Gambling Directory

Fishing, gambling in Louisiana's Bayou

06/11/2001

In Bayou Country of Louisiana just a five-hour drive along Interstate 10 from San Antonio, the historic city of Lake Charles is becoming an increasingly popular destination for Texas anglers interested in testing both their indoor and outdoor luck.
Taking a driving trip rather than flying has been heightened has become a trend with the recent concerns about terrorist activity in this country
"There are a lot of people now who don't like to fly on their vacation, so they are driving here," said Deirdra Willis of the Isle of Capri Casino.
Even as the hope of filling up both a wallet and a stringer on the same trip may be overly optimistic, Texas residents have never been known for being too timid to take a gamble.
Willis said "We work closely with the Hackberry Rod and Gun Club (on the dual vacation opportunities),"
"A lot of (Texans) come over for a day fishing trip and then come back here to let their hair down and gamble," she said. "We are the closest casino to the Texas border.
"summer is our busiest time, from May through August," Willis said.
Appropriately, that summer period is also prime fishing time at the nearby Calcasieu Lake also known as "Big Lake," which is known for its inland salt waters and surrounding marshes that offer good action for redfish, speckled trout and flounder.
"Last year between March and June, we landed more than 100 trout over seven pounds," said Ken Chaumont, owner of Mighty Mite Hang & Release Anchors and an avid angler working out of Hebert's Marina on Calcasieu Lake.
The Isle of Capri Casino has been in operation for six years and just last year opened its 252-room Hotel Tower to add to the 241 rooms in place at the Inn.

A giant leap from rustic fishing camps where some anglers have to stay when they're not out on the water, the Isle offers everything from whirlpool tubs in the rooms to a sauna where the day's woes can be sweated out.
While friendly poker games might rule at a fishing camp, at the Isle's two floating casinos ? the Crown and the Grand Palais ? there are more than 1,800 slot machines and 90 gambling tables for anyone over 21 years of age looking to test their luck.
Even though the gambling machines are exactly the same as kind as those used in Las Vegas, the atmosphere at the Isle is definitely more Louisiana friendly and more laid back than that in the Nevada gambling mecca.
"We don't pretend to be the biggest operation, we just want to be the best," Willis said. "The odds are just as good here as they are anywhere."
Louisiana friendly is also a good description of the fishing opportunities just to the south of Lake Charles, where Capt. Sammie Faulk of Hebert's Marina serves as a headquarters for more than a half-dozen fishing guides.
"All commercial net fishing was eliminated on the lake seven years ago and the trout fishing has just exploded since then," Chaumont said.
"On Fridays and Saturdays, it is not unusual to see 1,000 boats out here."
An ardent advocate of artificials, probably because of his long association with Bill Lewis lures, Chaumont said that live bait is rarely necessary for Lady Luck to shine on Big Lake anglers.
"Top-waters, soft plastics, walking baits and chuggers all work well," he said, adding that he believes, "Real men don't use live bait."
The fishing success also has its down side, he said, explaining that the state's liberal limit of 25 speckled trout (12-inch minimum) has some guides seeking controls on too much of a good thing.

"We've created a fishing mecca that is our own worst enemy," Chaumont said. "The fishing is still good, but it's not what it was three years ago."

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