Southern Way Chronicles: July 2013

We are well into the summer fishing, and the usual summer patterns are finally starting to emerge. It has been both an unusual spring and early summer. Aeolus (the god of the winds for those of you not up on Greek mythology) must have been angry as the spring fishing was plagued by constant windy conditions. Several trips had to be rescheduled and others were run under less than optimal fishing conditions. In addition, early summer fishing has been challenging due what we now know as a partial “red tide” condition at the islands. No worries though, as this has now cleared and with calmer conditions the usual consistent summer fishing is now happening. Even with challenging conditions, Captain Brian and the Southern Way crew have worked hard and thought “out of the box” finding fish at locations west, north and south of the usual anchorages this year. Fishing has been good overall with several full limits trips. We only have a few dates open for the rest of the summer and the early fall trips are booking fast so call to reserve your dates as soon as possible.

Captain Skylar has been running day and overnight trips on the Southern Cross, targeting redfish, mackerel, cobia and sharks around Ship and Horn Islands. This is a great way to enjoy the coast for smaller groups with a shorter time schedule. This is also perfect for groups with younger and older anglers as there is an air-conditioned cabin, clean restrooms and a grilled burger lunch served on these trips. We can customize a trip and accommodate just about any request. And remember, if you have a smaller group (1 to 6 persons) and want to hit the Chandeleur Islands for a couple days, the Southern Cross can accommodate this size group as well.

While we are still in summer mode, its never to early to start thinking about our fall fishing and waterfowl hunting in the world famous Biloxi Marsh. We have been running our 5,700 acre marsh lease this spring and summer and I have never seen the marsh looking as healthy as this year. As you may remember, Hurricane Isaac sat on us for 3 days last October and severely affected the coastal marshes of Louisiana and Mississippi. Our surveys of the marsh this year show unbelievable vegetation growth and hurricane damaged areas are barely even noticeable. Our duck ponds are full of Widgeon grass which should make this a duck hunting season to remember. I am constantly amazed at the rejuvenation powers of this unique ecosystem. And while we are not ready to share details just yet, we are working on big changes in our fall/winter marsh operation which will take this experience to another level. Call now to talk about a “cast and blast” trip chasing trout, redfish and ducks as these dates too will fill up fast.

Until next time……..keep doing it the “Southern Way”