Focus on drum, redfish out of Delacroix

Speckled trout doable on days with good tidal range, guide says

While speckled trout are traditionally a tad more difficult to find out of Delacroix in February, Capt. Randall Shaw said it’s a great month to target line-pulling redfish and black drum.

“We really got on some big schools of black drum last year,” said Shaw, who operates Louisiana Fishing Charters. “They showed up thick in February — I mean thousands and thousands of them.”

And catching them couldn’t be easier. Just like when he targets redfish, Shaw uses dead shrimp under a popping cork to target drum.

But leader length is critical, he said.

“You want to make sure it’s on the bottom. Those fish are feeding down and they’re down in the mud beds because of the cooler weather trying to stay warm and insulated, so you have to be on the bottom,” Shaw said. “If you’re going with a short leader, they won’t even look up at it. It will go right over their heads.”

Most of the month he’ll be fishing in bays 3 to 4 feet deep. For redfish on drum on warmer days with higher water, he suggested targeting ponds off of Pointe Fienne.

On cooler days with lower water, he suggested Grand Lake and Lake John.

“Most of the time the fish are going to be really close, so you don’t need to make long runs,” he said. “It’s not going to be anything down south.”

Warmer than usual temperatures have predominated, so Shaw said days with good tidal range would be the time to target speckled trout in Little Lake.

He favors Matrix Shad’s lemonhead for dirty water, or shrimp creole or the new holy joely for cleaner water.

“They can accumulate there if the water gets warm, and you can get on the flats and catch them drifting,” Shaw said. “They’re just not consistent. The consistency will be with the drum and redfish.”

For more information, visit Capt. Randall Shaw’s website at www.la-charters.com.

About Patrick Bonin 1315 Articles
Patrick Bonin is the former editor of Louisiana Sportsman magazine and LouisianaSportsman.com.