The Professor of Hopedale | Chad Gonzales

Chad “Cheech” Gonzales didn't grow up as some legendary Louisiana trout fisherman.He became one through pure obsession.After getting back into fishing in 2019, Chad spent countless days on the water studying tides, wind, satellite imagery, bait presentation, water depth, hard baits, casting distance, boat positioning and just about every other variable he could find.Eventually, the Hopedale fishing community gave him another name: The Professor.In this episode of Louisiana Legends, Chad joins Boyce and Nathan to tell the story of how he went from getting his boat stuck in the Louisiana marsh for HOURS to becoming one of the most methodical speckled trout fishermen in Hopedale.And then Cliff Hall crashes the podcast.We get into:• Why Chad became obsessed with Hopedale• Catching 100+ trout on his first trip with Cliff Hall• Why he stopped chasing limits and started chasing BIG trout• Release Over 20 and Louisiana trout conservation• Hard baits, jerkbaits and topwater fishing• Why 10 lb braid completely changed his fishing• How far casting can matter for trophy trout• Why Chad barely uses his trolling motor• The insane importance of stealth and boat noise• FG knots, Canoe Man loop knots and leader setup• Learning from John Miller, Devin Denman and other Louisiana trout fishermen• Why fishing with another great angler can accelerate everything• The changing Hopedale and Biloxi Marsh fishery• Why Chad might eventually become addicted to Venice• And why if you slam a boat hatch... the trout will be back NEXT THURSDAYThis one gets deep into the mentality behind consistently finding and catching speckled trout in Louisiana.If you're obsessed with speckled trout, Hopedale, Biloxi Marsh, hard-bait fishing or simply becoming a better angler, this episode is for you.Louisiana Legends PodcastReal people. Real stories. Louisiana.Subscribe for the full episodes and new Louisiana fishing content every week.