December 14th & 15th

High winds, and muddy water, would normally be a disaster for a fishing trip. Especially if you came all the way from Jacksonville, Florida and the trip was completely paid for by Cabelas. But not this time. Papa Joe and Captain John guided Grady Warren (Tournament Director of the Pro Redfish Tour) and the winners of the Cabelas 2 day fishing trip and caught over 100 Redfish during the worst water conditions of the year. They stayed at the marina, ate the best sautéed redfish and fried onion rings in the world at Jan's Restaurant, and fished like the Pros they are. Here are some pictures of the guys and their fish.

November 29th

Guy Favaloro Sr. with sons Guy Jr., David, and Grandson Jeffrey fished with Papa Joe today. They had no problem catching redfish, as you can see here. The weather couldn't have been more perfect, and there were a lot of boats around us. Jeffrey caught the first three fish and here he is sporting the biggest. David is going to take fish back to Houston and try his hand at grilling, baking, and frying. We had a fantastic time.

November 26th

Kevin Reinke, his son Cameron, and buddy Bobby Freeling had a terrific time fishing with Papa Joe today. The wind was stronger than predicted, but that didn't stop Cameron from catching this big red or this 16" trout. In fact everyone caught plenty of fish as you can see in this picture. Bobby caught the first and largest fish right off the bat this morning, and gave everyone something to shoot at all day.

November 24th

As you can see from this picture, Guy Favaloro Jr. and Sr. had a terrific day of fishing with their friend Pete. We used up all the nails on the hanging board and still had fish in the ice chest, but it wasn't easy early in the day because the fish didn't turn on until 10:30 AM. From then on it was non stop for over an hour. Guy Sr. caught the largest redfish and bay snapper. Here are a couple more pictures of the action and largest fish. Pete, try those recipes I gave you. Thanks folks, see you again on Friday.

November 23rd

Great weather, co-operative fish, smiling faces, and terrific people. All the things that makes a guide's dreams come true happened today. David and Marilyn Brown (each pictured with their 1st fish) came all the way from England to fish and were rewarded by the Fish Gods. We had a great time catching and releasing many different species of fish. Here's a few more pictures of their trip, including two fish they caught at the same time and a few of the bigger fish that they pulled in today.

November 22nd

George Fairbanks from Gonzalas X-Ray and his guests John from Houston, and Mark from Baton Rouge are pictured here after a tough day in 25 mph winds. We left the dock before daylight and went straight to the spot where we had been catching limits all week, but Mother Nature said, "Not today, boys." So we caught what we could, (about 25 fish) had a great time, heard a hundred new jokes from Mark, and returned to the dock to clean a nice mess of fish. John, if you cook the fish like I explained, I know you'll love them. Thanks guys, hope to see you again soon.

November 17th, 18th, & 19th

A strong cold front + high winds + low water = Redfish. While this formula may not work every time, it sure worked the past 3 days for the Overstreet Group from Texas with Bobby Beck, and Mike Daigle of Cast-it Charters, and Papa Joe. Here are some great pictures of the guys with their fish.

November 16th & 17th

Al Bergin with Schering-Plough had a party of 11 folks in for a 2 day package. Plenty of good Cajun food, great accommodations, and well seasoned boat captains, accompanied a mixed bag of fish. The jokes and fellowship were priceless. These boys fished hard for two days during the strongest winds of the year (30-40 knots). The fishing started off very slow with the 1st day total catch shown here. That's Al holding the big fish caught by Randy Pettus who was snoozing when the picture was taken. However, on the 2nd day some of the group pictured here on the water and back at the dock really smacked the reds. It was a pleasure having you guys fish with us. Hope to see you again real soon.

November 20th

Webmaster Note: Restored the October 26th & 27th Trip Report which was accidentally deleted a couple of weeks ago.

November 15th

Here's what the Redfish Tour website had to report about Papa Joe's Redfish Tour Team.

In fourth place, another Louisiana team, Joe Bush and E.J. Plaisance of New Orleans fished broken marsh shorelines in less than 18 inches of water near Red Pass and caught 9.21- and 8.13-pound reds for a 17.34-pound aggregate. Spinnerbaits and Spot Removers produced most of their action.

Bush said his team put two keepers in the livewell early, but they weren't satisfied with the weight. Persistence paid off, though, as Bush and Plaisance culled through six reds between noon and 1 p.m. to find their money fish. The anglers found their bigger reds on points with clean water cuts running through the marsh. Once the tide started out in the afternoon, the water muddied and the area shut down.

During the day, fate dealt Bush and Plaisance an embarrassing blow when they ran aground and had to push their boat off of a mud bank. "It was just an "oops," said Bush. "My partner looked up and said, 'Hey, look at those ducks standing right in front of us.' I used to do that kind of thing a lot when I was a younger man, but I haven't done it much since I've gotten older and wiser."

November 10th

I fished today with long time customer and friend Mike Mitchell pictured here with a large redfish. We were on the speckled trout first thing this morning. But, after catching a dozen, we decided to look for the reds. So we looked, and looked, and looked, until I began to get worried that we had left the trout and couldn't find the reds. Then, at 12 noon, it happened. Mike caught 5 reds in a matter of 20 minutes, and inside of 30 minutes had a total of 8, all from the same spot. What a relief for me and a thrill for Mike. Here he is with a couple more of the reds he caught. Thanks Mike, see you next trip.

November 9th

The Human Performance Group returned after being interrupted by a Hurricane several weeks ago. However today was not easy because the wind was very strong out of the West. Tim Cunningham, Miles "Mo" Davis, Daron and Joel Walters were in Papa Joe's Boat, and Captain John took Dr. Bob and Chris Russell, Christie Hull, and Alison Simpson. Last years trip consisted of reds and drum, this year was almost all Speckled Trout as you can see by this picture. Daron Walters is shown here with his prize catch of the day. Thanks guys, Captain John and I enjoyed fishing with you, and we hope you enjoy the fish and come back soon.

* * * N E W S F L A S H * * *

Papa Joe and his fishing partner E.J.Plaisance took 4th place in the final event of the Ranger/Mercury Pro Redfish Tour in Venice Louisiana. Their aggregate weight of 17.34 lbs. consisted of two fish weighing 8.13 and 9.21 lbs. The 4th place in Saturday's event brought them to 11th place in the Louisiana Division for 2002. Papa Joe fished with E.J. in the Louisiana Division and with his son Mike Bush in a Florida Division. The three fishermen finished 29th overall in the race for Team of the Year.

November 3rd

Guy Favaloro brought his wife Kimberly, and children Cathy and Jeff— pictured here with a large Black Drum that Kim caught. The weather wasn't as nice as it could have been, but it was comfortable. And the fishing was good once I found the right spot. We fished with shrimp on the bottom, which I find is great for kids. You can cast and hand them the pole then wait for the big bite. Everyone caught fish, and that's important especially for the kids. Thanks Guy, see you on the 24th for our next trip. Try that recipe Kim, you'll be glad you did.

October 26th & 27th

Jim Joesel, with his friends Jose and Leo took advantage of my 2 day package and caught these reds along with a mess of trout. These guys love to fish. Rain showers, sunshine, or wind didn't stop them. The dinners at JAN'S Restaurant, Lunch on the boat, they had it all. Here is Jose with the largest red of the trip, 8.25 lbs., and his father Leo with his 1st red fish ever. Thanks guys I hope you had as much fun as I did, enjoy the fish.

October 21st

Had a good trip Monday with John Wells and his group from Baton Rouge. We managed 40 keeper trout on a slow day, but we just kept catching at steady pace. The highlight was when Dimitris, (John's grandson) caught the biggest trout of the day. I hope you guys enjoy the fish, and come back real soon.

October 13th

Paul Dubuisson, his daughter Chrissy, her husband Tom, and father-in law Dick, had a fantastic day on the water today. Dick, shown here with a redfish, said it was the best days fishing he has ever had. As you can see from this picture they were very successful with the redfish and especially the bigger fish. In fact, they didn't lose a single fish all morning. We left the dock at 6:30 AM expecting the 1st cool front of the year to smack us about 10:00 o'clock. However, it held off till after we returned around noon. Enjoy the fish, and try the recipe I gave you.

October 7, 8, & 9th

A three day trip for David Chretien, Dave Carr, and the rain man Glenn LaFlamme ended today an the redfish are breathing a sigh of relief. The entire trip was catch and release except for the fish you see here that were kept for lunch. These guys love to fish. And after watching them eat the fish cooked by Jan's restaurant in Lafitte, it's obvious they love to eat just as much. Fly rod or spinning gear, it didn't matter--they stayed after the redfish every moment we were on the boat. Here are just a few pictures that show some of the most memorable moments of the trip. They stayed at the Quarterhouse in New Orleans and Papa Joe did the transportation to and from the dock. Thanks guys, it was a fantastic 3 days. Hope to see you again next year.

October 6th

Hurricane Lili woke the fish up for Steve Alvarez, his son Scott, and buddies Donald and Eldon. As you can see from this photo, we smacked them pretty good today. Steve and Donald started us off with this double header. Then Eldon busted this beauty. The highlight of the morning was when Donald came up with this 34" 15 lb. red, and Scott tried hard to match it with this 32" 13 lb. fish. Actually, we released a dozen reds because they were too big to keep. We had it all today: singing drags, lines completely spooled or broken, many double and triple hook-ups, not to mention the usual crossed lines and tangles. But it was a good day. Thanks to Donald for the help cleaning, and Happy Birthday to Scott. Hope to see you guys again real soon.

October 2nd

**NEWSFLASH**

Hurricane Lilly Interrupts 3 day fishing trip...

...but not before Mr. & Mrs. Richard Briedgnbach caught a fine mess of fish the day before Lilly arrived. They stayed at the lovely Victoria Inn right in Lafitte, and we picked them up at the Inn by boat. Quite convenient actually. Here is the Mrs. with her very first redfish, and even though it was a small one she made up for it later as you can see by the first photo. We had a great time, it was too bad the storm cut our trip short. These guys are quite the fisherman, and I hope we get the chance to do it again. Have a safe trip back to Jersey, and thanks.

October 1st

It was a tough day at the office, but Holly Brown fishing with her husband Bill managed to catch her first red, pictured here. Bill's relentless effort to catch a red on his hand made fly rod unfortunately went unrewarded, but he did nail his first speckled trout, both on the fly and spinning rod. Fishing in the marshes surrounding New Orleans is never uneventful and always full with wildlife, and beauty. Thanks guys, have a safe trip back to New Mexico.

September 30th

Clark and Rick, pictured here with part or their catch, opted for redfish during an afternoon trip. As you can see it was a good choice. Clark-- who never caught a red before--nailed this 8 lb. beauty about mid-trip. All the fish were caught by slow rolling a spinner bait in about a foot of water, this added a lot of excitement. The company was delightful, the weather fantastic, and the sunset was absolutely beyond words. Thanks guys, hope to fish with you again.

September 15

Debbie Wood and the gang returned to New Orleans for another day on the water, and as you can see from this picture it was full of fun, and very successful. The high water from the tropical storm the previous day was draining from the marsh and as the reds were coming back to the ponds we were able to see them and cast in that direction. Its always exciting to see the reds before casting to them and finally hooking up as these guys found out. Enjoy the fish, and come see us again. It's always a pleasure to fish with you. Thanks.

July 6th

Chris Bodenback and his nephew, Vincent, returned to Lafitte early this morning for another trip with Papa Joe. They got a very early start which is important during the hot summer months. As usual the wind blew harder than predicted, but we managed a mess of trout and Vincent's first red fish. Chris said they'll be back, and I bet they're ready for more reds. Thanks guys, we'll hit the reds next time out.

June 25th

My friend Kevin Reinke, his son Kameron, and Shannon, had a good day on the water with Papa Joe today. We got a very early start and proceeded down the Barataria Waterway to the place where the trout were me good. Nope, not today the thing about fishing is every day is different. We tried 4 more spots with very little to show, but the 5th spot was the charm. Everyone caught trout, some of which were not keepers, but we caught plenty and for a while they bit every cast. This was the first time Shannon had ever fished with artificial bait and I think she did very well. Kameron did great--you should see that boy cast. The Porpoises put on quite a show everywhere we went, for a while I thought they were following us. I bet some of those trout are being prepared for the fry as I write this report. Thanks Kevin I hope to see you again real soon.

June 23rd

The Burmasters as in Ronald, Sonny, Pat, E.F. Senior, and A.J. show off the red fish they caught today on a trip that could have been a wash-out. Capt. Shawn and I almost called it off because of rain early this morning, boy what a mistake that would have been. By 6:30 it stopped an we were on our way down the bayou. Another small shower around 11 AM cooled us down, but we kept on fishing. Capt. Shawn fished red fish and limited out, while A.J., his son and I caught a mess of trout and then 5 more reds. All and all a good day--even with the questionable weather. Enjoy your fish fry tomorrow guys. Hope to see you again soon.

June 21

The Magellan Marine group had a fantastic time catching speckled trout and red fish today. Here is Sammy posing with Papa Joe and his very 1st red fish. The rest of the group shows off part of their catch in this picture. Left to right are Lance, Ed, Sammy and Sam. Please note Sammy is sporting a speckled trout and red fish both of which had to be two of the exact ones he caught. If these guys have as much fun eating the fish as they had catching them, well it would just be hard to imagine a better time than this morning. Thanks Guys, come see us again soon.

June 16th

Chris and Meredith Wright had a very successful fishing trip today with Papa Joe. The wind calmed down and we slammed the reds in a small pond. These were just a few of the reds they caught today, along with several trout and a flounder. We won't mention the catfish and stingrays, that's bad for business. Meredith had very little fishing experience, but after a short time was catching fish on her own. Chris and Meredith it was really a pleasure fishing with you today, enjoy those 2 large bags of fillets, and come back soon.

June 15th

Todd Ducote had 2 boats booked today for his group from Atlanta Ga. I have seen more wind, but most of those storms had a name. These guys made the best of an off day and we finished ahead of most the other boats that went out. Here Gary Harvin and his brothers Ross and Clint show off the largest red of the day. We had a variety of fish that included Trout, Reds, and Flounder. After Capt. Mike and I cleaned the fish Todd put on the feed bag with jambalaya, boiled crabs, and a dip that was out of this world. If these guys enjoyed the trip as much as Mike and I enjoyed the food they will be back next year for sure. Thanks guys, looking forward to it.

June 14th

Randy Matthews decided to fish while he was in New Orleans for a meeting, so like a lot of folks he added in an extra day to fish with Papa Joe. A beautiful but windy day, greeted us as we reached the dock. Since Randy was going to catch and release I headed for an area that I knew would produce a few quick reds. Normally we would fish the trout first, but I knew from talking to Randy that he fished a lot and figured the pull of the reds would be an enjoyable memory. We managed 3 reds the first 20 minutes, but before moving on to the trout I got this shot this picture of Randy's 1st red fish. Here Randy poses with the trout of the day. It was truly a good size trout that will live to fight another day.

June 9th

Peter, Drew, and Chris, are pictured here showing off a few of the red fish they caught on their trip today. Chris fished with me just 2 weeks ago when we caught a lot of trout, but today was very much different. The trout bite never did get fast and furious and although we managed to catch some, the red fish bite was a lot better. It didn't take Peter long to hook up once we found a school. Then shortly after Drew and Chris hooked two at the same time and the screaming drags became music to my ears. I was a very busy guide keeping up with these guys. You will be reading more in the future about them because they'll be back again this summer and I want to hear more about the baked red fish they are going to fix tonight.

June 1st

Check out these smiles and fish. Debbie and Steve Wood, with their "red fish catching" friend Jared show off the larger fish of the day. It was a little windy from the south and a sudden change to the north east affected the bite, but we still managed to catch a mess of trout along with 14 reds. Jared, who had never caught a red before got his fill today, along with sore arms, holds up his first red fish in this picture. What a beauty. I'll bet he will be looking for more of these when they come back to fish again on Monday. We'll be sure to continue this story then.

May 26th

Chris Bodenback, along with his niece Margaret, and nephew Vincent, caught these trout and 50 others today. The bite was just fast enough for me to keep up with these guys. Margaret and Vince are quite lucky to have an uncle like Chris to treat them to a fishing trip in the marshes of southern Louisiana. It was also fun for me to be able to put then on the fish and show off the wildlife and beauty of the marsh. Today a dolphin doing his Flipper impersonation jumped completely out of the water 3 times not more than 30 feet from the boat. I was just as excited as they were. Chris will be back in 2 weeks for more exciting action. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did.

May 25th

Guy Favaloro, Dan Bankhead, and Dave Prudhomme had a great time catching fish today. The weather finally broke after a windy spell that lasted weeks longer than it should have. These guys caught close to 50 speckled trout along with these red fish. The highlight of the day was when Guy and Dan hooked two reds over 27" at the same time, and we managed to land them both. The trick now is to get an early start in the morning because the heat will cause the bite to slow down earlier in the day. Thanks Guy, hope to see you again real soon.

April 26th

Tom Kolter and some wild and crazy guys from Connecticut came to town for a bachelor party and managed to fit in a fishing trip and a visit to Jazz Fest. Now that's my kind of party animals. They stayed at a friend's camp (Dick Juge) on the Deer Range Canal. Captains Bobby Beck and Mike Daigle picked them up at the camp and took them
fishing. Here's a photo of the group with the Captains on each end. And here's another with fish and smiling faces. I hope you guys enjoyed your visit to New Orleans and had a great time.

April 26th and 27th

Alan Robins and crew from Houston Texas, came over for our two day package, and had a fantastic time. Mother nature played a trick on these guys. The wind and lack of tide made the fishing tough, but these guys hung in there and managed to catch these fish the first day. Captain Terry took them out the second day in a small gale and they still managed a few fish. The good times and jokes never stopped the hole time. Dinner at Jan’s Cajun Restaurant was excellent as always.

April 17

Jerry Franklin was in town from Houston Texas, and wanted to try fishing the Louisiana marsh with top water baits. So I picked him up bright and early from the French Quarter and we headed to the marina just 40 minutes away. It pays to get an early start and get those top water baits working before the sun and wind gets to high. We left a couple nice fish at the first spot we tried because the turned away from the bait, but at the next place Jerry landed this beautiful red on his 2nd cast with a black and chartreuse she-dog. Some time around 9:30 AM and after a few more fish we had to abandon the top water, and caught fish on plastic, on spinner baits, and on a crank bait called the Baby-1. We gave the tackle box a workout today but managed to catch a fish on almost everything we threw at them. Thanks Jerry, come back soon.

April 5th

The stiff wind and cool temperature we faced today didn't stop George and Glenda Fairbanks from nailing these red fish. George fishes quite often and Glenda always fished fresh water with her father, so they certainly are not novices, and were able to cast in the wind quite well. I'll bet their barbecue pit will be fired up tomorrow afternoon. Hope you had a good time, I know I enjoyed taking you. Crab, boiled potatoes and corn are excellent with those grilled reds.

March 30

We couldn't find a single fish in the marsh today, they were all married and had big families, as this photo of Shelley and Joe Casanova shows. Shelley caught her first red fish, and it was a very exciting experience for her and us. The wind laid down and the tide was slack first thing this morning and that made for a slow start. Up until 9:00 AM we had only been catching speckled trout, then Joe started us off with this Red, and it was Katie bar the door. They left the marina with several bags of fillets and a couple of recipes saying we'll be back. We all had a great day. Thanks guys hope to see you again soon.

March 8th-25th

This month and the last few trips in particular have had a slow bite. Temperature ranges between 30 and 80 degrees really confuse the fish. Can you relate to the fish with sinus conditions? High-pressure 3 days then low pressure 2 days what a mess. Here is a run-down on some recent trips.

It was a real pleasure fishing with Angela and Trey. They were in New Orleans for a family reunion, stayed at the marina for a night, had a great time catching a variety of fish as you can see from this photo, and then drove downtown for a few days. Nice trip guys. I hope you had fun in the French Quarter!

Larry, Dickey, and the gang were back from Georgia this time with 30 people in a bus. We had 8 boats out for 2 days right in the middle of a strong cold front -- 40 degrees and a 22-mph wind. The fishing was slow, and I can kick myself for not getting any pictures. Even though we only caught 90 fish the largest red was 33 inches long and 13 pounds while the largest trout was 22 inches and 3.5 pounds. They left with 14 bags of fillets and some of Harrah's casino money. They will be back in the fall with nicer weather. It's always a lot of fun to fish with these guys.

Rick Koeritz and his son came in from Wisconsin to fish 2 days during spring break. These guys are experienced fishermen but the fish didn't know that and just would not cooperate. One the first day we managed about 12 fish, and kept 6 speckled trout to eat. Rick cooked them at the apartment they stayed in at the C-Way Marina. The 2nd day however they went fly fishing in a lot of wind and changing weather conditions. The fish didn't want to hit the fly even when you passed it an inch from their nose. I can't wait till April.

When I took Jon and Ann Isacoff from Philly it was a little better story. Ann caught her first redfish and was very excited. Of all the places Jon has fished I think he fell for the Louisiana marsh and the strong pull of the redfish. We had a terrific time even though the morning bite was slow to non-existent it picked around 9:30AM to the point where they had a double hook-up and the fun was on. We kept 2 reds for them to eat, they had one fried and the other sautéed. Jon, you and Ann have a nice trip home and hurry back.

Feb 22nd

I picked up Terry Johnson and Don Schroeder at the St. Ann Marie's hotel on Conti street in the French Quarter bright and early. They were anxious to get on the water and experience the beauty of the swamps and marshes around the New Orleans area. It was a brisk morning as you can tell from the jackets they were wearing in these pictures. The front that had just past through almost shut the fish down until 9:30 AM when we began to catch. It turned out to be a pretty good day we managed to pick up some nice trout and reds along the banks. The weather this time of year is unpredictable but you guys managed to beat it. Thanks, and we hope to see you again real soon.

January 10th

Today was a fantastic day to be on the water, and a text book case of winter fishing in New Orleans. Paul Budenbender, Dave Schloegel, James McCully, John Youngsworth, and Dave Isbell had their way with the redfish this morning as you can see from the leader board at the marina. It started out cool and again the bite was later in the morning, but once the fish woke up these guys from Kansas City were waiting and ready. It was a "slam dunk" from then on. Once they had their limit of redfish it was time to eat those giant New Orleans Ham and cheese Po-Boys and look for a few trout. However, the trout won that battle. Here are some of the guys showing off the larger reds. Don’t forget to try that baked redfish recipe I gave ya’ll.

January 5th

It was a cold morning, with a slow bite to start, but as you can see from this picture Zack and Kim from the St. Louis area had a strong finish. They stayed at the C-Way Marina the night before so they didn’t have to travel from New Orleans in the early morning. Kim learned to cast a spinning rod and reel in less than 5 minutes. She wanted to catch the 1st fish and that’s exactly what happened. Zack didn’t let her stay in the lead for long. We had a great time and even beat a rainstorm on the way in. They took their cleaned fish to a local restaurant to have them done Cajun style. Thanks guys, I hope to see you in the spring for the speckled trout run.