Last week I had the honor to accompany my buddy Bill Matthews back to Hopedale, Louisiana to fish a few days with Capt. Greg Moon. Our main objective was to spread Bill’s late wife Lori Matthew’s ashes out in the marsh for her final farewell. It was here Lori took her last trip with Bill and landed a giant redfish over forty pounds a few years ago before she fell ill. We honored her memory on the second day of our trip back in the marsh by playing a short video of Lori’s finest catches on Bill’s iphone as he sprinkled rose petals and her ashes over the water. It was an emotional moment, the last of the many places Bill fished with Lori and spread her ashes. We did have a fun time together on the first day, the wind was down and we threw surface poppers to giant redfish and jacks. I lucked out with my first sight-fished sheepshead right up against the marsh edge. Our other two buddies Rex Ito and Don Shaul accompanied us on this short but sweet trip and got a few personal bests as well. We all stayed at the historic Dogwood Lodge, a converted US coastguard vessel moored along the bank of Hopedale harbor. I love Louisian, I feel very close to this town visiting it over twenty times while my old roommate live in New Orleans, it feels like my second home. Great food and great people.
–Al Q
flies, sand & surf 