By David Hall, the Fishing Bum:
Life is full of surprising opportunities, especially amongst fisherman,
Just the other day I was at the Rigolets Marina picking up some live shrimp. While waiting in line a prominent fishing guide and legend in these parts came walking up with another fella. They were discussing their displeasure with the recent phenomenon of social media and the negative effect that it’s causing the local fishing. Their conclusion was that all the fishing post were alerting the fishing world to the bite and causing congestion and pressure on the fishing grounds like they’d never seen before.
I’m not going to necessarily disagree with their analogy, in fact, I too have seen how a post can cause a bit of chaos on the waters. That being said I have an alternate perspective to the negatives and do see the positive effects that social media has made in the fishing community as well, and how I believe it assisted in changing one fisherman’s life in a quite amazing way.
Approximately six months ago I became Facebook friends with a fella by the name of Perry Alexander Barras. I sent Perry a friend request after seeing a fishing video that he had produced and published on social media. I found the video to be entertaining. Perry seemed to be an interesting fella. There was something about him that was different from many of the folks that produce professional and amateur fishing vids and those that work the business end of fishing. He wasn’t all Columbia and Bass Pro if ya know what I mean.
I got tickled watching his vids. Perry wore his hat brim flat not curved like those of us middle aged fellas. He wore sunglasses that had bright white rims and he wore designer jeans. That’s right, designer jeans on a fishing boat. His look was different than most you’d see out on the water. He had an accent that screamed St. Bernard and a persona that marked him as a City Boy. As always, don’t judge a book by its cover.
Perry’s vids were well produced and informative. He blended a little bit of zydeco and what I’d call a new wave techno music that gave the videos the Perry Barras flair. It was obvious from watching the videos that Perry was a knowledgeable, avid, and accomplished sight fisherman as well as a talented videographer, editor, and producer. He appeared to be an above average fisherman and his videos were a reflection of his skill set. All that being said, imagine my surprise when I found out that this 41-year-old man had only been fishing for five years.
That’s right, five years. I was shocked. I reached out to Perry because I had to hear his story. Turns out Perry had no family or friends that fished when he was growing up. He had no exposure to fishing and/or boating at all. So why does a 36-year-old man wake up one day and decide I want to start fishing?
Turns out among many things Perry is a Disc Jockey. Five years ago he was DJ’ing at a Bourbon street dance club. Perry was usually heading home in Chalmette on Judge Perez around 5:00 am. When heading home he would always see the fisherman trailering their boats south towards Delacroix and Shell Beach. He said that he always wondered what it was about fishing, that lured so many folks towards the sport.
Well, in 2012, curiosity got the best of Perry. For whatever the reason, he felt compelled and bought an 18 ft Excel with a 90 E-TEC. He studied several fishing articles in the local outdoors magazines and headed to the launch with his newly purchased gear and some dead shrimp. Perry said after catching piles of hard heads he finally one day caught a big redfish. He said after that day he was hooked.
He said it’s all he could think about. He studied more articles and he reached out to fisherman on social media. Eventually, he developed a relationship and started fishing with fellas like Joe Causer and Ty Hibbs. He told me that they taught him a great deal about sight fishing.
Perry loves chasing reds in the skinny waters. If the winds are low and the waters are clear, Perry is in the marsh ponds chasing reds. Perry said, “it’s just a feeling I get when I spot a Redfish. I go into Beast Mode. Sometimes you have a minute to study which way they’re heading and figure out the perfect cast, and other times they’re four feet from the trolling motor when you spot them and you have to make that split-second decision or lose the fish. That my friend is a huge adrenaline rush!”
Perry says he watches experienced anglers closely. He said it’s sometimes the littlest things that make the biggest difference in fishing. Perry has excelled a great deal since his humble beginnings just five years ago but is still wide open to learning different styles and techniques.
This writer has been fishing since I was a little boy. My father was a fisherman and his father was a fisherman too. My pops taught me the basics and I took it from there. I’m now a 54-year-old man whose fishing skills are a culmination of forty-eight years of studying the fishing research of others, as well as surrounding myself with other successful fishermen, and of course a whole lot of trial and error. I consider myself a better than average fisherman, but like many in our sport, I certainly have a great deal left to learn. I learn something new every time that I’m out on the water. Because of my lifetime devoted to this sport, I tip my curved brim hat to Perry Barras.
I find it amazing that Perry Barras has excelled and come this far in five years. Not only is he an exceptional fisherman, he is also excelling in the world of fishing videography and post production. All he’s using is a GoPro and a Sony Camcorder. If you watch his vids you can see the progression from his earlier work to that of today.
I, like many other fishermen today have started using social media to meet other like a minded outdoorsman. We share our experiences and our knowledge. That’s how Perry met those who helped him cut his teeth and get his start. That’s how he and I met. Six years ago, Perry wasn’t a fisherman and didn’t own a boat. Now he has his on a fishing program with sponsors. His attire has gone from designer jeans to pro staff shirts, hats, and gear.
Perry placed an offer on a waterfront property and it’s been accepted. Now he can hang his new 22-ft Sportsman Bay in a sling behind it and fish as often as he wants. He’s all in folks. He’s hooked! God help him.
I’m anxious to see what the next five years will bring. I’m predicting a bright future for this new member of our fishing community.
And as always, Ugottaluvit!!!
Peace! – David