The trout are here!

All autumn long, anglers have been catching redfish in droves, while speckled trout were finicky and a bit scarce.

Until the past 10-14 days, that is.

As the weather has shifted closer to winter, the specks have significantly turned on and local anglers say they’re not having to spend much time on the water to limit out on the prized fish.

Just about everyone asked this week said that trout fishing has taken a complete 180-degree turn since our last report with huge catches being reported in local waters.

Soggy weather slowed fishing on Thursday out ahead of a cold front that brought dry, cool temperatures for the weekend. That dry patch opened the floodgates again for significant catches.

“It’s been out of this world good,” Golden Meadow native Ross Picou said. “Everyone is catching. We waited long enough, but we’re getting the payoff right now. Everyone is catching and we couldn’t ask for better results than what we’re seeing right now.”

In Southern Lafourche Parish where Picou frequents, there “literally isn’t a bad spot” right now.

He said he gets action on the side of the road near Fourchon. His friends have been kayaking through shallow passes and into deeper ones to find both redfish and specks.

Grand Isle native Jake Besson said all one needs is a live bait — preferably a minnow, and a little time to spare. 

He said the marshes are full of fish ready to jump into the boat … or into your ice chest if one is fishing on the side of the road.

“The redfish have been on for 6 weeks — maybe 8 weeks. Every time you guys call, we talk about the redfish and how well they’re doing,” Besson said. “But the specks started slow. But since the past two weeks or so, the seasons have started to change a little bit and they’re really active now. It’s as active as we’ve seen since this time last year and there doesn’t seem to be a change in sight anytime soon.”

Anglers say that the best time to fish is 12-24 hours after a front passes — when the conditions have all the way dried out and the cold spat of air is fresh in the atmosphere. 

“They’re easy to snag after the fronts pass,” Besson said. “It doesn’t take much.” 

Just north of Leeville/Fourchon and toward the Golden Meadow area, perch are jerking lines in fresh water canals — a tasty treat. 

In Bayou Lafourche, catfish have been biting, but the bass have slowed down. 

Further south from Leeville/Fourchon, offshore fishing in Grand Isle has come to a complete halt, as winds and colder weather have raised the seas too high to get on the water comfortably. 

In southern Terrebonne Parish, conditions have been as favorable as they are in Lafourche with anglers saying that speckled trout catches are on the rise — when weather allows. 

Houma native Ross Theriot said he’s made 2-3 trips in the past few weeks and has had success every, single time. He said he took his son to catch redfish one trip with success, bringing several of the fish onto his boat. Another time, he and a friend pushed into the marshes and caught their limits in speckled trout. They then fried the fish and had a watch party of the New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Bucs game.

“We got on the water at 5:30 a.m. as the sun was coming out,” he said. “By 9-10 a.m., we’d caught plenty enough. By 11 a.m., we were home and showered and by the time the game was over, everything was cleaned and ready to be fried for us as the game was ending. Not bad for a day’s work.”

Toward Bayou Black, freshwater fishing has a slowed as temperatures have cooled. But anglers are having luck with sac-au-lait and the occasional bass when they’re able to get out on the water.

Conditions next week are warm and dry with no significant rain chance given. That dry patch should mean for good fishing, if conditions hold. •

trout

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