Grosse Savanne offers Louisiana Redfishing

Happy angler and his guide for Grosse Savanne

Ron Presly and his flat fish

The Gulf Coast offers many miles of marsh to chase redfish, but I was glad to visit one such destination that offered a refined plan of attack. The end of Big Pasture Road brings anglers to the main lodge at Grosse Savanne, with nine rooms that can sleep two each. With a max capacity of 18 for overnight accommodations, their is always a hands on type service here, starting with lodge manager Karl Zimmerman and continuing to the cooking staff. Outdoors enthusiasts will appreciate the sporting feel of the lodge, and they will also be glad to survey the marshy vistas that can be seen from the screened in porch. When it came tome to fish in the morning, we only had to ride about one mile to the dock where anglers load into an 18-foot john boat with their guide. Screaming down the bayous (or channels) and heading for the fishing grounds is great fun, but then it gets serious, as guides slow it down and begin to look for bird sign and nervous water. A private marsh retained by the lodge ensures that there is plenty of space for guests to spread out in, and really there are redfish everywhere in the marsh associated with Big Lake. Outdoor writer Ron Presly and I caught redfish and flounder dugin this October trip and were told that the trout bite would pick up during the successive cold fronts of fall.   Many large redfish came across the transom that day, but none were kept. Keeping a few fish is ok but Grosse Savanne is an Orvis-endorsed lodge and they stress a catch and release format. Since these redfish choose to stay in the marsh, they had become very bronze and were especially good to photograph. Lots of wading birds were seen in the marsh, and plenty of blue crabs were viewed in the water. Upon returning to the lodge for lunch, plenty of crawfish were spotted in my perfectly prepared etoufee - that was not too spicy - but just spicy enough where the tea that chased it was sweeter than usual. Yep, multiple sensations of pleasurable experiences await anglers at the 'Big Pasture.'

To view my blog about Grosse Savanne on Bass Pro Shops One Source click here.

To view past blog entries about fishing in Louisiana click here.

What's better than two spots on a redfish???