By sunrise Wednesday, southeast Louisiana's daily cloud cordillera was already taller than Mount Everest, rimming the horizon with a 360-degree circle of angry black and gray peaks. And they were pushing higher, fast. 
Jared Serigne has found the small, eighth-ounce weedless gold spoon works better for reds and bass in the marsh than the more traditional quarter-ounce version.
"I know what you're thinking: too small," Serigne said. "But after weeks of fishing, what I discovered is this eighth-ounce size is easily the most effective lure for catching reds and bass in these ponds."
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Fishing reduces stress and gives you a break from our modern world where everything is going a million miles per hour
73
Check & Clear 6
LOC: 38-54-14.60N / 097-14-09.07W
Jared Serigne has found the small, eighth-ounce weedless gold spoon works better for reds and bass in the marsh than the more traditional quarter-ounce version. Soon, the anglers seeking trout at their summer spawning stations in the coastal bays would find themselves in a pitched battle with the tropical summer, dodging thunderbolts and downpours while taking body blows from wind-driven waves. And that during one of the slowest trout summers in years.
All of which just confirmed the wisdom of our choice to fish the interior marshes between Delacroix and Pointe a la Hache for redfish and bass. By 10:30, we were heading back to the slip, some pretty reds and bass in the ice chest, just as the first showers descended on Delacroix. And Jared Serigne was feeling pretty smug about the call.
"So what's better: Running outside, spending time and money and maybe finding trout, or having a nice leisurely trip inside and enjoying the morning with no hassle?" he asked no one in particular.
Of course, it helped that we were using a pattern Serigne had developed after spending much of the summer patrolling the grass-filled lagoons and ponds on his duck-hunting marsh. It wasn't that bass and reds could be found in the same spots. Or even that those spots were along the edges of the grass beds that keep these ponds and lagoons clear, or the deeper channels that run between some of the ponds. Most veteran anglers already know that.
Nor was it the gold, weedless spoon he was holding in his hand. After all, that lure ranks among one of the all-time greats of coastal marsh fishing
Instead, it was the size of that spoon. It wasn't the quarter-ounce considered the standard redfish catcher by most local anglers, or the big half-ounce preferred by some who think bigger lures mean bigger reds.
No, it was a little 1/8-ounce gold weedless spoon. Now, 1/8-ounce lures are common in sweet water lakes up north and out west where a "big" fish goes 10 inches. But we were casting in a marsh where reds often push past 21 inches, and bass can go 4 pounds.
"I know what you're thinking: too small," Serigne said. "But after weeks of fishing, what I discovered is this eighth-ounce size is easily the most effective lure for catching reds and bass in these ponds."
Serigne said the success of the smaller spoons seemed to come down to two factors.
"The smaller spoon doesn't get caught up in grass nearly as much as the larger sizes," he said. "Just going up to the quarter-ounce means getting hung up three or four times as often. That means you have to stop fishing and clean the lure a lot more, and you create more disturbance in the water.
"The second factor is the difference in the sound and disturbance the smaller size makes when it hits the water compared to the larger sizes. The reds in this clear water spook pretty easily, and that smaller spoon is much, much quieter. If your cast lands next to reds with the bigger spoons, they're gone. With the smaller spoons, there's a better chance they won't run."
But can the smaller, lighter lures get a good hook-set in the hard mouth of a red and hold a powerful 12-pounder that is trying to break off?
That proved to be no problem Wednesday morning If anything, the smaller spoons seemed to have a higher hook-up rate than the larger models because the reds were able to more easily get their mouths all the way around the bait.
The small size also seemed more attractive to the marsh bass, which attacked it hungrily.
"It's just an easier, more effective way to catch reds and bass in these ponds," Serigne said.
And that's a perfect match -- because a quick morning trip into the marsh is a much easier choice during these hot, stormy, late-summer days.
GEARING UP
Using the smaller spoons requires using matching rods and lines.
Casting distance is a factor of how the weight of the lure loads (bends) the rod. The lighter the lure, the slower (more flexible) the rod and rod tip should be. Each rod is designed for a specific weight range of lures. This rating is printed on the rod blank near the handle.
The line weight is also important. If the line is too heavy, the drag on the light lure dramatically reduces casting distance, even with a properly matched rod. Once again, rod manufacturers have thought of this and print the line ratings on the blank near the handle.
Fortunately, high-tech braided and composite lines come in such small diameters and light weights, it's easy to match a 1/8-ounce lure with a line strong enough to handle a big red.
http://www.nola.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2012/08/smaller_size_lure_provides_one.html
==================================================================
Fishing reduces stress and gives you a break from our modern world where everything is going a million miles per hour
73
Check & Clear 6
LOC: 38-54-14.60N / 097-14-09.07W
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