Luling friends attack bull reds at night in Caminada Pass

In the beginning of July, Matt Jewel and Stephen Plaisance, both of Luling, like to head to Grand Isle and catch bull redfish in Caminada Pass.

"It’s not very hard to fish these fighting bulls. Launch at Bridgeside Marina, find 13 feet of water next to the new bridge, drop the anchor, bait the lines, throw them out and wait," Jewel said. "After hooking one of these fish, they fight a like a crab trap on steroids. Bull reds will not come up. If they see the boat, they will take off stripping out line.

"Add the current and it feels like the anchor took off with your bait."

Jewel said that when day time fishing slows down, he comes back at night to capture redfish.

"Our best time to fish bull redfish is right after sundown until 10 o’clock." Jewel said.

Jewel’s fishing partner, Plaisance, has several locations where he likes to drop anchor. On this night the tide was falling very slowly and he positioned his boat on the Chenier side of the channel near the new bridge. Dropping the anchor in 13 feet of water, they were in full view of Bridgeside Marina at 8:30 p.m.

Immediately, both men cut a mullet into three large pieces and baited two heavy offshore rods. Rigged Carolina style with a 1-ounce weight and #5 bull red hook, the lines were set out down current.

The third rod was baited with cracked crab.

"The top shell is pulled off and the crab is broken into two pieces. I like to hook the crab through the middle of the shell." Jewel said.

At 9:15 p.m., the rod baited with cut mullet bent over and Jewel reeled in the first of three large redfish on the night.

"These red fish are biting every 30 minutes. What a way to fish," Jewel said. "We watched the fireworks show, had food and drinks, did not get sunburned, fished in protected water close to the marina and caught some beautiful red fish."

According to Albon Hymel, a longtime camp owner and fishermen on Grand Isle from Luling, there is a large school of bull reds that stay in Caminada Pass all year long.

"A fisherman has to anchor and wait after sundown to catch one," Hymel said.