Fishingw/Terrance Simien

RAY HUNTZ: MARSH WHISPERER
Television, Print, Photography...And More!

Grammy winning Zydeco artist...and Ray's new favorite guest...Terrance Simien (www.terrancesimien.com) and Ray with a great Amberjack! Caught while on a trip with Chris Moran's CajunMade Charters (www.cajunmadecharters.com) out of Port Fourchon, LA. Capt. Chris Moran and Capt Chad are incredible at the fish catching...they will flat out put you on the fish!!!

TO SEE INCREDIBLE VIDEO FROM THIS TRIP, AND OTHERS, CLICK THE BELOW LINK!!! MAKE SURE AND CHECK OUT THE COBIA FOOTAGE AND SAM MORAN DIVING INTO SHARK INFESTED WATER TO SAVE A ROD AND REEL!!!
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rayhuntz&search_type=&aq=f

*Following article is Ray's from the September 2009 Marsh and Bayou Magazine!

When Louisiana native and Grammy winning Zydeco artist Terrance Simien told me he had never been fishing offshore, I couldn't believe it. I knew I had to show him what he was missing! And who better to handle that order than Captain Chris Moran and CajunMade Charters in Port Fourchon, Louisiana. So I called up Capt Chris and set a date to take Terrance fishing and film an episode of my TV show, "Ray Huntz Outdoors".
We all converged on Capt Chris' lodge in Fourchon about the same time on Wedsday afternoon. I could go on and on about Chris' hospitality and how wonderful his lodge, hotel, restaraunt, and bar is...but this is a fishing article! But seriously, Chris Moran runs a five star operation!
I brought steaks and Terrance brought the makings for a Sauce Picquante...something I hadn't yet eaten but was looking forward to! It also happens to be a dish that is one of Terrance's specialties! Turkey necks, chicken thighs, tasso, smoked sausage and shrimp make the Sauce Picquante a real man's meal! And brother, that was one of the best dishes I have EVER shoveled in! If Terrance ever leaves the music biz, he has a second calling as a chef!
After filling our bellies, we headed out to Chris' lighted fishing pier to try for some Speckled Trout. The fish were there, darting in and out of the light, but they were not in the mood to really take the bait. So we headed off to bed to be rested up for our trip.
After getting up the next morning, we had a little time before we had to be at the marina, so we thought we would try the Specks one more time before the sun came up. The fish were definetly hungry! I started casting a plastic jig and caught fifteen specks in a row...so I ran and got Terrance, put a rod in his hands and watched him catch fifteen or twenty in a row. They were just school sized fish, but man it was fun...and what a way to start the day!
We got to the marina and met up with Capt Chad and First Mate Sam, our guides for the day. Then we cranked up and headed south into the Gulf. As we headed out, the Gulf was as calm as you could ask for...a promising start to the day!
We hit a rig to catch Hardtails using a Sabiki multi-jig rig...once we had some bait, we continued South for a while, stopping at a rig in 420 feet to start with some Amberjack fishing. It was calm and the water was beautiful! We did not have to wait long. As soon as I dropped the Hardtail down and flipped the bail...WHAM! A big AJ was on the line! Talk about a fight, wow! AJ's are like being hooked into a streetcar! We got my fish, a respectable 30 pounder, in the box and it was Terrance's turn. Within seconds, Terrance had his first offshore fish on the line! And what a fight! Another nice AJ found its way into the box.
Once we had our limits of AJ's in the box, we headed further South to hit a rig for Red Snapper. Still using the Hardtails, we immediately got on the fish. These fish will give ya a fight, but not near what the AJ's will give you. The first fish I pulled up was the biggest Red Snapper I have ever caught...pushing the upper 20's in weight...almost at 30lbs.. Talk about pretty...seeing that Snapper come up in the ultra clear water...a beautiful thing!
In no time we had Terrance hooked up on a big Red Snapper. And with a two fish limit on Red Snapper, we had our limits in no time.
I have to stop and say again what an incredible job CajunMade Charters does. These guys work their tails off for the customer...just simply check out the photos accompanying this article to see what I mean!
Now that we had our Snapper limit, it was time to head deeper to try for some Grouper. The Grouper did not want to be accomodating. But the AJ's were definetly hungry. We pulled up so many, up to 60 lbs., that we were ready to head back in and try for some Cobia and/or Mangrove Snapper. The fish box was gettin full!!!
So we are headed in and see a single shrimp boat anchored in the distance. Capt Chad and I smiled at each other. This is exactly what we were looking for to get on a Cobia or two (Or six, as it turned out!).
Instead of using Hardtails, on this stop, we switched to a big flourescent green chartreuse jig. I dropped it down and before it was out of sight, a big Cobia was circling the jig. And then, WHAM!, the fish had it and was running. Line was running out playing that reel music! These fish fight hard, but after a bunch of AJ's hooked deep, it felt like I was fighting a bluegill! In no time the Cobia was boatside, gaffed and in the box!
We dropped the jig back down and immediatly had another hook up...we were going Cobia-Crazy!!! It was one after the other...the Cobia could not leave that jig alone.
We also had Sharks and Bonita all over the place. That's the main reason we were using the jigs to begin with; if we dropped live bait down, the Sharks and Bonita were all over it.
On the next to last Cobia, Capt Chad almost dropped the gaff. So First Mate Sam set the rod down to help with gaff...without putting it in a rod holder...and the rod goes right in the water. And Sam goes right in after it...into the water with all of the sharks! He very quickly surfaced, with the rod, and got into the boat. Now THAT is dedication to be willing to go in with a bunch of sharks to save some tackle!
Our last stop of the day was at a rig for some light tackle Mangrove Snapper action. I had my ABU Garcia spooled with 17lb. Vanish with a 50lb. leader. We started chumming with Sardines and the action was immediate! We were using cut Sardines as bait and the Mangrove's couldn't get enough of them! And the fish were fat...8-10 lb. range. We didnt stay long at the rig because we already had a pretty full fish box.
We headed in so that we could get the fish cleaned and cooked. We were all pretty worn out. It had to be one of the best trips I have had offshore. While this was Terrance's first trip offshore, it won't be his last! We already have a trip scheduled with CajunMade Charters for the winter Lump season!
Terrance Simien is a Louisiana native whose family has been documented in Louisiana since the mid 1700's. Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience won the first Grammy Award ever given out in the Zydeco/Cajun category in 2007 for his album "Live Worldwide!". He has easily played his music in front of over a million people worldwide. His current album is "Across The Parish Line" and is available on his website, www.terrancesimien.com. He has one of the most soulful voices you will ever hear...listen to "Always On My Mind" or "Louisiana 1927" and see if you dont get goosebumps...I bet you will!
Capt Chris Moran and CajunMade Charters is COMPLETELY full service, boasting the charter service, lodge, hotel, restaurant, bar, tackle/bait shop and store. He is an incredible captain. For more information visit his website, www.cajunmadecharters.com!