http://www.LouisianaSportsman.com April 2015 | Louisiana Sportsman 189
This month offers great freshwater fishing and excellent
marsh redfish action. Which will you choose?
In favor of freshwater, the bream will be on the beds. Early
in the day, a jitterbee, fluff butt or cap spider fished 2 to 3
feet under a tiny float will get the most action. Cast and
twitch the float an inch or 2, and then pause. Most strikes
come after the pause.
Later in the day, as insect activity reaches its peak, switch to
popping bugs and enjoy the surface strikes. This time of year,
I prefer chartreuse- and orange-bodied poppers on hook
sizes 8 and 10.
Bass will be eating Dahlberg Divers and Boogle Bugs on
the surface before fronts. After a front, switch to subsurface
patterns such as Magnum Woolybuggers, Bass Bullies and
Wiggle Flies.
In favor of saltwater, one of my most-memorable fishing
trips occurred in April. Working a labyrinth of grass-edged
ponds, I found pods of reds feeding on juvenile crabs and
shrimp. Early in the day, they were pushing the crabs to the
surface. A size 2 Pete’s Perch Float Popper was inhaled time
and again.
Later the reds rooted the bottom. Here’s where a Prince of
Tides or Pink Charlie did damage. By the end of the day, 51
poisson rouge had eaten one of my flies.
So which will you choose — bass and bream on light
tackle, or sight-casting to numerous reds in the marsh? I’ll
choose both.• Apr. 11 — 6th annual Caddo Conclave: Group Recreation
Hall, Caddo Lake State Park, Karnack, Texas. 8 a.m.-3:30
p.m. No cost. Co-sponsored by North Louisiana Fly Fishers
and East Texas Fly Fishers. Programs, fly tying and casting
demos, kayak demos, food, raffles and fun. For more info, go
to http://www.northlaflyfishers.org.
• Apr. 25 — Camp Fly Fishing School: Beginners Workshop.
The Camp, Breaux Bridge. This session is taught by FFF
master certified instructors and covers fly-fishing basics,
with an emphasis on developing casting skills. Price of $150
includes full day of instruction, lunch, refreshments and
handouts. For details, go to http://www.thecampflyfishingschool.
com or call 337-344-0908.
• Apr. 25 — Fly Tying Clinic: Bass Pro Shops in Denham
Springs. 9:30 a.m.-Noon. No cost. Bring your tools if you have
some, materials provided. For those without tools, a few sets
will be available. Contact Ron at 225-271-3100 for more.
• May 1-2 — 6th annual Bass On The Fly tournament:
Lake Fork Marina, Texas. Friday activities include casting
clinics, kayak demos, guide reports. Saturday fishing time
6 a.m.-2 p.m. (weigh-in). Cost $60. CPR tournament, five
photos, total entry length. Categories: boat and non-boat
(kayak, bank). For details or to register, go to http://www.basson-
thefly.org.Tippets
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