Fly fishing the islands is a great thrill. Most of the water is crystal-clear, or turquoise colored. It’s not unusual to see tailing reds in 8 inches of water. Stalking Chandeleur reds is a hoot. It’s just you and the fish, most of the time. One of the best flyfishing experiences I’ve ever had on the Chandeleurs was on the northern tip of the islands. I was with Grigar. We had left the mothership in a 14-foot john boat, powered by an old Evinrude. Grigar yanked on the cord, and the motor coughed and sputtered with a plume of blue smoke.

“I’ve got a beer can reef that’s loaded with oysters, up here about a mile or so,” said Grigar. “It’s on a ridge next to a gut. Big reds will come up out of the gut to feed shallow on the reef in the afternoons, with the incoming tide.”

Sure enough, when we arrived there we some awfully big wakes being pushed by reds feeding over the beer can shell reef. Grigar wasn’t one to waste anything. He was like a pirate. He raided the resource, but recycled everything. This reef was formed by a line of empty beer cans secured to bottom. Grigar would collect live oysters and mix them in with the cans.

Within a year or so he had a fine fish-attracting reef. They were all over the place. I bailed out of the boat with fly rod in hand--to which was attached a No. 1 white-and-silver deerhair popper--and made a cast to a big red feeding around a pod of oysters. I began working the popper aggressively and the red charged and ate it like a starved coyote. Then it felt the sting of the hook and bolted in a spray of water.

“What did I tell you?” yelled Grigar. “Wall to wall reds!”

Variety is the spice of life. And when you hit the right tide that’s the way it is in the islands. On one trip to the Gosier Islands, we found a point that was a big feeding area on an outgoing tide. Trout, reds, sharks, jacks and Spanish mackerel would swarm. We probably caught 200 or more trout and reds off that one point in two afternoons. It’s been a consistent producer for years.

The surf along the Chandeleur Islands can offer world class fishing on clear, flat tides. That’s when the topwater bite for trout is splendid. It’s also a time when some rather awesome and bold sharks will be on the move and looking for an easy meal. More than one bug-eyed angler has backed out of the surf along these islands. The Chandeleurs are notorious for attracting sharks. However, very few anglers have been attacked. Those who have probably got between a shark and a stringer of fish. A favorite edge of Curlew Island turns into the surf, and that’s where friend Mike Barnes and I had found a big school of trout and reds. We stringered a few fish for dinner. I looked over my shoulder just in time to see Barnes get yanked over into the water. A big shark had latched onto his stinger of fish and was heading south. The fracas only lasted a second, but it was enough to back us up to dry sand.

The peak times to fish the islands are from April through October. That’s when the currents are warm and alive with fish. You can wade-fish miles of water without ever seeing other anglers. It’s kind of strange to stand in the bay or surf and catch trout and reds till your arms give out, and enjoy solitude. That’s a rarity in this day and age. But it’s one that is pretty much the norm at the Chandeleurs.

Survival on the Islands

As you can imagine fishing the Chandeleurs for days at a time can be taxing. The mid-day sun will fry your brain. Big shady hats are mandatory. Long-sleeved shirts and pants and good wading shoes will keep you comfortable for days. Polarized sunglasses keep you from going blind. Sunscreen is a must. And water, lots of it, should be consumed throughout the fishing day.

Gearing up to fish

Light spinning and baitcasting tackle is perfect for catching Chandeleur trout and reds in the 2- to 6-pound class. Reels should be spooled with 10- to 14-pound-test line. An 18-inch-section of fluorocarbon leader is helpful. When using soft-plastic jigs you’ll need to tie on a No. 10 black barrel swivel between the leader and line to prevent line twist. Best lures will be 1/2 - or 1/4 -ounce silver-and-chartreuse or silver-and-yellow spoons. Gold spoons with pink teasers are best for reds. Soft plastics like Assassins, Stanley Jigs Wedge Tail Flats Minnows and Mullet are very good, when rigged on 1/4- or 1/8- ounce lead-head jigs. The eel-shaped plastics are good, too. One of the all-time favorites along the Chandeleurs is the H&H Cocahoe Minnow. Top colors are red/shad, white/chartreuse, pumpkin/orange, avocado/red and rootbeer. The topwater bite can be awesome, too. Take along plenty of mullet-imitating plugs. Some of my favorites include the Heddon Super Spook and Super Spook Jr., Top Dog, Yo-Zuri Mag Popper and Mag Darter, and the Rebel Broken Back Red Fin. Proven colors are bone, chrome, chrome/blue, mullet and clear.

Fly fishing

Seven- or 8-weight fly rods are best. The 8-weight is probably your best bet.

The wind usually blows, so you’ll need the extra strength of the 8-weight to push bulky hair bugs through the air. Top fly patterns for both trout and reds are No. 1 deerhair divers or poppers and streamers such as Clouser Minnows and Deceivers in white, chartreuse, white/chartreuse or white/blue.

Seven- to 9-foot leaders are ideal and tippets should test 10- to 14-pound test.

Outfitters

There are many. Most are docked in Biloxi, Miss. My advice is to type Chandeleur Islands fishing into a search engine on the internet. You’ll find most of the outfitters that way. Some offer day trips, but most offer multi-day full-service trips. The multi-day trip outfitters will take a group of anglers out on boats in the 50- to 100-foot class. They carry small outboard powered two-person skiffs that are off-loaded at the islands.

A few of the outfitters are:

Southern Sports Fishing - (866) 763-7335. Biloxi, Miss.
Southern Belle Fishing Tours - (228) 897-1317. Gulfport, Miss.
Due South Fishing Charter - (228) 872-8422. Biloxi, Miss.
Joka’s Wild - (228) 769-5000. Biloxi, Miss.

SWA