Limit out on trout with this advice
The morning air had a chill to it, but as the sun crept over the horizon I felt the urge to shed my coat.
I sat next to Capt. Marty LaCoste as we blazed southwest down Bayou Dularge in his Blue Wave. There were more boats than you’d expect for a Tuesday morning.
“I can’t believe no one’s called me to go fish today; the weather is perfect,” he said.
Lucky for me there was a vacancy, because within 15 minutes I was about to be on the hottest trout bite I’ve ever experienced.
Shrimp & birds
Armed with double-rigged Matrix Shad and topwater Matrix Mullets, LaCoste, his friend David Thibodaux and I raced toward a pack of seagulls enthusiastically diving and feasting on shrimp. There was a world of trout below, attacking the shrimp with the same fervor.
“Double!” Thibodaux hollered just as Lacoste was setting the hook on a double of his own. Thibodaux hauled his pair over the gunnel as I got a blowup on a topwater. It was insanity and we were awash in giddiness and trout slime.
LaCoste is well prepared for the chaos that comes from a hot trout bite. At the front and back of this boat are champagne baskets. If you take the time to unhook each trout, walk to the ice chest, open the lid and toss it in, you’ve missed out on making another cast. It might not sound like much, but when the action is hot and heavy, missing out on a single cast means you’ve missed out on welcoming aboard another trout. Over the course of a few minutes, you might miss out on just as many trout.
Head for the lakes
As I sit here in Boutte and write this there are untold scads of trout and reds in the lakes as they migrate south to the Gulf. Why?
“Right now the fish are moving toward the lakes. The shrimp have shown up, and you’re basically looking for birds and shrimp,” LaCoste said. “If you find ’em, you can throw just about anything and get bit. It’s the best and most reliable way to get your limit, and it’s happening right now.”
LaCoste favors Duce Rods, based out of Lafayette, and a double rig when trying to fill the boat, but a topwater when he’s fun fishing. Today he was throwing a Matrix Mullet, a topwater walking-style bait. On his double rigs, he has ¼-ounce jigheads with Matrix Shad soft plastics in green hornet, avocado or glow colors. If he’s fishing around a reef, he’ll switch to a single jighead to reduce snags.
To reach Capt. Marty LaCoste, call 985-856-4477 or find him on Facebook.
