LOUISIANA SPECKS AND REDS BY THE NUMBERS
by Spence Turner for Outdoor Guide Magazine
Dawn was but a thought as we motored away from the boat slip into Lake Calcasieu and Capt. Erik Rue, of Calcasieu Charter Service, eased his 20-foot boat up on step. He glanced at the GPS mounted on the boat's dash, lined up the arrow and we headed out to an invisible spot on the lake.
Lake Calcasieu is one of several lakes along the Calcasieu River as it wanters through southern Louisiana heading for the Gulf of Mexico. The river and the shipping channel cut through the swamp, connecting Lake Charles, Prien Lake and Calcasieu Lake with the Gulf of Mexico. These lakes are all tidal lakes, receiving tide flows twice daily. Captain Erik says at one time the water was mostly fresh, supporting bass and other freshwater fish, but with the discovery of oil and the placement of oil refineries, and a shipping channel to facilitate movement of ocean going ships, the water's now brackish supporting a huge red drum (redfish), speckled trout, black drum and flounder fisheries. The lake has become famous for producing large catches of red drum and specks.
My goal for this trip were to spend a day fishing, learn firsthand how hurricane Katrina had affected the area, and learn how to target these southern fish.
In 1979 Chef Paul Prudhomme, from his small restaurant K-Pauls in the Frenh quarter of New Orleans, single handedly crashed the coastal redfish population when he created his signature Blackened Redfish dish. This recipe caused a redfish management calamity; anglers and commercial fisherman targeted redfish all along the Gulf Coast to meet the demands of the public for redfish. Management agencies stepped in and reduced the harvest, restricted fishing and imposed zones to allow the fish to spawn and populations to recover. The population is back and fishing is better than ever.
Reports I'd received about the hurricane devastation to the many small fishing communities south of Lake Charles were accurate. They suffered sever damage, but are now quickly rebuilding. In Cameron Parish, where Captain Erik operated his charter service, the highest point of land was a pile of hurricane debris, stacked waiting a determination on what to do with it. Houses all showed damage, most were under repair, with many repairs near completion.
Captain Erik said the wind was only the first problem, mostly affecting roofs. The largest damage came when a tidal surge, in places exceeding 12 feet, moved through the area in a world only a foot or so above sea level. The surge came inland as far as Lake Charles, wiping out lodges and homes along the water, flooding homes many miles inland with several feet of water.
