Nowhere in the world offers a world-class fishery like Plaquemines Parish. From bass to billfish, from small, secluded, crystal clear ponds with redfish tailing to bluewater with giant yellowfin tuna busting the surface near an offshore oil rig, there is always something that will make even the seasoned angler gawk in amazement. It happens to me at least a half dozen times a year.

Not only do we have some of the best fishing in the world: Just north of us lies the city of New Orleans, a town with more amazing food and music than any visitor could desire. Afterall, where do you think a city known for such great seafood harvests it? Right here in the marshes and off the coast of Plaquemines Parish.

Here, all the nutrients deposited from the Mississippi River feed the microorganisms that the little fish feed on. The little fish are eaten by bigger fish, and so on, and so on, until we have a 10 pound red I’ve been looking for or a fat bass just right for frying.

Did I say bass? This is salt water! Duhh! No the Mississippi is fresh water. So we are blessed with the best of both worlds in Plaquemines Parish. We can go out in the morning and catch a mess of speckled trout bouncing a plastic grub, then we can hang some fresh shrimp under a cork around 10 am and catch a few reds. After we recline in one of our many motels or cabins or camps for a noon siesta we can run out to the marsh and catch a mess of green trout (largemouth bass) in the late afternoon. I usually do this with a creature bait flipped up into the miles of Roseau canes that we have along the miles of passes that carry the Mississippi to the Gulf. Where else in the United States do I have these kind of fishing options? Nowhere.

Everybody likes to think that their favorite place is “GOD’S Country,” well, Plaquemines Parish truly is God’s Country, especially if you are a fisherman.