# Bad Calcasieu report May 1st.



## bluewater bear (May 24, 2004)

very disapointing trip this weekend to say the least. ended up fishing yesterday instead of sat. b/c of the **** wind, with a lot of convincing to our guide. to set it up for everyone, 6 of us had gone specifically to fish for big specs on topwaters with calcasieu chater service, which is owned by eric rue. we were also supposed to play golf but that didn't happen either. last year, he told a buddy of mine that late april to mid/late may is the best time for trophy trout on top. so that was the type of fishing that we were expecting. instead, we had 2 guides, including eric, take us to only 2 spots and fish with FRESH DEAD yesterday! we were pretty much blown away, considering on saturday morning, he had told us that he never fishes bait until june b/c that is really the best thing to fish with and that he was artifical man only. the guide that i was fishing with sat his *** in the front of the boat and did not say a single thing to us. He caught 1 nice spec, 1 good red and about 5 flatties, while the other 3 of us caught only 1 red total. i can understand that we wind screwed alot up but these guys pretty much proved that they are not out to give people there dollars worth. my othe buddies actually caught 6 flatties, then proceeded to crab with some chicken legs that they got from a crabber that was next to them. now, that was there idea since eric didn't even move to find more fish, or better water. all of us pretty much felt like we were just a nusance to them, even though we were paying clients. i expect for a guide to do everything that he possibly can to put the people that pay his salary on fish and i am not being unrealistic and with my ideas and i know that the weather and how lock jaw the fish are. if anyone of yall guys wants to use them, i would tell you to find someone else. it feels like eric rue's guide service is only out to make his big player clients happy and not us new guys. to **** bad for him b/c my group of guys were going to make a trip with them at least 1 every 3 mths. sorry this is so long, just wanted people to know.


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## troy merrill (May 21, 2004)

*Sounds very familiar*

I fished with those guys once. Once.

Familiar, except we had optimal conditions. They wanted numbers only and if you count 12" trout we caught a ton. The 'guide' was PO'ed when we kept tossing them back.

Never again.


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## elkhunter49 (Jun 7, 2004)

Thank's for sharing that information. A report like that has as much
useful information as a current good report. Thank's again. Later Baker


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## Stay Bent (May 22, 2004)

Thanks and I agree.


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## Calcasieu Cracker (May 24, 2004)

Eric Rue has one of the better reputations around here. You would expect more.


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## Transport22 (Dec 2, 2004)

Will not use them. Thanks for the update and spreading the word.


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## bluewater bear (May 24, 2004)

i heard that he was top notch also. that's why we went with his outfit. guess that we were wrong


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## Mullet (May 21, 2004)

*Calcasieu*

Sorry to hear about it Bear.
You make plans, spend money, make long drives all to patronize this fishing guild.
What did you get "pay up and don't let the door hit you on the way out".
It cost you and your buds some hard earned cash but we all learned something from your bad experience.
It is a shame because there are a lot of great guilds out there. It only take one trip like that to give the profession a bad name.
I know this is no conciliation but thanks for the info.


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## Gordeaux (Jan 12, 2005)

I had a group go w/ Rue a couple years ago and had the same results. We had 2 boats/guides including Rue. He was rude and acted put out by HAVING to take us fishing. We also stayed in his lodge (very nice) but the rules had us standing in the middle of the living room afraid to touch anything. Next time, try Mark Huse from Hackberry Guide Service, top notch, had a great time and very friendly/helpful!!!


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## Sow Trout (Jun 28, 2004)

I'll second Mark Huse and Hackberry Charter Service. Be real specific with Mark about how you want to fish and what you want to catch. I once had to tell a guide in Corpus that I would rather not catch fish than have to fish with shrimp before he would let me on his boat. You might even be able to get Mark to wade.


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## FISH ON (May 22, 2004)

*calcasieu*

Thanks for the info and report.I have not made it down this year long drive and bad weather. I have fished with 3 guide serv. on Calcasieu I would not brag much on any of them. They all use Cell phone to find fish. Last year i had a trip booked with Mark Huse, I was SPECIFIC that i fish with Mark on his boat. Morn of trip i was at Spicers no Mark. Went with one of his other guys. So Hackberry Charter Serv. is not on my A list. Ronnie


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## pkredfish (Jan 14, 2005)

Last year we fished with Darrell of FishyBusiness out of spicers and had a great time. Conditions were horrible but we still caught fish. He knew we were going to be there for four days with our boat and still told us some spots to try. We were skeptical about those spots but the next morning we had more fish in the box than most of his guides.


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## Ledge (Feb 4, 2005)

Eric Rue was on TV with Shaw Grigsby today on OLN, with it's over the top splash noises...jeez. I guess Rue is into infomercials for Strike King snap back 3x and Triton boats now.


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## Wading Mark (Apr 21, 2005)

Try Capt. Steve Bono with Bayou Charter Service. He is a good fisherman, works hard, and is great to be around. He fishes out of Hebert's Marina.


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## reef_runner (Mar 21, 2005)

My wife and I went with Calcasue Charters back in March. We fished with Capt. Jake (can't remember his last name), and did not have any problems. We fished several areas looking for trout and finally found the flounder. Hate to hear you all had such a bad experience. GRS


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## capt.wronghand (Feb 10, 2005)

thats why they call him eric RUDE ! the pot licker


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## boashna (May 28, 2004)

were can you catch flounder with dead shripm can you give info , or gps 
thanks


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## deke (Oct 5, 2004)

Man,... thats some stones, to ask for GPS coords, prefaced by saying you want to fish with dead shrimp. I'll just leave it at that.......wow.


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## bluewater bear (May 24, 2004)

capt. jake is a very nice guy. it's just too bad that he works for such a dissapointing group of guys. and as for you boshana, just call eric up. he should have no problem in giving you some #, hell, he might even teach a new way to fish fresh dead!!!!!


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## Capt. Erik Rue (May 4, 2005)

I was first alerted to Bluewater Bear's post about an hour ago. After contacting the leader of the fishing group immediately (who had no clue about this posting by Bluewater Bear and offered no defense to the poster, understanding my displeasure) I have narrowed the search for this unhappy camper down to three guys, with one most likely candidate. I have called and left a message for this guy to contact me, but no return call yet. I am doing this because the report was made by an unhappy customer who felt it was better to bash me on a message board without posting his real name than confront me with his feelings at the time of the trip. Of course there are two sides to every story and since he has had his say I guess it is my turn.

The group was scheduled to fish on Saturday morning, stay over at our lodge that evening and play golf the next morning. As I left my home Saturday morning the weather was flat calm, a welcome surprise. Minutes later as I was heading to the lodge, the front made its way through, turning the winds to the north at a sustained 20 and gusty. We prepped the boats and waited on our guests who had spent the night out partying in Lake Charles. When they arrived it started to sprinkle, so I suggested heading back to the lodge to evaluate the situation as every other charter boat departed Hebert's Marina with their customers. An hour or so later I decided, as I often do, that the weather was too poor to make a decent outing and cancelled the day. Many of the other charters arrived back in a few hours with nothing more than a good soaking.

The guys hung out at the lodge eating, drinking and sleeping off their hangovers the rest of the day. They approached me about fishing again the next day and I told them I was booked and it was not likely to happen, but I would see what I could do. At dinner, I informed them that I could make it happen (I cancelled another boat for Sunday because of the impending high winds and weather) but the weather was again going to be an issue...but they said if there was any way they could go fishing that would be preferred to golf since it was their "one time" to go on a trip here this year.

Sunday morning came and the winds did not lay, water was fudge in the lake and winds were up again maybe just as bad. If you have ever been to Calcasieu, you know what a 20+ wind can do to the water and the fishing. I told them it was their call this time, knowing their situation, and THEY chose to fish instead of golf, so off we went despite the poor conditions. Four boats out, two with some other customers that chose to brave it and two with this group. 3 boats headed north and I headed south. The two other groups each had exactly 20 fish per boat, with a mix of reds, trout and flounder caught on plastic, live pogies and "fresh dead" as the joke would have it, tipped on the hook for the flounder. This group's tally was 11 fish on my boat (9 on plastic) and 7 fish on the second boat (majority on plastic) and I never heard a complaint other than the weather sucks all day. Although some of my guys were hesitant to use any bait fearing they may be lesser men if their friends should find out, which I razzed them about all day.

All told, the trip was not what they wanted (mega trout on topwaters every cast all day long) but it was a full day of fishing, in the best places to fish with these weather conditions, with little or no other choices for good opportunities within reason, hence the lack of movement by our boats. When you consider we all remain in contact, a lot of water was covered that day by four experienced guides. I think we made the most of it, even though that didn't really amount to much given our standards.

Of course, nobody is happy when their trip is spoiled by poor weather but it is a reality in the guide business. I think it was very poor judgement and a true testament of this guy's character to bash us anonymously like this without at least discussing it with us first. Oh, by the way, the guys in my boat got jealous of a guy in a flatboat catching the heck out of some huge crabs near where we were fishing. They bummed some lines from him and had a good time catching enough for a nice boil while we were anchored. In my opinion, they were smart to make the most of their trip, despite the poor conditions.

Did I mention that I cut the price of their trip down since they did not take the golf outing, did I mention they got an extra meal for free, and two full days of open bar instead of just the one that they paid for and did I mention that they didn't even have to pay for the "fresh dead" he is whining about.

I have big shoulders and welcome any criticisms of our services, especially constructive criticism. We are always going the extra mile for our customers, working long hours to make sure that everything, AND I MEAN EVERYTHING, that we can control is right for our customer's trips. We are straight up and brutally honest about our services and what we can and cannot do and what you should expect on your trip. We don't make excuses. Many thousands of customers appreciate our approach and honesty and continue to use our services and are the reason we are still in business 19 years into my guiding career and stronger than ever. I will let our reputation speak for itself. We would appreciate any past, current or future customers considering a trip to Calcasieu to give us a chance to earn and keep your business and not be turned off by some anonymous poster with an axe to grind.

Respectfully,

Capt. Erik Rue
210 Bank Street
Lake Charles, LA 70607

337-598-4700
[email protected]
www.calcasieucharters.com


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## JDJM (Jun 8, 2004)

It certainly seems that the concensus finds for Bluewater Bear. Maybe the capt did not take enough of an effort to find out if his customers were satisfied or not before they left.


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## bluewater bear (May 24, 2004)

i understand that there are 2 sides to every story. I don't care if we had not caught any fish or filled the boats up, we still experienced poor service. people can make there own decisions about this matter.


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## Sow Trout (Jun 28, 2004)

Well said, Capt. Rue.


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## Mrsailfish (Jan 4, 2005)

I went with capt Rue back in feb I belive and fished with him for two days, the conditions (weather) was not the best but we did find some fish,the food and lodge was great and could not have asked for anything better, I will continue to use him till.

Mrsailfish


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## InfamousJ (May 21, 2004)

Dang Capt. Rue. That was a very good reply and well tempered.


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## Capt. John Havens (May 28, 2004)

InfamousJ said:


> Dang Capt. Rue. That was a very good reply and well tempered.


I agree. Glad to see you speak up Capt.


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## JDJM (Jun 8, 2004)

*Bad Calcasieu report*

Hey Captain "Ron"- Isn't it great when you can get all your buddies to get on this message board and write positive things about you! I guess all the Charter people have a "thin blue(water) line". I'm personally glad to see that people have the freedom to write what they think-it gives everyone who is interested a chance to make a good rational decision when looking for charters. It also seems to me that if you had been that rude to my group as you were to the one on Saturday, it would make me feel really uneasy to speak up-knowing nothing would have come from it anyway with the attitude you and your hands displayed on the trip.


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## BertS (May 21, 2004)

JDJM said:


> Hey Captain "Ron"- Isn't it great when you can get all your buddies to get on this message board and write positive things about you! I guess all the Charter people have a "thin blue(water) line". I'm personally glad to see that people have the freedom to write what they think-it gives everyone who is interested a chance to make a good rational decision when looking for charters. It also seems to me that if you had been that rude to my group as you were to the one on Saturday, it would make me feel really uneasy to speak up-knowing nothing would have come from it anyway with the attitude you and your hands displayed on the trip.





JDJM said:


> Wahoo Man: We saw you on the water last Saturday afternoon. It seems somewhat ironic to see you standing next to the large CCA sign on the right side of the picture. Next time you are in Port Aransas take a few moments and read what the sign says. The sign suggests you should act like a responsible and couteous sportsman and not crowd other fishermen since the bays and ocean are large places. There is no need to act in a beligerant manner on the ocean and force me to have to choose between either running over your trolled lines or risk having my boat being pushed into the rig. It is uncommon and unfortunate to meet a fellow sportsman that does not act in a safe and considerate manner.
> 
> Most sincerely,
> 
> JDJM





JDJM said:


> It certainly seems that the concensus finds for Bluewater Bear. Maybe the capt did not take enough of an effort to find out if his customers were satisfied or not before they left.


wow, all three of yer posts, and .......a bit of a pot stirrer?


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## Capt. John Havens (May 28, 2004)

JDJM said:


> Hey Captain "Ron"- Isn't it great when you can get all your buddies to get on this message board and write positive things about you!


Just curious as to whom you are referring?


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## BertS (May 21, 2004)

Mr Havens,

I believe he is refering to Capt Rue as Capt Ron, aka Kurt Russell in the movie? inferring that Capt Rue is no more a captian, than Capt Ron was in the movie.


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## InfamousJ (May 21, 2004)

CSI 2Cool... starring BertS


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## Mike in Friendswood (May 21, 2004)

I think John is taking offense to the term "buddies". John has no agenda and pretty much sees it as he calls. Darrell on the other hand is just kissing up. LOL!

Unfortunately I don't see it the same way this time. Capt. Rue starts off his post and paints a picture of the clients as a bunch of rowdy drunks. Does this excuse him from giving them good service. Bottom line is making the customer happy, or at least acting like you are trying to do so. Free fodd and beer does not make up for crappy service. My opinion (not that it really matters)!

Mike


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## Melon (Jun 1, 2004)

Just why is everyone melonizing this fishing report board? J/K LOL


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## BertS (May 21, 2004)

Mike, I stand corrected.....I do believe you should be lead investigator on this one.....lol


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## Bink Grimes (May 5, 2005)

you cannot please everyone in this business...if you are 95% good, you have done your job in the outfitting business...rain or shine, good or bad, windy or calm, big trout or pencils, bulls or rat reds, topwaters or live bait, there are going to be 2 to 3 groups a year who are tough to please... if you entertain long enough, it will happen... and, i am not saying the people in question do not have a beef... who knows, i was not there... having said that, i hope an internet post does not stop someone from trying Erik's outfit... i just don't like reading someone getting bashed on a forum.. it affects his family and the mouths he feeds...If someone needs a reference as to how he runs his operation, please feel free to email me... and, by the way, i had a charter on the Saturday in question... it was calm when i put the boat in, the the north winds blew 35-40... my group still wanted to go so we soaked dead shrimp in the Colorado River... not by choice, it was the only safe plan of attack... throwing a topwater and wading the sand and grass would have been nice, but this is the real world with real weather conditions.. it don't always go as planned... not trying to offend anyone, but i know Erik personally and have been to his place many times...

[email protected]


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## troy merrill (May 21, 2004)

*Second thought*

Prolly should have bit my tongue....oh well....

Meeting someone's expectations is easier when they are known upfront. I had a bad trip many years ago in Calcasieu and it was because I had expectations that were not met...in hind set, they weren't clearly communicated to the service provider. I was destined to lose from the start.

I apologize for piling on.......

Good luck Capt. Rue.


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## bandit1 (May 5, 2005)

I was also on the calcasieu trip last weekend. I feel that the post sent was a frustrated fisherman who did not feel that he got the treatment a paying customer should get. then there is Erik's version who is a guide trying to save his namesake and I feel got a little carried away. I was going to stay out of it, b/c like Erik said I was on his boat and all we could try and do was make the best of it. He knew coming in that we wanted to have a chance at catching a big trout on a topwater or corky or what have you. It wasn't like the situation that he said "All told, the trip was not what they wanted (mega trout on topwaters every cast all day long) that is a blatent Lie to make us look like fisherman who were inexperienced and had rediculous expectations, not the case. I have fished saltwater for most of my life and have caught 1 trout 28" and no one on the trip had ever gotten one bigger than 26-1/2". We called 6 months in advance and asked when is the best chance to catcha big trout on topwater and he booked us for these dates. There are several other blatent lies in his post as well. He tries to make it look like we were spoiled above and beyond expectations. we were give what we were told we were going to be given from a hospitality stand point. erik wrote "Did I mention that I cut the price of their trip down since they did not take the golf outing, did I mention they got an extra meal for free, and two full days of open bar instead of just the one that they paid for and did I mention that they didn't even have to pay for the "fresh dead" he is whining about. First of all why would he not take the golf portion of the trip off considering he did not even make us a tee time. do most people pay for rounds they don't play or make tee times for? no one I know would. plus the fact that he took half of the golf price off, not the hole thing(there's a quick $150 for his family that he did not even have to so much as lift a phone to call in a tee time.) Here comes some more lies. He asks if he mentioned that we got an extra meal and 2 full days of open bar. we ate dinner, breakfast and lunch(sandwich on the boat) that's 3 meals. his website says you get just that 3 meals. where's the extra? 2 full days of drinking. we arrived on saturday and left on sunday. saturday we drank, sunday we drove home. I guess he is not real good with math. As far as fishing went, it was a tough day to fish. No one there is a big enough man to make me pay for dead shrimp. I caught a few flounder on tails and realized i have had bad trips before, nature of the beast. Erik was fine to be around as was jake so to associated 1 bad trip to a guys reputation is not for me. The other boat apparently got a guide who made no effort to make there trip more enjoyable, and that is bad service. was it the trip we told him we would like in advance, no. There probably could have been a little more effort to have a shot at a few trout, but that's not how it went down. The reason I will never go back to Calcasieu charters is b/c of the post Erik wrote, the blatent lies he told to make my group look bad and himself look like a saint. I hold nothing against him and hope that all goes well with his charter service in the future. I would just rather fish with another guide service in the future, and there are many too choose from.

keith


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