Rigolets Right For Waiting Out Pontchartrain

Captain Greg Schlumbrecht of To Fish Charters expects the HWY 11 and the Train Bridges across Lake Pontchartrain to explode with giant speckled trout just any day now. However, in the meantime, he’s catching enough specks and reds in the Rigolets to make his wait a little more tolerable.“I’m checking the bridges about every other day,” Schlumbrecht said. “I think we’re still about two weeks away. But, with the warm weather we’ve got coming up the next few days, it cold happen just any time.”

While he’s biding his time, Schlumbrecht has been catching trout up to three pounds in the back of dead-end canals around the Rigolets. Some good areas to try are 4X, Unknown Pass, and Miller’s Ditch – places that have deep water in the back of them.

“I’ve been catching the trout by tightlining a glow/chartreuse Deadly Dudley,” Schlumbrecht reported. “The water’s been a little too muddy for the Blue Moon. You’ve got to give them something they can see a little better right now. The action has been consistent as far as catching fish, but, as a boat, we’ve been caught anywhere from 27 to 41 within the last couple of days.”

The redfish have also been keeping Schlumbrecht busy while he waits on the bridges to turn on. He and his customers caught several reds up to eight pounds in the Rigolets just yesterday.

“We’re catching the reds on the grass lines,” Schlumbrecht said. “They’ve been in 10 to 15 inches of water, and they’re not really turning on until the high tide gets up. They’ll run in there to get a bite and coming back out.”

The redfish haven’t been as particular about color as have the trout. Schlumbrecht reported catching the reds Funky Chicken and Shrimp Dudleys. He said that they’re eating the baits based more no movement than color.

“Get in the back ends of the protected cuts with deep water,” Schlumbrecht advised. “Throw something in there on the grass when the tide gets up and you will catch some good reds.”

About Chris Ginn 778 Articles
Chris Ginn has been covering hunting and fishing in Louisiana since 1998. He lives with his wife Jennifer and children Matthew and Rebecca along the Bogue Chitto River in rural Washington Parish. His blog can be found at chrisginn.com.