Brad McMillin cleaning speckled trout & redfish
Cooking the Catch Story and photography by Robert Gaiennie
Grand Isle, Louisiana, a remote oasis located on a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico at the mouth of Barataria Bay, served as my outdoor classroom as a child. It is there where I learned how to catch and clean fish, and most importantly, how to cook them. The fish that I first caught was the speckled trout (or spotted sea trout for those who prefer the proper name). One of the best places to fish by shore is Elmer’s Island, just west of Grand Isle but still considered Grand Isle. Before fishing the inshore waters of Grand Isle, I always check the tides which can either make or break a day on the water.
The better the tidal movement the more active the bait fish and shrimp hence the more active the speckled trout. I usually always refer to www.rodnreel.com to check the tides for the area I’m going to be fishing. The site will rate the day from a 1 to 10 with 10 being the best and tell you the best times to fish during the day. DeSoto 37