Creighton Ward likes to call Buras, located in central Plaquemines Parish, the triangle of fishing. From Buras, there is fishing on the east side of the river, on the west side of the river, and down the river.
Down the river, which he also calls “Venice,” is defined as everything from Baptiste Collette Bayou southward. When Mississippi River levels are low and waters in the river are green instead of brown, it’s time to fish Venice. Late summer and fall are best.
Ward calls the west side of the river, from Port Sulphur south to Red Pass, the premier fishing of the area. He will fish the west side all year whenever wind conditions allow.
The fly in the ointment is that due to coastal erosion, large areas of marsh have turned into open water subject to wind action. Almost any wind will muddy the waters quickly. The worst wind direction for fishing the west side is from the west.
Ward defines the east side as the area from Pointe a la Hache south to Raccoon Point. Because it has had less erosion, more marsh shoreline is present, making it ideal for finding redfish, which tend to hunt for their supper along banks.
Ward typically makes his decision where to fish on the morning of the trip. After getting up, he checks the Internet for tide information. His preference is to fish on incoming tides, but above all he doesn’t want to become “stranded,” his term for having the lull between tides occur at mid-morning.
On the day of this trip, it was May, too early to fish down the river. Because of the winds, Ward had to opt for the marshes east of the river rather than west of the river.
