prefer to be in the wide open getting soaked rather than being under the shelter of trees. Eventually the subdominant longbeard mosied up the hill toward my guest and dragged the flock with him. I watched as the strutter got within 30 yards of the stand and was then leveled with a load from a 10 gauge. The rest of the flock scattered like quail. Quite a sight to see from 800 yards away with binoculars! I drove over to pick up, now needing 4 wheel drive due to the endless rain and found a super bird and an elated guest. His first Louisiana bird - 21 lbs., 10" beard and 1 3/16" spurs. Not the way you draw it up, but when you are dealt lemons you have to make lemonaide. This AM we ventured out to another section of the property in the misting rain to find quiet woods. I guess the birds were not hapopy going to bed and waking up wet. We cut and runned through a creek bottom only to call up a very vocal hen. We will be back at it this week. The season is over half finished, I can't believe that it has gone by so quick. Hopefully we will get better weather to chase the elusive wild turkey.

Captain Jeff J. Dauzat

Turkey hunting:

The spring season is well underway! The opening weekend just passed and the birds were active. The weather was great, cool mornings and little to no wind. Opening day, my guest and I set up on a dim road adjacent to a creek in a wide creek bottom. The road was all cut up with turkey tracks. At 6:40 AM, an owled hooted and the bottom erupted with gobbling. We had three toms to our left and one to our right. They stayed in the trees for a while and we could hear hens yelping and clucking as they were moving toward the toms. We heard the toms fly down and I hit them with some soft calls. The birds were cool to the calling and were gobbling on their own. I called a little more aggressively and pulled the hens within 80 yards with the toms in tow. I advised my guest to get ready to see blue heads! I did not realize it when we set up, but there was a thicket between us which prevented the flock from getting to us. Another lesson learned! The birds eventually drifted across the creek and deeper into the botom. The other tom to the right was fast approaching and we decided to try and cut him off. No luck, he gave us the slip and joined up with the flock. We slow pushed the gobbling birds up the creek bottom for over 3 hours never getting closer than 75 yards from the trio of jakes guarding the perimeter. We decided to slip back out and give the birds a try another day.

Saturday AM found us back in the same area to listen for gobbling action. The time for gobbling came and went without a sound from the bottom. I could hear other birds sounding off on other parts of the property so we double timmed back to the truck and drove to another spot where I could hear a bird working. We had not gotten out of the truck when a bird gobbled about 200 yard away. I knew exactly where this bird was and the perfect set up to get him to strut in. We slipped down a logging road to a historical roosting knowl. The bird was hammering the whole time moving up a ridge and down the shallow bottoms looking for action. We set up under one of my muzzleloader deer stands and I let out a series of yelps followed by a short cutt and another yelp string which was cut off by the tom about 150 yards away. I waited about 6-7 minutes and started with a yelp string which was immediately answered about 75 yards away. I advised my guest to get ready and less than a minute later a 20 lb., 10 3/4" beard, 1" spur tom blasted onto the logging road in full strut at 15 yards. The bird was too close to make him dance so a well placed 12 guage load from my guest filled his tag.

Sunday morning brought windy and overcast conditions. We slipped up into another bottom to find quiet birds. The prime time came without a single gobble. I ran a series of soft calls and got one gobble about 300 yards up the bottom. A minute later we hear a very close shot which ruined the spot. We went to investigate and found that another hunter had missed a jake and had never even heard the gobble. This goes to show that even on leases, you can run into problems with other hunters. The rest of the AM was spent running and cutting ridges and bottoms with no responses from gobblers.

We will be back in hunting mode tommorrow and look forward to more gobbling action!

Captain Jeff J. Dauzat
Fin and Feather Guide Service
www.finandfeatherguides.com
(504)818-2176

Delacroix Report:

Good sound cruising wether this AM out of Delacroix. The SE winds were light and the seas 1-2 feet. Plenty of storms around popping up and dropping plenty of rain. Had to manuver several times to remain dry while fishing. In between showers, the fishing was steady. Hit the same well head as yesterday to find that nothing had changed. The trout up to 2.5 lbs. were hungry for artificial cocahoes and live croakers. The bull redfish up to 22 lbs. wanted the live croakers, live shrimp and the plastics. These fish wanted the live baits presented carolina rigged. The artificial presentation was a slow roll on the bottom or a slow high rod raise and the fish would hit the falling lure. The last shower sent us toward the marsh to hunt for slot reds. We picked up a dozen reds at an island on the way in. These fish up to 20" wanted live shrimp under corks. The rain gap was closing fast and we decided to shoot back to the dock early. Unfortunately, we did not make it all the way back and had to feel the cold sting for a few minutes before pulling into the slip. Pretty refreshing once it was over! Still good fishing in Breton Sound. Get out there and catch some!

Captain Jeff J. Dauzat

Delacroix Report:

I was greeted with a refreshing downpour at the dock this AM with stars shining out everywhere. Very strange, I guess high thin clouds carry rain too. It did not last long as we loaded up the boat and made way East into Breton Sound. Saw a dozen or so bluewing teal buzzing the close marsh early, but nothing the rest of the day. Several thurder boomers loomed to the North and East, so we stopped short around the islands. Slow going with a half dozen redfish falling for our offering of artificial cocahoes. The storms disipated and we ventured deep into the sound into brisk East winds and 2 foot seas. We set up on a small wellhead and proceeded to catch big bull reds up to 25 lbs out of the back of the boat and 2-3 lb speckled trout out of the front of the boat. Artificial outfished the live shrimp and croakers hands down. The live shrimp reward was gafftopsail catfish, hardhead catfish, ladyfish and a big black drum. The croakers put a few nice trout into the ice, but could not match the speed of the plastic. The action slowed as the tide stopped and with boomers lurking to the South and West, we decided to get off of the big water. We hit a few spots on the way in around mid sound and did not get a bite, we hit a few points along the outer bays and were shut out there too. Called it an early day. Good fishing patterns are still working deep in the sound. The fish have not made a significant migration back into the marsh. Good luck out there this week.

Captain Jeff J. Dauzat

Delacroix Report:

A little rough out in Breton Sound this AM. We hit the bay well before daylight to try and get a jump on the fish before the heat set in. Good thing we left early because we had to slog through 2-3' seas to get deep into Breton Sound. The water was surprisingly clear with the rough seas and the almost 2' tidal range. The anchor had not set at the first stop when the poles started bending! Nice Breton Sound trout 16-20" were munching on our offering of live croakers carolina rigged. These fish were aggressive, almost jerking the pole out of my guests hands on a few occasions. The wind shifted more out of the SW and moved us off of the spot on the spot. I was pulling up the anchor and smelled the tale tell watermelon odor. I looked up to see a literal sea of red. A huge school of bull reds were headed our way, some surfing the incoming waves. This school was 100 yards wide and 75 yards deep and looking for food. I alerted my guests to get ready and I immediately had 4 poles bent with bulls at the same time. We caught and released reds until we cried uncle. These fish were huge, 25-30 lbs and were a brilliant red color which is unusual for that far outside. The trout were done at this spot so we made a move to another close wellhead. We had to work the fish up including the old chumming trick and soon got the feed going. These were also solid fish in the 14-20" class. These fish preferred artificial cocahoes, but live croakers and live shrimp contributed between the trash fish. We finished up just as the winds died down some which allowed us to get up and speed back to the boat slip before we melted from the heat. The fishing is awesome right now and the patterns are firmly entrenched. Get out and catch some!

Captain Jeff J. Dauzat
Fin and Feather Guide Service
(504)818-2176
www.finandfeatherguides.com

Delacroix Report:

Outstanding action today in Breton Sound. Light winds made for an easy glide deep into the Sound this morning. The sunrise was beautiful and so were the speckled trout thrashing the surface of the water on their way into the boat. The action was hot on carolina rigged and deep under cork live croakers. The trout were all solid 2-3 pounders. We got a third of the way to limits when a school of big bull redfish, 25-30 lbs, crashed our party. These bulls were relentless and destroyed anything in their path. My guests grew tired of catch and releasing them and we started breaking them off immediately after hookup. Needless to say, but the reds ruined what looked to be a trout slam dunk. Trout quickly turn from predetor to prey! A quick run to the next wellhead started the trout fiesta again. These fish were a little smaller - 13-20", but were hungry. Live croakers again topped the menu with live shrimp and artificial jigs being the appetizers. The bull reds also made their presence known, but did not shut down the bite. Several thunder storms merged together to the west and sealed off our dry return trip so we hung around catch and releasing bull redfish until the storms cleared our path. Light winds made for an easy glide back to the slip in Delacroix. A picture perfect day in Breton Sound! The fishing is excellent right now. You have your choice of big fish on the outside, smaller fish under the birds, smaller fish in the inside waters and the reliable redfish action. Get out there and get in the game!

Captain Jeff J. Dauzat

Delacroix Report:

Very light wind this morning at the dock and small seas as we hit Breton Sound. Smooth sailing back to the rigs and the pattern I have been on. Someone must have told the fish that I was coming, because the first stop was slow on trout 18-20" and ended completely after a school of bull reds made a pass through. We had 3 rods bent with bulls at once, with the fish pulling the fishermen all around the boat. Chinese firedrill! We were lucky to be able to land all three with the biggest around 32 lbs. The slow bite on trout died as well as the tide. We hit another closeby rig and got the trout going after a quick tide turnaround. We were using carolina rigged live croakers for the best action. These fish were a little smaller 16-20" but were hard fighters. The action continued even as the winds picked up. We ran out of croakers and picked up a few on live shrimp, but got more trash fish than trout. Shark, gaftopsail catfish and hardhead catfish became a menace. Decided to try for a few redfish in the marsh. We ended up with a few slot fish for the grill. These fish wanted live shrimp 1-2' under corks working outer windward coves. Thursday looks like a good tidal range, but a 50% chance of rain and SE wind 8-15 mph. Could get a little bouncy in the sound. Good luck out there!

Captain Jeff J. Dauzat

Delacroix report:

Misting rain and light NW winds greeted me as I made it to the boat shed this morning. The rain quit within 10 minutes although dark clouds loomed to the south and east as I guided the MAKO through the marsh and into Breton Sound. I decided to set up at an island on the edge of the Sound and get some fishing in while the storms rained themselves out. My guest and I worked the windward edge of the island with artificial cocahoes and live shrimp and croakers. The first fish hit a live shrimp under a cork and turned out to be an 11" trout. The next fish, a 26" redfish hit the artificial cocahoe. A few flounder followed for the artificial. Then, the biggest trout of the day, a 24" sow fell for the artificial lure in smoke with a red tail. More trout followed with some taking the live croaker offering. The rain to the east and south cleared as the front passed although the winds picked up significantly out of the NW. We decided to hit the rigs deep in Breton Sound to get on the big trout pattern that I have been working for the last few weeks. A little bouncy out there, but the pattern is still firmly in place as big trout 16-22" started hitting the ice. These fish wanted the live bait fished 6' under a cork. The croakers worked best, but the shrimp worked too after we ran out of live croakers. The artificial lure held its own, but could not keep up with the live at the rig. The bait got thin and the bite faded soon after. The wind died down some making the ride in quicker and more confortable. Alot of boats out today, but very few on the outside. Most folks seemed to be clustered around the islands on the edge of the Sound and at the mid Sound rigs. Sunday looks good with diminishing rain chances and more tidal movement. Good luck out there!

Captain Jeff J. Dauzat

Delacroix Report:

Another glorious day in Breton Sound. A light chop early with increasing winds out of the West. The water was clean even with the west wind. We hit yesterdays hotspot well right off and got into a steady bite on 2-4 lb speckled trout. The fish still wanted the artificial cocahoe slow twitched a couple of feet off the bottom. Live shrimp or croakers early, equalled a hardhead or gafftop catfish. Mid morning, the wind and tide slacked off and so did our party. We tried live croakers 6' under a cork and worked another dozen into the box before it was over. Hit a couple of red holes on the way in and picked up a few reds for the grill. These fish wanted live or dead shrimp 2-3' under corks. Sunday looks like the best day in the next few with light winds and an increasing tide. Good luck out there!

Captain Jeff J. Dauzat

Delacroix Report:

Beautiful day in Breton Sound. A light ripple on the water made for smooth sailing today. The winds were light, just enough to keep cool. The water looked good, clean and green. The first stop at a small outside rig produced a few big sow trout on live shrimp and croakers carolina rigged. The pestulance then descended and we got maurauded by hardhead and gafftop catfish. Throw in a couple of bull reds and it was time to move. We well hopped until we found what we were looking for, 2-4 lb trout! The plastic cocahoe in avacado and smoke was the ticket. These fish would not hit live bait, we tried and all we got was catfish. The cats were so hungry, we were picking them up on plastics too! Very few folks out with the light tidal range. The range will be low for the next couple of days until we are finished with this turnaround. The fish are ready, go catch some!

Captain Jeff J. Dauzat

Delacroix report:

When will the wind die down? The day started nice with a light SE breeze. Just enough to keep cool. First stop at a sunken reef yielded just a few trout before a school of catfish took over. Headed East to the rigs deep in the sound to find clean water and willing trout. We fished up current of a well in 12 feet of water. The trout were all nice, 16-21" and bit live shrimp, croakers and plastic cocahoes. The live bait was presented on a carolina rig and the plastics were slow rolled along the bottom. The box was filling when a gafftopsail cat entered the picture and punctured my hand between the index and middle finger. Ouch! The wound was deep and the barbs had meat on them when I pulled the fish out of my hand. My guests said that my face turned pale, I had no strengh in my left hand, I felt nauseous, but I sat for a few minutes, drank a bottle of poweraid and recovered somewhat. That did not stop my guest from catching so I had to get back in the game. I grabbed the first aid kit and applied some bug sting analgesic, then iodine swabs and a couple of bandaids. Just in time to start netting trout again. Soon the wind started to whip and a squall moved into the Sound from Venice. We kept catching as the rain moved closer and the seas built to 3 footers. The rain moved to within a couple of miles and we headed back toward protected water. Hit a few rigs on the way in with no luck. Tried a few redfish holes in the outer bay and inside with no luck. We did catch a half dozen nice flounder, but the reds were not interested. That is the way it goes! My hand is now swollen, fingers are stiff and the wound is still sensitive to the touch. Be careful out there, these type of injuries are nothing to play around with. Be sure to have a first aid kit with you, it could stop potential infections and save you a trip to the Rx.

Captain Jeff J. Dauzat

Delacroix Report:

Ventured out to the islands this AM expecting light SE winds. Wrong! 15-20 K winds from the SE greeted us. Surprisingly the water in Black Bay was very fishable. We poked down upcurrent of a sunken reef and presented sow trout with live shrimp and croakers 3-4 feet under corks. We got into a slow but steady bite on trout in the 18-22" class. We went 0 for 4 on bull reds, with each one running us into the reef and breaking off. The fun continued until a pod of porpoises fished along the reef and shut it down. Moved into the outer bays and worked redfish holes with marginal results. Visited a few inside holes on the way in and got into some nice slot reds, drum and several door mat flounders. Live and dead shrimp carolina rigged on oyster flats was the ticket. Mega tide range today and even more predicted for Friday. The fish are ready get out there and catch some!

Captain Jeff J. Dauzat

Delacroix Report:

Windy day, windy week equals dirty water out of Delacroix this morning. My guests were ready to catch so we hit an inside honey hole on the way outside. The water was decent and we proceeded to work on the reds, flounder, trout, drum and sheepshead. Nothing too big, but no need to measure either. These fish wanted live shrimp 2-3' under corks. The incoming tide played out and so did the bite. We headed out to the outer bays to a couple of more redfish holes to find dirty water. Redfish do not seem to mind as we worked on them with live/dead shrimp under corks. We even chased down a redfish break off along the bank and grabbed the leader under the cork for the unconventional free line catch of the day. We saw a few flocks of seagulls working, but did not try them. If the wind will lay for a day or two, the water will get time to settle out and the fish are there for the catching. Good luck out there this week!

Captain Jeff J. Dauzat
Fin and Feather Guide Service
(504)818-2176
www.finandfeatherguides.com

Delacroix Report:

Windy day out of Delacroix this morning. Brisk NE winds had white caps on the inside lakes. My guests were not ready to take a beating so we decided to stay inside. I hit the inside lakes and worked the edges of deep holes. This paid off with quality catches of trout, flounder and redfish. The trout were 13-18", flounder up to 4 lbs and reds up to 10 lbs. The fish wanted live cocahoes carolina rigged and on 3/8 ounce jigheads. We caught a few under corks, but the majority came on the bottom. I used artificial cocahoes in the smoke with red tail color to pick up trout and flounder. The fish were not aggressive at all. The same slow winter time twitch was the ticket to steady action. The water was clear early, but cloudied up as the incoming tide at 2.2 feet brought that dirty outside water in. This slowed the fish action, but did not kill it. The fish are still inside, if it is too rough to get out you have a fall back plan. Good luck out there this weekend!

Captain Jeff

Delacroix Report:

Excellent fishing out of Delacroix this morning. I considered venturing outside to check on water conditions and visit some of the islands, but opted to stay inside and catch plenty of fish. The tide fell till midmorning allowing my guests to enjoy a steady bite on speckled trout 12-20" on plastics tightlined on the bottom in 12' of water. These fish were staged on the bottom and along the dropoffs of interior lakes. The water was stained, but you could see the lower unit of the engine through the water which is a welcome sight after the dirty water conditions we have been dealing with. The tide stopped and then turned around quick, within 30 minutes. The incoming tide changed our bait presentation so we repositioned on the spot and kept the bite alive. We tried live cocahoes under corks and carolina rigged up on the flats and got into a good bite on doormat flounder with a few reds and black drum mixed in. I love it when you are catching trout on one side of the boat and flounder, reds and drum on the other. The wind was just strong enough to keep us cool and keep the biting insects away. A beautiful day on the water! I saw a nice box of big trout 2-4 lbs. back at the dock from a boat that worked the outside this AM. The word was that the water was dirty in places, but not all over and it was fishable. This weekend brings a chance for rain and moderate winds. If the conditions keep you from the outside waters, the inside waters are still holding plenty of fish. Good luck out there!

Captain Jeff

Delacroix Report:

Tough fishing conditions the last few days out of the Delacroix marsh. The combination of high winds and raging tide made the water dirty virtually all over the inside and outside waters. Friday, my guests and I found trout in an inside deep hole early, but the bite did not last too long as the 2.2 foot incoming tide eventually brought dirty water in to shut down the bite. We worked artificial cocahoes in a variety of colors to pick up 12-16" class fish. The trout wanted the bait bumpped slowly along the bottom in 10-12' of water. Once the dirty water moved in, the hunt was on for clean or even cleaner water which took my guests all over the marsh system. We found some decent water in a cove of an outer bay along the lee side and picked up a few fish on plastics under corks. These trout were bigger 15-18". One good thing about 15K winds is we had no trouble with gnats and the temperature/humidity was very pleasant. Saturday, I decided to try some completely different spots in an effort to find some clean water. We ventured deep inside to find the same dirty water conditions. This was dissapointing, but we did see a bald eagle fishing in the Lost Lake area. Anyone else see this bird? It has been many years since I have seen one in Delacroix! I moved far to the south to find some decent water for a while. We started picking up trout on plastics slow rolled in 9' of water. SThese fish were 13-16". Soon enough, the tide brought in the kiss of death - dirty water and finished off the spot. We tried a few more spots to no avail and then headed out again to look for better water. We found decent water in the outer bays and worked coves on the lee side. We picked up a few fish under corks, but never hit them good. Again the weather was very pleasant for fishing, but poor for catching. Hopefully, the wind will lay for a day or two and allow the water to settle out. Good luck out there this week!

Captain Jeff J. Dauzat

Turkey Report:

The weather finally coopperated and the birds responded with some good gobbling action the last few days. My guests timed their trip perfectly and were treated to multiple close encounters with longbeards. Thursday gave us a cool morning with little wind, but we heard no gobbling on the roost. I was becoming concerned after the beating we took last week and decided to cut and run along a historical roosting ridge. We tip toed in along the ridge road to the roosting knowl. We set up in the woods adjacent to a fresh cutover and I began some aggressive yelping and cutting sequences. I was immediately joined by a couple of hens on the edge of the cutover. We had quite a chorus going for a while and the excitement was too much as gobblers started sounding off all aroiund us. We had 2 gobblers in front of us one to our left and one coming in from the right. The hens moved toward us, but were still across a small drain. The hens intercepted the bird on the right and he stayed up on the next ridge gobbling hard about 125 yards away. I kept up the chorus hoping the competetion from the other gobblers would force his hand. We kept this up for 45 minutes with me calling, the close gobbler double and triple gobbling and the other birds gobbling and closing in fast. Unfortunately, a hen walked in a little too close and alarm putted several times as she walked away. She did not see us, just sensed something was up and shut down our little party. The gobblers shut up and we eased out to avoid messing up the place. A dissapointment, but a fun chase and show. We spent the rest of the day scouting and glassing green fields and cutovers.

Friday AM brought cool temperatures with a little more wind. My guest and I went straight back to the roosing ridge so active the day before. We set up a little closer to the cutover thinking that we would be able to pull them into the woods from the cutover. I used a different diaphram callfrom the day before and started a short run of yelps and finished with a series of cutts and a gobbler sounded off in the clearcut aqbout 300 yards away. I decided to sit tight and wait him out. I called sparingly about every 6-7 gobbles. The bird would immediately answer every call so I knew he was interested. A hen slipped up behind us and I was annoyed thinking that she would ruin the party, but she slipped off without incident. 30 minutes passed and the bird appeared in full strutt 80 yards away on the edge of the clear cut. He had a hen with him and was reluctant to enter the woods. I purred and clucked and the hen headed straight toward us with the gobbler in tow. The hen peeled off the the right, but the gobbler kept the path toward the seductive sounds he had heard. He stopped at 25 yards and went into full strutt spitting and drumming too! He was behind a big pine tree and my guest did not have a clear shot, so we waited for a while. The gobbler suddenly realized that things were not OK and started to move away. My guest proceeded to fire at the bird and he flew off in a cloud of dust and bark. We sat there for a moment contemplating what we had just experienced and walked over to the spot where he was. I found out the reason for the miss, my guest dead centered a small tree which at that close distance took the whole load. That is turkey hunting! It is by no means as easy as it looks on TV.

Today's hunt was cancelled due to the severe weather forcast, but it looks like Sunday and Monday will be good. Good luck out there this week!

Captain Jeff J. Dauzat

Turkey report

Wow, what a differance a few days make. Last week the birds were gobbling their heads off, this week nothing. The gobblers went into lockdown mode with the cold and windy weather. My guests and I heard two seperate distant gobbles the last three days. They were so far away that I was not able to get a good course on them and with no follow up gobbling, it was a wild goose chase. We spent alot of time cutting and running along ridges and through the creek bottoms. I was able to call up a number of hens, but only saw one jake 200 yards away in a green field and no gobblers. The birds were around, I saw lots of fresh gobbler tracks, but I could not hear them and I guess they could not hear my calls either. It is tough when the wind has the tree limbs slapping together. The weather is supposed to be nasty the next couple of days and then warm and fair over Wednesday. Hopefully, this change in weather will get the birds back on track and allow us to get back in the game. It is hard to hunt turkeys and not as much fun when they do not play the game. Good luck out there this week!

Captain Jeff

Delacroix Report:

Excellent fishing out of the Delacroix marsh today. My guests wanted a mixed bag of fish, so we started out at the inside 12-20' deep holes. It was foggy on the bayou this AM. Not much wind or water movement early and the gnats were out in force. We worked these holes with artificial cocahoes on 1/4 and 3/8 ounce jigheads. The hot color was smoke with a red tail. The trout were 12-20", but most in the 14-16" class. The fish were glued to the bottom and wanted a slow twitch along the bottom. The action was steady with a fish every 2-3 casts. My guest did a great job of mastering the winter time twitch. I kept hearing about redfish, so we left the trout biting only a few short and headed to the outer bays in search of reds. I hit a windward cove and instantly got onto redfish 18-25". These fish wanted live cocahoes 2-3' under corks. I pickied up a few throwing the same artificial cocahoes. We ran out of cocahoes and called it a day, I got the last of the bait this morning. All in all, a great day on the water! The fish are still in the deep winter time holes in good numbers. Don't pass them all up or your way to the outside! good luck out there this week! Captain Jeff J. Dauzat

Turkey report: The turkey hunting action has been excellent. The birds are gobbling and running to the calls. The gobblers are not henned up yet and are still running in batchelor groups. I called 7 gobbling birds to the guns this weekend. My guests were treated to two harvests, a miss and a pass. One gobbler went 21 Lbs, 1 1/4" spurs and a 11 1/2" beard, the other went 20 Lbs, 1" spurs and 8" beard. The miss was by a 10 year old boy who got a bad case of gobbler fever and missed a longbeard at 20 yards. The pass was on a love sick Jake that could not get enough of the sweet hen sounds that he was hearing. This bird walked within 12 yards and passed through clucking with a feeble attempt at a gobble thrown in. The long Easter weekend looks like it will be great for turkey hunting. The bad weather should be through by Wednesday with the rest of the week and weekend prime. Good luck out there! Captain Jeff

Delacroix Report:

Good fishing out of the Delacroix marsh. The East and Northeast winds have brought some good saltwater back into the middle lakes. The water clarity was pretty good and a medium rising tide had the fish staged along the dropoffs and up on the adjacent flats. My guests targeted speckled trout using tightlined plastics and plastics 2-3 feet under corks. The best technique utilized tightlined plastics in dark colors slow bumped along the bottom. We did pick up some trout on the flats with dark colored plastics under corks as the water temperature warmed. These trout ran 12-16" with a few throwbacks. We also ran into a good school of redfish and picked them up using the same plastics tightlined along dropoffs. The fish are staging in the deep holes and moving up the water column as the water temperatures rise. Look for fish early deep and move to the adjacent flats during the day. Good luck out there this week!

Captain Jeff J. Dauzat
Fin and Feather Guide Service
(504)818-2176
www.finandfeatherguides.com

Delacroix Report:

Yesterday I made a scouting trip out of Delacroix. I stopped and visited with Lionel Serigne on the way down. The business is up and running with bait wells full of beautiful shrimp. He has a back down ramp adjacent to the building. The ramp is rock now with plans to widen and pour concrete ASAP. He even has a restroom available. The water was beautiful on the inside and very good on the outside. I found birds working schools of shrimp everywhere I went. Four Horse, Pato, Campo, Oak River Bay, Bay Gardene, Black Bay, Mozambique Point, Fortuna, Calebasse and Bayou Terre A Boeufs were all holding fish with those hard to miss birds diving. I have never smelled the odor of watermelon that much. The fish were feeding! The trout were small, but keepers and the action was quick and easy. Those not shooting at grey rockets this weekend should get out and get in on some of this action. Good luck out there this week and weekend!

P.S. - saw a band of 18 Bluewing teal in the marsh West of Lake Fortuna. They should be down in numbers soon.

Captain Jeff J. Dauzat

Hopedale Report:

My guests were treated to excellent fishing in Breton Sound today. The seas were small with light winds and a few scattered thunder boomers. The tide was rising at just less than 2 feet and with the easterly winds, the water really moved today. The full moon last night staggered the feed, but it was a short wait between feeding sessions. Our visit to a rig in the outer sound was the only stop we needed. Live shrimp carolina rigged was the hot lure for the early session with trout up to 2 Lbs. Artificials ruled the mid morning bite with trout up to 3.5 Lbs. The hot color was smoke with a red tail. We only got two visits from sharks which cost us tackle, but not fish. We did have a 35-40 Lb redfish surface and try to eat a 2 Lb trout right at the boat! The water outside was cloudy, but plenty fishable. Good luck out there this week!

Captain Jeff J. Dauzat

Hopedale Report:

It has been a long haul since Hurricane Katrina's unwelcome visit August 2005. I lost all of my infrastructure in Delacroix and the place is not yet ready to support my business. I am looking for a boat slip in Delacroix for starters if anyone knows of some availability, please let me know. Fin and Feather Guide Service survived and we made a visit to Hopedale to entertain our guests with trout in Breton Sound on Sunday. We ventured out into the mid sound to find a light chop and clean water. We stopped at a rig and immediately got into the fish. Trout 14-16" were blasting our lures. My guests were working live shrimp carolina rigged and 3' under corks. The action was quick until the sharks moved in to wreck our tackle and kill our bite. We moved to a small wellhead in the area and it was on again. The trout were smaller 13-15" with some throwbacks mixed in. This action slowed and we headed back to the original rig to find the fish had moved to the downcurrent side of the rig and were well off the structure. I located them with plastics and switched everyone over for some fast and furious action. The ice box was approaching its limit as storms built up west of us and the wind started to howl. We decided to pack it in early to beat the approaching weather and left the fish biting. It was great to be back on the water guiding in one of the best fisheries in the world. Good luck out there!

Captain Jeff J. Dauzat