I just returned from a road trip along the coast of Louisiana and Texas. We were filming a new saltwater kayak fishing DVD with Quietwater films. The main focus of the film is shallow water kayak fishing for redfish and also kayak fishing for big speckled trout in the lower Laguna Madre on the Texas coast.

We had arranged to fish with various Native Watercraft Endorsed Guides throughout the trip. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to hire a local kayak fishing guide, especially if you are traveling and fishing in an area that you are not familiar. They are out there everyday and not only know the most productive areas to fish but which specific areas are the most productive due the tides, wind, water levels, etc. For one of many examples, some areas can be highly productive on a certain tide but dead at other times. You would be wasting your time trying to fish them on the wrong tide so hiring a guide is well worth the expense.

We started out fishing with Gary Taylor of Slidell Louisiana. Gary grew up in the marsh and knows it like the back of his hand. He has been guiding for many years and was one of the first fly-fishing guides in Louisiana. He is an Orvis Endorsed Fly-Fishing Guide and a Native Watercraft Endorsed Guide. Gary was a pioneer in kayak fishing and was one of the first kayak fishing guides in Louisiana. He is very innovative and has one of the most unique guiding operations I have ever seen. He has a mother ship that can transport you in comfort across Lake Borgne to the shelter of the Louisiana Marsh and places that seldom, if ever, get fished. He opens up a world that is beyond the reach of most kayakers unless they have a boat to transport them out there. Even more important, he knows where to fish when you get there. He also offers customized packages for couples and groups who want to do combination fishing, bird watching, photography or an eco tour. He used to run swamp tours so he is very knowledgeable of everything that lives in the marsh. Gary was the first to discover an area he named "The Land of the Giants". It is an area where he regularly catches redfish in the 15 to 30 lb. range. This is where we planned to target to fly-fish for the giant reds. Unfortunately, the fog was so bad that we had no visibility at all and were unable to see any fish and barely each other. It is impossible to sight fish when you cannot see to locate fish. Gary took us to a different area and we were able to catch some fish but had to give up on the 'giants'. We had only planned one day of fishing with Gary and had a schedule to keep so we had to move on down the road and could not stay and wait for better conditions.

Our next stop was with Danny and Kristen Wray at their fishing camp in Grand Isle Louisiana. They call it a camp but it is really a nice house with wonderful waterfront accommodations. Not only is it a great place to stay, Kristen is a wonderful cook and prepares some mouth watering meals. Danny is a master of the grill and he cooks a 'redfish on the half shell' Cajun-style that is to die for. 'Redfish on the half shell' is prepared by taking a redfish and filleting it without scaling it. You marinate it and then lay the filet scale side down on the grill. You leave it on the grill until it is cooked to your satisfaction and then serve it right off the skin. Redfish have large scales so the skin and scales become hard like a dish as it cooks so all of the flavor and seasoning is contained.

Danny and Kristen are both great guides and anglers. One of the great features of their operation is that it is geared to take anybody, from novice anglers to the really experienced anglers, depending on both their kayaking and fishing capabilities. They can customize a trip to fit the needs of any group of anglers; from couples who might want to fish but also bird watch, take photographs or eco tour to the hardcore anglers who only want to fish. They have a lot of areas to fish and they can make it as simple as a short paddling distance to catch fish or a true adventure. I wanted them to demonstrate a trip that would suite both novice kayakers and novice anglers. Danny and Kristen paddled perhaps 200 yards and started catching redfish. They were using live minnows for bait rigged on spinning gear so it would be easy for someone who had never been fishing or kayaking to catch fish. They caught redfish until I told them that they had more than proved their point.

I first met Ruben back in 1997 while I was working for the Orvis Company. He was working in a fly shop down on South Padre Island that was an Orvis dealer. I had a kayak on top of my car and after we discussed the attributes of kayak fishing, they decided to become a kayak dealer. So kayak fishing is not new to Ruben who was one of the pioneers of kayak fishing on the Texas coast and has been an avid kayak fisherman and guide for many years. We had been fishing for redfish all the way down the Gulf coast and wanted to target the big speckled trout of the Lower Laguna Madre.

Ruben is also a skiff guide so he can use his skiff as a mother ship to transport our kayaks to the area that he intends to fish or he can transport them on land to the area. We planned to fish an area that would have been a long distance to paddle so Ruben and two of his friends, guides Rufus Castro and Sonny Hinojosa, loaded our kayaks on their skiffs and transported them to the fishing grounds. After a short run to the fishing grounds, we

Ruben has a house where he offers lodging for his clients so we went back to the house and Ruben cooked a great meal with a Mexican version of 'redfish on the half shell'. You can use your imagination to the type of marinade and seasoning you use but I can tell you that it was interesting to taste the difference between the Cajun and Mexican version. They were both fabulous but Ruben served his wrapped in tacos, which added a different twist.

I stepped out of my van after a good night's sleep and stood face-to-face with a 10-point buck and several does feeding in the yard. At night there are literally deer roaming all over the neighborhood and they are highly protected. After breakfast I was back on the road, and 17 hours later I was back home in Point Clear Alabama. All the driving that I had done was well worth the time that I was able to spend with so many unique and knowledgeable people in so many beautiful places. That is the beauty of spending quality time with people who have a passion for their work and make a living on the water. You can learn more about these guides and contact them by clicking on the following: Native Endorsed Fishing Guides.