Fishin' Game: Reds and flounders in foggy Geoghagen's Canal!
Frank Davis / Fishing Expert

Pretty dense fog covered the Rigolets marsh Thursday morning when my fishing team and I headed out to do this week's report. But once the first ray of sunshine broke through the broken clouds to burn off some of the hanging mist, the morning fog had little effect on where we found fish and how we caught them.

“It’s been pretty slow lately, Frank,” Capt. Kenny Kreeger, my guide for this week, explained as we attempted to position his boat such that we could both cast against the bank as well as into the deep-water section of the dead-end canal. “But Geoghagen’s Canal has been the exception to the rule. It’s holding lots of fish, particularly grilling size redfish and stuffing size flounders.

“And you don’t need anything special to catch ‘em! Carolina rigs studded with chunks of fresh market shrimp, fished flush on the bottom, do just as well as lead head jigs tipped with plastic Cocahoe tails. It’s the technique that makes all the difference—your fishing has to be dead slow and deliberate, and you absolutely must concentrate on every cast.”

Capt. Kenny added that along that entire expanse of canal, the section near the far end and the half-dozen or so “fingers” that branch off of it seem to be the best spots, holding the greatest number of fish.

“The only monkey wrench in the works, though, is the almost endless pile of debris cluttering up the bottom of the canal, including the centerline channel as well as the shoreline drop-offs,” Kreeger reluctantly admitted.

“There are whole trees, tree branches, parts of docks and wharves, pieces off former camps that used to line Highway 90, the wrecked hulls of hurricane-sunken boats, and Lord only knows what else out there. In other words, there’s lots of jetsam to snag, which means you’re gonna have to bring along a whole lot of spare tackle, which you’ll no doubt lose pretty easily.”

Just for the record, Geoghagen's Canal runs right “behind” the newly reconstructed Rigolets Marina at Rigolets Pass on U.S. Highway 90. Accurately, it actually runs parallel to U.S. Highway 90. You can launch almost directly into it from a back-down ramp at the marina.

“If you take a right out of the launch slip, you’ll head out into Rigolets Pass,” Kreeger simplified. “And if you hang a left as soon as you come out of the launch slip, you’re already into Geoghagen’s Canal.”

There is one other point that Kreeger kept repeating all morning.

“Fishermen need to know that—right now—the weather hasn't gotten nowhere near cold enough to cause these fish to "cluster" in one tight spot. So if you're going to head out this weekend you ought to plan up front on doing lots of moving and scouting. “Cuz, pod-nah, they ain’t gonna come to you—you’ll need to find and then go to them!”

Next week? Delacroix Island with Captain Ahab!

Frank Davis

Editor’s Note: If you’ like to fish Geoghagen’s (and consequently learn how to fish Geoghagen’s) but you don’t have a clue how to do it—and you don’t have a boat, motor, and tackle to do it from—you can call Capt. Kreeger and book a charter. Unlike many other operators who take a hiatus over the cold weather months, Kreeger accepts charter bookings all winter long. To set one up, simply call either 985-960-3068 or 985-643-2944.