By Capt. Sonny Schindler:
It was about 2 AM in the morning and the seas were rough. We were just rounding Ship Island, watching the Mississippi Gulf Coast skyline fade away. Capt Matt Tusa and myself were fixated on our two bay boats following us in tow. I was a bit uneasy watching as my boat trailed behind last, only visible by the tow lights. Being able to see my unrest, Capt Matt did his best to make the best of the situation. He grinned at me as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and pressed the off button. “Phones don’t work out there kiddo,” Tusa added as I followed his lead turning my phone off. Our phones usually ring day and night, so this was already shaping up to be a good time.
We were aboard the Southern Sport, one of the nicest “Chandeleur boats” in the fleet. The Southern Sport is, “One hundred and eighteen feet of ultimate fishing luxury,” and we were along for the ride. The plan was to film a fishing show for Academy Sports and Outdoors at the world famous Chandeleur Islands. We were spotlighting one of kind wading belts and accessories from Mac Delaup, owner of Fish-n-Hunt Pro wading gear.
Located 35 miles south of Biloxi, the Chandeleur Islands are some of the best speckled trout and red fishing in the world. With miles of grassy flats and virtually uninhabited beaches, Chandeleur is a place of beauty and solitude. Having multiple boats in their fleet, operations like Southern Sportfishing take multi-day trips to the island in style. Usually, anglers are allowed the freedom of fishing from skiffs carried by the large vessels. Between the first class service and the local knowledge from the crew, this is truly the only way to fish Chandeleur.
Capt Matt worked for a similar operation for four and a half years before joining the Shore Thing Charters team, and he was going to be our guide. We were able to bring both our bay boats for the filming of the show, his 23 Parker, and my 22 Kenner. The plan was simple, get as much footage as we could in three days, of trout and red fishing. Normally finding trout and redfish is no problem at Chandeleur, but a stiff 15 to 20-knot wind made our island adventure a little tricky.
Day one came very quickly and both Capt Matt and I were a little groggy from the 3 hours of sleep. Our spirits were soon lifted as the aroma of bacon, eggs, sausage and fresh coffee came billowing from the galley. Capt Tom Reynolds (engineer and cook) greeted us with a smile and pointed us to the seemingly endless buffet. The food was incredible all through the trip but fishing was the first order of business. We soon met up with our team: Jerry deBin, Director of outdoor marketing for Academy Sports and Outdoors, Capt Chad Brauer, Host and professional fisherman, Chad Head, Videographer, and David Biediger Outdoor Media Coordinator for Academy Sports and Outdoors. Rounding out our crew was Capt Matt, Texas guide Capt Bubba Ray from Galveston, and myself.
The wind was howling and the water around the island was rough and dirty. Capt Matt made the call to try and tuck inside the island to look for redfish.
Not much was filmed in the way of fishing on our first outing, but everyone got along and traded endless fishing tales.
The ride back to the Southern Sport was a little bumpy, but it actually looked like we might get a break in the weather. Capt Tom and fellow Captains John Jeanvoron and Robbie Thorton had a wonderful lunch already waiting. Juicy hamburgers with all the fixings got everyone’s mind off the tough morning of fishing.
West African native, and deck hand extraordinaire known only as “Jada”, ended everyone’s much-needed lunch break. “Eet flat calm out der mon, yall go get em,” he informed us. Scrambling like ants, we all jumped in the bay boats and headed off. Capt Matt took the lead and weaved through the islands endless sandbars like a madman. His years of experience certainly made up for a sheer lack. Not knowing how long the good weather would hold, we beached our boats and started wade fishing on a beautiful shell beach island. Tusa informed us to fish the bottom very slow, using only a 3/8 ounce jig head and a 2 foot shot of fluorocarbon. “The bite will be soft so keep a tight line, and keep moving, we will find them,” said Matt. Tusa was followed by the camera crew while Capt Bubba and I made our own way. Not long after our quick lesson, Tusa was the first to hook up, followed quickly by Brauer. Both trout were fat and long as they dragged behind the stringers on their new “Fish-n-Hunt Pro” wade fishing belts. I have to admit those belts Mac lent us for the wade fishing were the absolute coolest things since sliced bread! 
The rest of the afternoon was filled with flurries of big island trout. One fish here, 4 fish here and so on. The new Berkley swim baits accounted for the majority of the trout. Landing fish off the beach was usually waiting for the right wave and slinging the big fish onto the beach. Both bay boats had a healthy mess of fish as the sun began to sink over the horizon. One great thing about these live aboard vessels is that you can fish till the last bit of daylight.
Over a nice dinner of shrimp spaghetti, we discussed our attack plan for day two. The weather report was looking good and our hopes were high. Brauer, deBin, and Tusa all agreed to head straight back to the same spot but with different tackle. They all agreed to get up early, get a quick breakfast, and try to get some fish on topwater. After a long first day of fishing, and a belly full of food, we all faded effortlessly off to sleep.
Day two we were on the water well before sunrise, we were all excited about the top water bite. The Academy boys all had the newest Ambassador Revo reels along with Allstar rods ready for some action. Mirror lure top dogs, and she dogs were launched into the water seconds after both boats were beached at yesterday’s trout hole. Capt Matt and Chad Brauer both got some excellent footage of top water caught trout. Capt Bubba Ray and I had other plans for the morning. Both of our Fish-n-Hunt tackle trays were loaded with suspending twitch baits. Ray fishes for big fish in TX and I was happy to learn a little from such a nice fellow. “The topwater bite is slow and the bottom fishing ain’t happening yet, let’s meet ’em in the middle,” said Bubba. Capt Ray and I put together the best stringer of fish for the entire trip. Most of the trout were in the 2 to the 4lb range with a few close to 5lbs. Having a very little need for suspending baits where we normally fish, I was thrilled to learn a new technique.
We did head in a little early for lunch, but that was only because fresh speckled trout was on the menu. John, Tom, Jada, and Robbie had a feast waiting for us, and we devoured everything – even the fresh brownies with ice cream. Our momentum soon came to a grinding halt as the wind picked back up. What was once a slick calm body of water soon became a turbulent bowl of chocolate milk. The waves were kicking, the wind was blowing and the fish were nowhere to be found.
We spent that afternoon wade fishing inside the island through some cuts and drains. With the exception of a few tiny trout, some bluefish, and plenty of catfish, it was a bust. The wind seemed to keep building and it actually got chilly, so we all called it a day. Our heads were hung low but were lifted high as our noses got a whiff of grilling steaks on the back deck of the Southern Sport. Jada and the boys helped us stow our gear, handed everyone their beverage of choice, and we hit the showers. I don’t ever recall having a steak dinner so good that it gave me goosebumps, but it did happen. We all ate well over our limit, but no one once complained. The Captain and crew informed us that more bad was on the way, and we would make a call in the morning.
Day three found us sipping coffee on the back deck as even more wind and the possibility of rain ended our adventure way too soon. Everyone on the trip had a laundry list of things to do, and fishing in conditions like those was not one of them. Within a matter of minutes, the boats were rigged to be towed, the anchor was pulled and we were on our way. Most of us traded emails and phone numbers while others watched movies on the multiple flat screen televisions throughout the boat. As we rounded ship island Capt Matt found ourselves again watching the boats trailing behind us. Tusa reached for his cell phone as I did mine, we both let out a sigh, we put them back in our pockets and both agreed, “10 more minutes.”
As always, have fun and be safe!
Captain Sonny Schindler
Shore Thing Fishing Charters
Bay St Louis, MS
(228)-342-2295
www.shorethingcharters.com