Back to the Chandeluers!

Earlier this summer I was hanging out at the house on a Friday night when my phone went off. My buddy Donnie had sent out a group text message with a website link and an invitation asking, “Who’s in?” Clicking the link took me to a website entitled Chandeleur Island Fishing and I didn’t have to read any further. I replied back to put me down and several other people in the group began to reply as well. A few months later we were all meeting at Ocean Springs Harbor over in Mississippi, preparing to take off to the Islands.

On a previous Chandeleur Island trip we all stayed on a mothership that would anchor just off the island shoreline. This time we stayed at The Pelican, which is a set of floating cabins tucked away in the back of a large cove. One of the plus sides to this service was that they ferried us and all of our gear in a large offshore boat; which made for a comfortable ride out across Mississippi Sound and within an hour we were at the bunkhouse and unloading our gear. Since we were able to get out there so quickly, it gave us a full afternoon to fish.

Upon arrival, we checked out the floating bunkhouse and all of the amenities it offered. It basically included three large rooms which consisted of the kitchen and dining area, the bunkroom with eight full-size bunk beds, and the guides room with their own sets of bunk beds. Along with that there was a large front porch overlooking the cove, a back porch that overlooked the marsh, and a crow’s nest that could accommodate everyone up-top, perfect for sunset viewing and relaxing. The whole setup was beyond perfect!

After we got settled in, we began putting rods together and the rest of our gear organized, and then began the process of deciding fishing team pairings. Being that Stoney and I were some of the first ones ready, we decided to jump in a skiff and take off. The skiffs were 16-footers and equipped with poling platforms, so we were able to hit the shallows and pole around for some skinny water reds. We picked a shoreline that was full of grass and decided it was as good as any to get started.

The wind was howling that day, so our drifting speed happened to be a little faster than we wanted. We saw a handful of fish but were never able to make a decent cast due to the wind and speed we were drifting. After the first long drift we decided to bounce around and explore the island, hoping to locate some good places to fish the next day. Arriving back at camp, we met up with the rest of our group and enjoyed cold drinks, a beautiful sunset and perfectly grilled steaks. Our guides had decided to run out for a few hours of trout fishing while we were all out exploring earlier and returned at sunset with a pretty decent box of fish.

Everybody was up and around early the next morning and the main topic of discussion was the day’s fishing plans. Stoney and one of our guides had left before sunrise for some predawn trout fishing and arrived back in time for breakfast with news of success. Robert looked at me and asked if I was ready, so we were the first ones off. He looked at the map and wanted to head to the next cove over. Getting the sun and wind at our back, we could then see the large grass flat in front of us more clearly. It didn’t take long until we spotted a red but my cast landed too close and it spooked. That was when we realized that we had another four or five fish scattered in front of us. I picked one out, made a great cast and the fight was on. I got it in and quickly made a few photos before the release.

Moving on to the next cove brought a startling discovery. The tide had been dropping all morning and we had to idle in with the motor tilted up. Nearly to the back of the cove, I spotted a school of tailing fish and signaled for Robert to cut the engine. I jumped up on the platform and poled him directly into the wind, hoping to get within casting range. As we got closer we realized that my “school of tailing fish” end up being a few reds and about a dozen hardheads…talk about a surprise! Anyway, Robert made a good cast and managed to hook a redfish briefly, only to have it pull loose after only a few seconds. The other reds spooked to parts unknown and the rest of that beautiful flat proved to be empty.

We made it back to the cabins for lunch and not surprisingly learned the other members of our group were also having a tough day. One of the groups had found a school of reds further down the island but only managed to stick one and, unfortunately, it also pulled loose before they could land it. Other members of our outfit had found a large sand flat littered with blue crabs and wanted to head back down there to scoop a bunch for dinner that night. Robert and I decided to head to the other end of the island and see what the tip looked like. We got there and found a pair a big fish but they were not interested in anything that I was throwing. All of the other fish we found there were very spooky. However, later that evening we all sat around on the porch eating fresh crabs…and you can’t beat that!

As the final day came we put all of the knowledge and information we’d gained together to formulate one last game plan. Donnie and I decided to fish together and we hit a big grassy flat with water deep enough to run a skiff and drift across. Sure enough we begin to see a few redfish right off and it didn’t take him long to stick one. We continued on with the plan to drift that flat although most of the fish were very spooky and hard to catch. We met up with another of our boats who were able to land a few reds earlier that morning along with a very nice sheepshead.

After lunch, Donnie and I decided to head to the end of the island and sit on the point, hoping to spot redfish passing over from the beach to the bay side on the currents. We sat and made a few drifts for a few hours and nothing was to be found except sharks and skipjacks. Calling it a day, we headed back and spent our evening on top of the crow’s nest. The sky was wonderfully clear and made for an epic night of stargazing.

Overall, we did not hammer the fish, but for such a picturesque place as the Chandeleur Islands, it really doesn’t matter. Catching fish out there is really only a bonus to an all-around fun trip. Add that the accommodations and crew at The Pelican were completely awesome and everything I expected it to be; and I can’t recommend it enough. The Chandeleur Islands are a beautiful place and I would highly urge every angler to make a trip down there at least once in your lifetime.