Grand Isle Louisiana that is.

As a Mid-Southerner I rate it the best fishing hole ever for this region (that includes Destin Florida, the Arkansas Ozark trout rivers, the Tennessee River, all sorts of private farm ponds and the oxbows of the Mississippi River Delta).

We used to make it down to Grand Isle once a year, usually around June 15 and fished with a French speaking Cajun. His boat was a simple affair somewhat resembling Bogie's African Queen and the cost was roughly a $100 a day. We fished the in-shore salt marsh side of seafood rich Barataria Bay. Much of your shrimp, crab and oysters come from there. The fishing was mainly for specks, IMO the best eating fish what swims. On a good day you could run up the score. Shrimp were the best bait, but they attracted salt water cats so we usually stuck with sparkle beatles (large crappie jigs actually...our guide and I used to argue over what their proper name was).

When they were really biting you could put two jigs on one line and catch two at a time. The guide had this knack for jerking them out of the water, up in the air and making them fall on the tarp over the motor where we collected the fish. Three at a time could be done. I used the net to shovel them off the tarp and into the ice chest, then put a layer of ice on top and filled the chest that way layer by layer.

You also had your redfish and flounder and if you wanted to fish the off-shore oil rigs the specks out there were much bigger. It seems oil rigs have in fact a very positive effect on fishing. Many don't know that or assume the contrary.

The motels had screened-in cleaning rooms with picnic tables, running water, cleaning benches and big kettles for boiling crabs. You could put out your own crab pots in the bay or catch all the shrimp you wanted by wading and tossing out throw nets. Anyway, last stop before leaving was where the shrimpers off-loaded. We'd fill a couple big ice chests at $3 something a pound and then start the long drive home.

Those were the days...

Go all the time, just down the shore at Cocodrie. Couldn't agree more. A good day of fishing and an ice chest of cold beer is what God intended. If you starve over there, it is YOUR FAULT.