Had a few friends from New Orleans interested in grillin' some reds so I took um out to see if we could find any warm enough to move.

Day started very hard with water as low as I have ever seen it. Could not even get across Stump Lagoon drafting 10" of water... Saw some guys starting "controled fires" and they said they had scooped up 30 or so trout that had died from the recent cold. We waited it out in La Loutre and warmed ourselves next to the marsh fires before braving Stump again.

Between 36 volts of trolling motor, a trimmed up engine, and me in my skivies pushing we sliiiiid up into Muscle Bay. Headed straight for the dead end canals to see if they were still on... It was 41* at the warmest point in the canal and the surface/shores were covered in dead mullet. I was getting nervous but we found um. Stacked in an area about the size of a mini van. Smoked um cast after cast until the sun got low enough we had to brave the ride home. Went out one of the bayous to Lake Bourne to find some water under the hull.

Difference between this and last trip was 3* and made a lot of difference in the fish. They were not spread in the canal and not chasing baits. You had to bump um in the lips with a jig tipped with a shrimp. But that worked and we ended with 20 beauties for our trouble.

~Salty_Dog~