IF YOU’VE FOLLOWED THIS newsletter for any length of time, you’ve probably noticed that I don’t often post shots of people holding up fish for the camera. I certainly don’t deride that scene, but I’m typically shooting for publication and there aren’t many buyers for gratuitous fish portraits…unless the angler is wearing a bikini…and looks really good in it.
Occasionally, though, I travel to places where new imagery is not the first priority. I call those “fishing trips.” If I get some cool new shots, great; but that’s not the main focus. The Lousiana Delta has a raw beauty that is certainly photo-worthy, but it also has HUGE redfish, in really shallow water…
You probably see where I’m going with this.
In early October my son Blake and I hopped over to the marsh to fish with David Mangum and Preston Sutter of Shallow Water Expeditions. We lucked into three incredible weather days and found good numbers of those HUGE redfish up skinny. Some were floating and basking like laid-up tarpon. Others were busting shoals of migrating finger mullet. We had good bites on streamers and a few epic explosions on poppers. If you’ve never seen a 30-pound redfish push up a bow-wake behind a blooping wad of foam and feathers, you need to book a trip with Preston and David.
Below you’ll find a selection of images from the trip. I did shoot a few marketable photos, but what I’m most proud of are the big greasy, grip-n-grin shots.
Stop here if you’re an art snob.
Keep scrolling for the dirty stuff.
Sunrise over the delta
Fall glass
Blake’s second cast, first morning
Birds facing left
Swing and a miss
Your photographer, with the Dirk Diggler of redfish
We saw lots of these
Morning build up over the marsh
Hi, we’re mullet. Can we hang out in your live well for a bit?
Nutria, coypu, ragondin: he has lots of names. Some call him dinner.
Blake and David Mangum, coaxing one in
Heave ho
A sexy teenager
Grown-up talent
Revival