Capt. Chas Champagne is an avid angler, located in Slidell, LA. Capt. Chas owns and operates Dockside Bait & Tackle and also manufactures his own tackle producing the Matrix Shad fishing lure and the Golden Eye jig heads.

The Dog Days of Summer

The dog days of summer are here and not going anywhere too soon.  Looks like July is going to start off as a wet one to go along with scorching heat.  This is definitely not one of my favorite times of year although we still go fishing and there is several things to do right…

Targeting Spring Trout

Well what a wild spring we have jumped into. From the most swollen Pearl River I may have ever recalled, to a pandemic requiring a 30 day quarantine and why not throw another Bonnett Carre Spillway opening to boot. Well the saying “It can’t get any worse” I think holds pretty true for the beginning…

What to Expect this February

This winter has so far been non existent and the trout have been responding to these warm temperatures.  Typically we loose our speckled trout bite around this time of year but this year the specks have been staying in a November style pattern all winter.  We also usually find the bass and reds stacked up…

Winter Time Reds

Although this winter has been as mild as one I can ever remember this front may be the one to consolidate the red fish in the deep holes of the marsh. Typically easy red fishing starts around the end of November but this winter the temperatures haven’t seemed to get cold enough and the water…

Nick Varnado

Nick Varnado My name is Nick Varnado. Originally from Folsom, I began my saltwater fishing adventure in the Florida Keys. Growing up on a sailboat I was given the opportunity to travel throughout the Caribbean and fish some of the greatest sport fishing grounds on earth. After returning to Louisiana for college I turned my…

Hard Bait Season

Fall and Winter is one of the best times to target trophy trout with hard baits and save the soft plastics for the schoolies. Focus on floating hard baits over grassy shorelines in the fall and transition over to hovering them over rocky banks as we move to winter. In the fall big trout seem…