South Louisiana is the "Land of Giants"...
We're on a mission to give the world the opportunity to catch truly
monsterous redfish. And there is no better place to
catch giant redfish than Louisiana!
In late Fall, schools of redfish inundate the maze of lagoons, bays
and bayous that make up the Louisiana coast, fattening
up for the winter months.
Let Gregg Arnold and his team of expert, licensed
captains introduce you to this region's incredible
fishing for monster redfish,
huge black drum and gator-sized speckled trout.
You'll fish from modern skiffs equipped with
poling and elevated casting platforms, sight-casting
to big, feeding fish in knee-deep water. We only
sight fish - no blind casting. And to top it off, the
marsh areas that we fish are true wilderness areas,
where you rarely see another boat, much less another fisherman!
Customer Stories...
Captain Gregg's One Rod Double
My name is Kris Hirata and I fished with Captain Gregg Arnold out of Hopedale, LA. I was having a bad day. Poor casts and spooky fish equaled zero fish landed by noon. The day before with the same casts and aggressive fish I had 60 pounds of fish to the boat by 10:30 AM...I was frustrated.
As Captian Gregg says: "You can go from hero to zero real fast."
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If you tire of the redfishing, we also offer offshore
fishing for tuna, cobia, and other pelagic species.
How good is the fishing?...
In the past 12 months, I have caught 3 fish over 50 pounds,
5 fish over 40 pounds, 53 fish over 30 pounds, and
300+ fish over 20 pounds.
I have guided my anglers to five fly rod world records - Conway Bowman's 41.65 lb fish on
20lb tippet (right), Jim Smith's 33lb 10oz fish
on 8lb tippet, and Dough Behrman's 3 new world records on 8# tippet (34.8lb), 4# tippet (28lb). and 2# tippet (29.8lb).
My anglers have also accounted for several
state records, including Bob Stafford's 37.8lb redfish, a 41.1lb red caught by Conway (which was also Louisiana's 2005 Fish-of-the-Year), Tony Kirk's state record Sheepshead of almost 8 lbs, and Tom Stevenson's new state fly record Black drum of 56lb (Louisiana's 2006 Fish-of-the-Year).
Some people gauge the day by the number of fish caught. I gauge the day based on the pounds of fish caught and released. When I boat
6 to 8 fish that add up to 200 pounds in a single day of
redfishing, I’m
on 'em.
Our Typical Day...
For bookings of two days or more, our trips include lodging
and meals. On
the day of the trip, my guide will pick you up after breakfast, and you'll ride to
the launch together. The drive will be spent talking
about the plan for the day, which typically
lasts 7 to 10 hours, depending on sunlight, wind
and water conditions. We do not work "on the clock" and we do not leave
working fish. After the fishing trip, you and the guide
will return to a gourmet 5-course Louisiana
dinner and open bar.
I provide all the
gear: rods, reels, flies and leaders. I encourage
you to leave your equipment at home because of the hassle
of flying and checking your gear.
However, if you elect to bring your gear, I
will work with you and if necessary, will make suggestions
to assure a productive experience (our "What to Bring" page has some good starting information). We can
also provide spinning gear for those who don’t fly-fish. In fact,
I have, on occasion offered fly fishermen spinning gear to finish
the day when conditions prohibited fly fishing.
My philosophy is that the day belongs to the angler.
Guides are all about putting you on fish.
We want to catch fish with a fly rod, but if you get tired or the wind is too strong, we don’t
quit. We simply use another
method of fishing to finish the day. Satisfaction
is what the angler and the guide are both looking
for, and we will make sure that happens!
The Areas We Fish...
Every year we receive a number of calls from clients who are looking
for a quality fishing experience closer to home.
Finding the time to plan a weeklong fishing trip these days is next
to impossible.
But consider this - within an hour's drive of the sights
and sounds of Bourbon Street lies one of the
premier saltwater fisheries in North America. It's here
in south Louisiana, where the Mississippi River
meets the Gulf of Mexico. Nowhere else will you
have the same opportunity to land a monster
redfish.
I prefer to fish the Biloxi Marsh area from late Fall until early
Spring, because the majority of the fishing in
this area is for spotted sea trout, not redfish. As
a result, the redfish are naïve,
unpressured, and take flies readily. This greatly
enhances your chance to catch that trophy redfish.
Another reason is that it is closer to New Orleans
than almost any other fishery. However, if our
reports indicate that fishing is better in a
different area, or if a client wants to fish
another area of South Louisiana, I can and do
that very thing because I trailer my boats back
and forth daily to the fishing grounds.
If you are coming to New Orleans
for business and want to get some angling in while
you are in town, I can take
groups of up to 6 people for a quick trip to Breton
Islands, to do some wade fishing for reds, trout,
ladyfish, cobia and more.
A Final Note...
You will be visiting a beautiful, off-the-beaten-track part of
the world where the people are warm, and friendly.
But this part of Louisiana was devastated by Hurricane
Katrina and the
flood, so much of what you will see on land has
been destroyed. When you visit, I encourage you to
look for the positive. Hear what we have to say. Enjoy our Southern
hospitality, and our incredible fishing. When
you reach "The Land of Giants" you will see why we
are still here.
Thanks. Looking forward to putting you on ‘em!
Captain Gregg
Arnold
P.S. - My customers that have
fished for these bigger fish are available for your telephone
call as references on my behalf. |