Tippets

Catch Cormier

Just tie on a fly and jump in a kayak for thrilling fishing trips.

June is perhaps the best month to catch speckled trout in the surf on flies.

As summer heats up, the trout become more oriented toward live bait. Look for bird action on the beaches starting before sunrise. Try poppers for bigger trout, clousers for schoolies.

In the back bays and over reefs, try the VOSI-clouser combination. Any color clouser is good, as long as it’s chartreuse.

Sand trout invade inshore waters during summer and fall. Perhaps due to the mild winter we had, as early as April 1 was catching sandies in the 11- to 12-inch range. This fast-growing species doesn’t usually get that big until August.

Hook one that size, and you think you have a really good speck on — for about six seconds. Get into a big school with a 6-weight, and you’ll be hooked for life.

Sand trout are primary predators of shrimp and bay anchovies (silversides). A clouser minnow is a great imitation of a silverside. As for shrimp imitations, try shrimp patterns that use flowing materials like rabbit fur, craft fur and EP Fiber.

June also marks the peak month for bass on poppers.

Bream action will also be peaking on the live oxbows, and larger lakes. Use jitterbees, cap spiders and Cajun Ticklers in midday, and poppers or foam spiders late in the afternoon.

This month is one of the best for the Rio Grande perch in the urban waters of Orleans and Jefferson parishes. Olive or black fluff butts or woolybuggers have caught fish up to 2 pounds so far this season.