34 



and began marching even farther into the gulf, growing bigger and bigger — at- 

 tracting more fish. 



And. with this gulfward march of the petroleum Industry's drilling platforms 

 went Louisiana's fishermen. 



The only single true charter boat of twenty years ago was soon augmented by 

 the conversion of fishing boats to accommodate the growing number of anglers 

 who wanted to try Louisiana's expanding gulf fishing. Private yachts that for- 

 merly had fished only inland coastal bays and lakes soon followed and a new 

 breed of anglers was born — gulf fishermen. 



Marinas, coastal launching hoists and boat sheds were built closer and closer 

 to the gulf, and the outlets to the Gulf. Bay fishing and coastal lake fishing still 

 attracted a large percentage of angling activity, but gulf waters became increas- 

 ingly popular. 



It was not an overnight transition, but the trend was set. Throughout the 1940's 

 gulf anglers began to push farther offshore. They were exploring and the hopes 

 and dreams of those early explorers began paying off. 



In 1953, a well-known fisherman from Metairie, Louisiana, claimed to have seen 

 what he believed were sailfish off Grand Isle. Folks scoffed at him, but he was 

 convinced that what he had seen on several occasions were sailfish. He boned 

 up on sailfish and how to rig for them. Then he went after them. 



People secretly laughed each time he ventured out and came in empty handed. 

 But he was determined. In October, 1953, he scored in waters off Grand Isle. It 

 was a top score because his 96 pound sailfish still remains at the top of the 

 Louisiana Outdoor Writer's Association list of the "Top Ten" in each species. 



Since then, hundreds and hundreds of sailfish have been caught in Louisiana 

 waters. Highly respected, they are considered commonplace ; and one finds them 

 listed on all of the major fishing rodeo "eligible fish" categories. 



Other things were happening in the gulf. Underwater spearfishing, a sport that 

 blossomed after World War II, found the divers bringing in huge jewfish that 

 ranged in the hundreds of pounds. Baracuda, a species that had never before 

 been taken by hook and line began congregating around the mushrooming offshore 

 petroleum drilling platforms. The spearfishermen were the first to catch them. 

 With the jewfish and the barracudas came the groupers. 



As the number of offshore platforms increased, another new species began 

 showing up. There is still much to be learned about where the pompano come 

 from and where they go in the spring; but in the fall and winter months, rig 

 fishermen began catching the highly-prized food and game fish. At first, pompano 

 catches at best numbered a dozen fish. The falls and the winters rolled by and 

 catches mounted. The hundred-per-trip-mark was first reached in 1960 ; and since 

 that time, catches of pompano by numerous fishing parties of six persons, or less, 

 frequently number in the hundreds today. 



Pompano, considered a mild water fish in Florida, along the coast and at the 

 mouths of the i-ivers entering the gulf and the Atlantic, developed a fondness 

 for the offshore platforms. Prior to erection of the offshore platforms, a few were 

 taken along Louisiana's shoreline ; but with construction of the rigs, the annual 

 migration began to build up to where today the princely pompano is one of 

 Louisiana's leading "winter" fish in popularity with fishermen. 



While moody at times and inclined to move from one rig to another during 

 the fall and winter months, they can be sought out. Once a school is located there 

 is plenty of action. 



There are two other changes that have occurred during the past decade for the 

 average gulf fisherman. One is blue fish. While always present in considerable 

 numbers ; as the years rolled by, they increased in size. Instead of two-pounders 

 or three-pounders : blue fish ranging five pounds and upwards began showing up. 

 They have increased steadily in size and the present state record is a 10-pound, 

 6-ounce fish caught in July of 1968. Sis and seven-pounders are pretty common. 



Possibly due to the more than two thousand rigs and platforms a new species 

 of "white trout" also began showing up in gulf waters. Some fishermen call 

 them silver trout; but they are a member of the weakfish family, and far 

 greater in size than the common "white trout" found in the inland coastal 

 lakes, bays, bayous and brackish canals. 



And at the same time that massive pompano schools began to arrive in 

 season, it was noted that Spanish Mackerel began to become more numerous 

 and much larger in size. These changes which greatly enhanced gulf fishing to 

 charter boat parties marked only the start of the big changes in sportfishing 

 in the gulf that were to follow. 



