Chandeleur Island Fishing questions

[MikeyG]

Hey folks,
I'm going on a guided trip with friends to fish the Chandy's in late October. We're using Southern Way for our guide and accommodations.

I don't fish, but am not completely "in the dark". My question is about gear and tackle - what are the essentials I need to be packing?
-rod/reel combo(s) suggestions?
-should I bring waders?
-bait? I've heard top water and soft plastics are a must? Colors?

Anything else I should be considering?

Thanks!

[W-L-F]

watching

[Walker]

Id call the guide service and ask them. If anybody knows it should be them. If it was me I'd take one good medium/light.spinning reel on a 7 ft medium action rod, loaded.with #20 braid. A spool of flouro leader also #20, a double pocket full of cocaho minnows, various colors, mostly red with white tail, and 10 or so screw on 1/4oz jig heads.

[BigDraw]

The charter will tell you what lures and equipment is working best at the moment

[txhunter007]

I would bring extra tackle and extra line. There are tons of sharks, jacks, and mackerel that can eat up your gear pretty fast.

[Cajun Blake]

Id call the guide service and ask them.

x 100000

[SaltwaterSlick]

Been fishin' the Islands for close to 40 years... one of my favorite places on the planet to fish. If you do a search on here, you'll find quite a few threads that have lots of good info in them. Search the way you have the islands spelled (which is the correct spelling) and also "Chandelier" Islands...

Basics:
Waders, yes that late in Oct. Just in case, but you'll probably be able to wet wade... or like many fish out the boat and never get wet... (I perfer wading).
Take at least 2 rod/reel combos. I prefer bait casting rigs, but usually have both with me. The longer the rod the better as far as I am concerned. Medium/Light action with good braid line. Most of the time I use either mono or fluro leader tied to the braid with a crazy alberto know (You-tube is your friend).

Bait: Soft plastics and hard baits for topwater... Color is not near as important as presentation... I usually always have chartreuse color on just about any bait I use there as that color does seem to increase your strikes/catches... For soft plastics, I use screw lock jig heads almost always chartreuse in color in either 1/4 or 1/8 oz... Last year during early summer we caught over 400 trout and many, many reds (many oversize) on DSL's in Texas Roach or glow/chartreuse. Bone colored top waters... Cocaho's in purple/chartreuse, lime-treuse, clear/red giltter, avocado, and similar colors are all good... Bring some popping corks... sometimes the fish like to hear that gurgling sound and it will attract them resulting in more strikes. Gold spoons are always good and Fall is THE time for Reds... and Reds LOVE 1/4 oz gold Johnson Sprites or the silver-minnow weedless spoons if the grass is bad...

As late in the year as you will be fishing, sharks probably won't be an issue, but regardless, I use one of those floating baskets rather than a stringer. If you use a stringer, get the longest one you can find and watch that you don not get all wrapped up in it... keep it away from you. Shuffle your feet to prevent getting hit by rays... Seen many, many there as big as the hood on a pick-up, but most of the time the water is clear enough you see them and they see you long before you'd step on 'em...

Probably the most important thing to do is pay attention to what the crew tells you as far as where and how to fish... They're there every week and will have the most accurate and up to date information as to where the fish are...

Good luck and take lots of pics!!
I'll be there myself on board the VI Oct. 8-10... hopefully I can file a report worth reading when I get back!

[friscopaint]

Wish I was there on the VI, I know Bobby likes chartreuse on all his soft plastics watched them dipping tails in it for color. I did best with white gulp shrimp under popping cork. Didn't wade our trip sharks and rays everywhere, fished grass potholes