David Siskind | Sunday, 11 October 2026
We found some last Sunday and Monday. The weather was still pretty lousy - an overcast of widely varying density, painted glare in inconvenient places - embedded cells dumped rain. We got soaked a few times. The wind was up and down and it was tough to find clean water. So it was all about finding shallows that would show pushes, backs and tails. All this was made more difficult by a tide cycle without minus tides and less than a one foot swing. There were no visible fish in their usual places. We usually use the boat ramp at the Delta Marina in Buras which provides uquick access to some quiet, lonely fishing when the flood control gates are open. Delta Marina is on a channel, connected through a massive gate to the bays and marshes to the west and reaching toward a levee to the east. The Mississippi runs on the other side of the levee. Big tankers and even cruise ships sail up and down the river looking a little taller than they should be. The channel serves big working craft, shimpers, and pogie netters. None can get out to the open water unless Jimmy Floodgates says so. He has a magic number (I’m remembering +0.61 feet) above which he keeps the gate shut. We were shut in till 10 am over the weekend but usually they’re open all day.
Brian searched his memory for ponds and creeks where he always ran aground. Mostly we fished the flooded marsh tight against the levee south of Buras. There weren’t any bulls back in there but there were enough happy reds to keep us busy for hours. The tight quarters and wary fish required quick accurate casts - fun. Big is always best but I was happy to be having conversations with visible fish, regardless of heft. It seemed like a victory over some tough conditions.
As I was leaving, hurricane Isaias was forming and gaining strength. It made landfall in Florida today so it looks like the big surge missed my friends in Buras but they were talking about parking their skiffs on higher ground and may have done that. But, even if they tried to get out, the tides have been high, positive 0.6 and greater. I’m sure the gates have been closed. It’s likely the next ramp to the south is flooded (it’s pretty crude). Venice, nearly an hour south, might be fine if the clients show up. Hurricanes scare people off. They spring up quickly in the Gulf. The storms are born right there. You can’t see them coming. Bookings often cancel on short notice - very tough on the guides, especially independents. Autumn redfish is a big deal every year. A weather shortened season is bad. I wish them all luck. Maybe it will clear up quickly.
I voted. I was worried about getting my ballot in time to vote this year. In California every registered voter gets a ballot and coded envelope mailed to their residence. Mr. Trump has tried to mess with the mails so I planned on using a local drop box. They make it difficult to drop the ballot in person - I’m out of town for early voting nearby and the alternative drop-off is an hour distant. But the stars aligned and I got mine and dropped it off this morning. Now all they have to do is count it, certify the winners and seat them. So many steps, so many vulnerabilities. I’m back to NY Tuesday and off for a big bye-bye Friday.
Stress’n
David Siskind