BIG LAKE It sounds like a broken record but fishing on Lake Calcasieu remains outstanding, super, off the charts....you pick a descriptive word and it will fit. The water quality on Big Lake continues to be good with excellent salinity readings with winds causing some discoloration but this is usually only for several hours or until winds subside and then it starts to clear as salt water clears more rapidly than fresh water.
Lake temperatures are running about 57-58 degrees. There are several hot spots on the lake but Turners Bay would have to get the top billing this week. It has not been unusual to find 15 to 30 boats in Turners on any given morning and they are all catching fish. Local angler and retail tackle specialist, Greg Vidrine, observed such while making his rounds on a recent morning. He stated that even with white caps and high winds, the boats were there is large numbers and were having fishing success even though it took more effort for them to control/anchor boats.
Another area Vidrine stated was holding fish was the area near the 210 Bridge as anglers were fishing the drop-off near the channel. The fish were holding on the drops as anglers were casting plastics/lead heads and working them along the break. Top baits have been Gulp!, Stanley Wedgetails, Hackberry Hustlers and Sand eels. There are some birds still working that area early in the mornings.
West Cove is another spot where anglers are catching fish while hitting south bank with south winds and the north bank with prevailing north winds. For specs, anglers are now looking for areas with hard, sandy bottoms. The north and west shorelines of West Cove have been giving up good catches of reds.
Target the small cuts. When in doubt to catch reds, simply head for The Weirs. If there is any current/tide movement at all in and out of the marshes you will be able to get a limit fairly easily. The flounder action has also been improving with good numbers of fish over 2 pounds being reported.