Many people believe that an angler will catch the next state record speckled trout in Calcasieu Lake south of Lake Charles, La. Perhaps, someone already did -- and the mighty fish still hunts among the lake oyster reefs. On May 21, 2000, Stuart Roy of Lake Charles walked a chartreuse Top Dog over the calm surface. He had already caught an 8-pounder and two 4-pounders when a bigger trout smashed the bait. The big one measured 32 inches long and approximately 16 to 17 inches in girth. Roy weighed the beast on a spring-loaded scale, which only measured up to 10 pounds. It bottomed out. Roy released the fish and never officially weighed it on certified scales. However, according to Randy Pausina, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries top marine biologist, the fish may have broken the record set by Leon Mattes in 1950, a fish weighing 12.38 pounds. He estimated that Roy ’s trout weighed between 12.5 and 13 pounds. Each year, several people land double-digit trout in Calcasieu Lake. Fish hardly attract attention until they break 8 pounds. Measuring roughly 12 miles long by nine miles wide, the big shallow lake also produces impressive numbers of redfish, flounders, croakers, drum, sheepshead and other fish in the lake.

Most people fish the lake and its surrounding estuaries for lunker speckled trout. Beginning in March, peaking in May, but continuing through fall, large speckled trout hunt among the oyster reefs in Calcasieu Lake and points or cuts along the Calcasieu Ship Channel, a 40-mile swath from Lake Charles to the Gulf of Mexico. Anglers also fish up the estuary as the channel snakes through three wide spots, Lake Charles, Prien Lake and Moss Lake, before hitting Calcasieu Lake.

Most people fish reefs with topwater baits or plastic jigs. In the summer, they use live shrimp on a popping cork or live shad on a Carolina rig. Watch for diving birds. These squawking flocks usually indicate trout or redfish attacking shad schools. Trout and redfish herd bait to the surface where birds dive on them. With snapping jaws below and chisel beaks slacking from above, baitfish live such short, difficult lives. The channel brushes against Calcasieu Lake at Turner’s Bay on the northern edge of the lake. The Turner's Bay Channel Reefs, GPS coordinates N30 03 817/W93 19 579 and Turner's Bay Island, GPS coordinates N30 03 360/W93 18 370, attract many trout, especially in the fall. Fish this area on a light north or west wind and an outgoing tide. Commissary Point, on the eastern shoreline of Calcasieu Lake, juts into deeper water at GPS coordinates N29 58 430/W93 14 490. Oysters reefs off the northern edge of the point hold many trout from early spring through late fall.

South of Commissary Point, weirs block access to Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge. These spots swarm with redfish and flounder, especially in the fall or winter. For big trout, fish reefs at the outside of Lambert's Bayou or Grand Bayou. Basket Reef, GPS coordinates N29 54 630/W93 14 490 and Lambert's Bayou Reef, GPS coordinates N29 51 037/W93 15 221.

Old rock jetties attract trout along the southern shoreline of Calcasieu Lake at GPS coordinates N29 50 664/W93 19 585. The rocks provide cover for baitfish and shrimp, which entice speckled trout. A reef north of the old jetties at N29 51 015/W93 19 445 also holds trout. Fish these on an incoming tide. Throw topwaters near the rocks and jigs in deeper water.

Several cuts along the Calcasieu Ship Channel, which runs adjacent to the lake, serve as conduits for fish moving into or out of the lake. Gulf water first enters the lake through the Washout, GPS coordinates N29 51 480/W93 20 525. Water and fish also enter the lake at Nine-Mile Cut, GPS coordinates N29 52 650/W93 20 418. In the spring and fall, cast jig and topwaters. In the summer, throw live bait on a two-inch popping cork.

Just to the north, Long Point, GPS coordinates N29 55 056/W93 19 346, probably consistently produces more large speckled trout than any other spot in the lake. Fish congregate on reefs in three to five feet of water. Fish this area in the spring and fall with plastic cocahoes or Slimy Slugs. In the summer, use live bait. Watch for schooling trout and throw topwaters to them.

Many anglers fish topwaters in the flats just to the south of Long Point, GPS coordinates N29 54 305/W93 19 300. Toss Super Spooks or Top Dogs in two to three feet of water when the wind blows from the west. If a fish blows up on a topwater bait and misses, immediately follow with a Slimy Slug. Just across the ship channel, many anglers enter West Cove, a very shallow system filled with oysters. This place attracts many big trout and schooling redfish. Many people fish Cross Reef at GPS coordinates N29 51 820/W93 14 311. In addition, fish Junior's Cut at the south entrance to the cove and around Rabbit Island.

South of the lake, the ship channel hits the Gulf of Mexico. Here two mile-long rows of rock jetties form a magnet for huge redfish, drum and trout. On live bait, cut mullet or cracked crab, anglers catch drum up to 50 pounds and reds up to 40 pounds. Calcasieu Lake offers something for everybody, everybody who likes to catch big fish.

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