Hello! And welcome to Louisiana Fishing Blog. I'm glad you're here and would like to tell you a little about myself. This way you know what separates me and my content from the rest of the herd.
My name is Devin, and I love inshore fishing in Louisiana because it's an amazing place to get away and catch some fish.
Her marsh is vast, and it's possible to fish there without seeing another soul all day. There's plenty to catch, too.
Simply put, a fishing trip in Louisiana has great potential to be the experience of a lifetime and create memories that last forever.
Because of this, I feel everyone should experience the great fishing here, and my way of making that happen is by sharing my fishing knowledge in the guides and articles on this website, the videos on my YouTube channel and — last, but not least — my fishing university, LAFB Elite.
There's a lot to share because I've been inshore fishing for a long time and have learned a lot along the way. It has been somewhat of a journey from beginner to expert angler.
Most of what you need to know to catch fish 100% on your own is found right here on Louisiana Fishing Blog. A great way to be notified whenever I post something new is to subscribe to my email list:
Growing Up Fishing
Almost all of us have been fishing during our childhood, but I'm not kidding when I tell you that we fished a lot. My dad loved taking me and my brother fishing, and we loved going!
Me showing off speckled trout. Slidell 1995
See, I’m an 80’s kid, born to a father and mother who weren’t from Louisiana. My dad grew up fishing farm ponds in Indiana, where he would catch perch and largemouth bass.
He took that love for fishing to another level when the military brought him to Louisiana. He’d take me and my brother to fish Lake Pontchartrain with Rattle Traps and live grass shrimp from Tite’s Marina in Slidell, before eventually expanding to Hopedale and Shell Beach in St. Bernard Parish.
As he learned, we also learned.
During that time I gained a solid foundation of fishing knowledge during those years, but most importantly I also gained a love with inshore fishing. My dad planted that seed in my heart and I am forever indebted to him for it.
My brother Tyler displaying a nice speckled trout. Hopedale 1998
Bad weather. Good weather. It didn't matter. If we had time off we went fishing!
Delacroix 1999. The kid on the left is my buddy Ben. He's a fishing guide now.
We created a lot of good memories and the passion for inshore fishing was forever lit in my heart.
Me and Dad. Bayou Biloxi 1998
Going To Bulk Fuel...
However, those fishing trips eventually came to an end when I became an adult and decided it was time to pump gas and kick ass.
I joined Bulk Fuel, turning 18 in boot camp and by the time I turned 21 I was on my second deployment passing that fuel hose.
Bulk Fuel was an amazing experience
Pumping Gas & Kicking Ass
But eventually the opportunity for me at the gas pump came to an end. Other things landed in my lap and I eventually left Bulk Fuel to pursue another life: doing stuff for people.
See people. Do stuff.
You get to meet a lot of cool people while doing stuff for them! You never know who will you see or what you will do!
More people. More stuff.
As you can imagine, I wasn't do much fishing while pumping gas or doing stuff! But I would be reminded of home from time to time.
Whenever I saw rivers and lakes in far away places I'd remember the warm memories of fishing trips deep inside the marsh.
...Then Coming Back
So you know what happened! When I came home, it was time to go fishing.
I fished so much that you could check the Breton Sound Marina dock cam (no longer in service) and find me cleaning a pile of fish.
A successful fall fishing trip in November 2009.
Limit of speckled trout and one complimentary redfish.
All that "stuff" and...fishing?!
A lot of what I had learned while doing stuff for people turned out to be really useful for fishing! Running on night vision goggles is one example.
Night vision is a great tool, but can be dangerous to use for the novice. Fortunately, I had a lot of experience with this kind of tech while doing stuff for people.
Interpreting satellite imagery is another.
Just as I used GIS products to do stuff for people, I'd use Google Earth to locate fishing spots, identify navigational hazards and create custom routes to follow on my GPS.
I've used Google Earth for years in various places (before it was known as "Google Earth") and was the first inshore angler to post tutorials on its use for inshore fishing.
Google Earth is a highly underrated tool and years of experience have made me the leading expert on its use for inshore fishing in Louisiana.
Keeping an open mind, trying new fishing spots, learning new techniques, and casting different tackle made me a better angler.
Then I Became A Fishing Guide
Eventually, I was confident enough to begin guiding clients in the marsh. This was great because I wanted to stay home in Louisiana.
A successful father/daughter trip in December 2011.
Honestly, I learned more guiding than ever before, the chief reason being catching fish on demand is a lot harder than having fun with your buddies and no expectations.
But I became pretty good, offering a "no fish, no pay" guarantee. With time, this grew to an admirable twenty fish guarantee.
This trip from 2012 shows how much catching we did. :)
The Clear Realization About Being A Fishing Guide
I really enjoyed guiding because it did for others what fishing with my dad did for me: create awesome memories that last a lifetime.
Those fishing trips, and the lessons learned they taught, were chronicled here in Louisiana Fishing Blog.
Readers told me how much they learned from those fishing reports and articles, causing me to realize that Louisiana Fishing Blog was a way to empower people to go on awesome fishing trips.
With LAFB it was possible to help thousands more people have fun catching fish than I could ever do guiding!
So I kept writing, eventually going full-time with it in 2015.
But my inshore fishing journey was just getting started.
The Benefit Of Fishing Tournaments
In 2016 I signed up to compete in the Louisiana Saltwater Series, a redfish tournament trail hosting events across the coast of Louisiana, from Slidell, south to Venice and west all the way to Lake Calcasieu.
This was a huge eye opener for me, because I was only accustomed to fishing the salty Biloxi Marsh, and now had to find redfish in all kinds of different water.
Just like guiding, this pushed my skills and knowledge to the max, and I am proud to say that we landed in the money and did well for our first year.
Catching 16lbs+ on our first tournament was a huge confidence booster! (cashing a check is nice, too)
It was a great year and I learned a lot, so much that I felt compelled to write about it in this blog post.
But tournament fishing took me away from Louisiana Fishing Blog and what I really liked to do: help people catch fish 100% on their own.
So, I gave it up and began writing more for LAFB and tagging fish for TAG Louisiana.
I tagged this big speck Jamie caught, and it was later recaptured in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
I tagged well over 1,000 fish and learned even more about their movements, confirming some theories and fielding more questions.
I've tagged a few fish, but this is nothing compared to what Charlie Bush or Norman Norton has achieved.
The Tipping Point
With time I learned that, for the most part, anyone can reel in a fish.
Sure it's fun, but it's not challenging.
I feel that the "reel" challenge (see what I did there?) is found in locating fish.
It's a very satisfying feeling and finding fish from scratch makes up the majority of the information you'll find here.
And many people have benefited from reading the articles here, telling me about how much it helped their fishing trips.
Randy Harkins
Contractor
This one particular time someone told me to check out Louisiana Fishing Blog. Boy that was probably the best tip I have ever gotten.
I have gained so much knowledge, took notes, got advice on the right rods and reels, tackle, how to find fish, etc.
The evidence was there: fishing knowledge is number one when it comes to helping someone catch fish.
Not a lure. Not a map. Not a boat. Not any tackle or equipment.
Those are only tools; tools that are useless without a knowledgeable angler operating them.
The Solution That Changed The Way We Learn How To Fish
It was then I decided to put everything in one spot, complete with instructional video and – of course – the really good fishing knowledge that had been kept from the public (sorry, it's just too good).
This became what is now known as Inshore Fishing 101.
Don't let the name fool you! It's not "basic" at all, but rather the foundational inshore fishing knowledge that all other fishing disciplines build upon.
Honestly, most fishing guides don't know everything inside Inshore Fishing 101.
I'm not taking away from their expertise, but pointing out that Inshore Fishing 101 is that comprehensive.
Michael Waters
Navy Veteran
Inshore Fishing 101 is the best course EVER! I loved that I could sit for an hour learning, and it resumed where I left off.
On top of all this, I added instructor support to the course. This allows me to address any gaps in the course lessons and answer questions specific to the individual student.
Inshore Fishing 101 was wildly successful, spurring others to outright copy it – but isn't imitation the sincerest form of flattery? :)
It didn't stop with Inshore Fishing 101, either.
Follow on courses like Inshore Fishing 201 and Sight Fishing Mastery School were created.
The Community That Brings Us Together
I found that the best way to get support for inshore anglers outside of the courses is with the LAFB Elite Community.
It's there we post questions asking about certain areas, the best way to plan an upcoming fishing trip, as well as safe routes, good fishing spots to try and general inshore fishing discussion. Here's an example below:
Whereas platforms like Facebook Groups are focused on mining your data and commanding your attention, the LAFB Elite Community is geared 100% toward serving inshore anglers and giving them the support they need.
Remembering Why We Go Fishing In The First Place
Of course, I am still "fun fishing" today :)
Hey, if you can't do that, then what's the point?
Sometimes I go by myself to practice a new technique without distraction.
Sometimes I go with friends and family to make the same kind of memories where it all began: decades ago in a little flatboat.
My dad's first sight fishing trip, 2016 (sight fishing like this was virtually unheard of in the 90's and 2000's)
Remember the picture of me and Ben earlier? Here we are now as grown men and – you know it – a limit of redfish.
From top to bottom: Ben, Adam, Devin. Delacroix 2019. Both friends are licensed fishing guides now.
So, that's my story. That's how I grew as an inshore angler and how Louisiana Fishing Blog came to be.
Over To You
My #1 goal is to help you catch fish.
Why? Because it's a key ingredient to a great day on the water. It's something to pass on to your kids.
It's good for the economy. It puts a smile on any face.
Maybe you'll grow to the point you become a strong ally in conservation, helping us wisely rebuild our coast and preserve our excellent fishing for generations to come.
However, I can only show you the door, it's up to you to open it.
A great first step is to stay in touch.
Tight lines!
- Captain Devin