Big Lake

I posted a while back about moving to Houston from New Orleans and finding some new fishing/ hunting opportunities fairly close to home and got some decent advice. Still haven't found a place to duck hunt that isn't priced sky high but I digress. I've come to the decision that I am going to try and start fishing around Lake Charles on the weekends and just rent a hotel on the weekends I can go. I come to you guys hoping to get some advice on where I might start. Any general areas, tips, etc that could point me in the right direction would be helpful. Any hotel/ camp recommendations?

I'm guessing this time of year there should be plenty of shrimp in the bays and finding fish under birds a good possibilty. I've there's a good flounder run this time of year there too. Just looking for a place to start, I can figure out the rest pretty quickly...

If anybody is willing to trade a couple close duck hunts, I'd be willing to offer an offshore trip or two out of Venice. Getting a little LA outdoor withdrawal kicking in...